How do you use gel packs? Cooling goods and transporting them are different

Gel packs keep pre-chilled goods cold. The pack must be frozen through, placed against the container walls and separated from the product.

14 April 2026Updated 28 September 2026

Short answer

Gel packs keep goods that were already brought down to dispatch temperature cold on the road; they cannot cool warm goods inside the box. Freeze the packs flat in a single layer until solid, place them against the container walls, put a barrier between them and the product, and fill the voids. Standard gel freezes around 0 °C, so it must not touch product that must not freeze.

Gel packs keep pre-chilled goods cold; asked to cool warm goods inside the box, they use up their capacity on the road. Standard gel packs freeze and melt around 0 °C, which suits loads kept at 2-8 °C.

Lay the packs flat in a single layer in the freezer and leave them until solid; set aside any that leak or swell.
Load the product only after it has reached dispatch temperature.
Place the packs against the container walls, put a barrier between them and the product, and fill the voids so nothing shifts on the road.
On return, separate damaged packs, wipe the sound ones dry and put them back in the freezer.