There are two answers to 'how many plates do we need?': the number in one thermally qualified packout, and the total pool needed while plates in service return for recharge and preparation. Do not write them as one fixed number.
Plates per packout
This count is assessed from the goods' heat load, the container model and volume, loading arrangement, target temperature, starting condition, route profile and lid openings. A plate-per-kilogram or plate-per-route-hour formula is not reliable before those conditions are qualified. Keep the result with the article, product quantity, plate model, position, preparation condition and acceptance criterion.
The GEBHARDT TBX brochure describes temperature protection for up to 24 hours under specified conditions. It does not assign a fixed plate count or guarantee to every container and route. The 24-hour table rows on the GEBHARDT plate page are freezing times. Preparation time and transport holding time are separate values.
Plate preparation: a practical starting point
GEBHARDT's row for plate 6081958 lists a -18 °C melting point, approximately -23 °C freezing temperature and 24 hours. The manufacturer's technical plate PDF requires freezing at least 5 °C below the melting point, full solidification and airflow gaps between plates. Verify a 24-hour preparation window for the model and freezer conditions; elapsed time alone does not prove readiness or transport holding time.
The total plate pool
The total pool comes from the event schedule: plates ready in containers + plates returning or being re-frozen + plates unavailable for maintenance, damage or quality checks. As an entirely hypothetical example, if two containers each need 3 plates, the packout stock is 6 plates. If 6 more are being prepared for the next wave and 2 are unavailable, the total pool is 14. This is not a fixed two-sets rule; derive it from your return and recharge times.
How to compare a trial
Keep the Isotec body, product quantity, packaging, plate model, loading position, preparation state, route and lid openings under the same definitions in both candidate recipes. Record the measurement point, logging period and acceptance limit. If a result is short, identify which condition changed; adding plates alone does not identify the cause.
The Aris Makina needs-analysis form collects goods and crate dimensions, preferred volume and load, base and handling equipment, vehicle dimensions and plate-freezing temperature. Send it with a one-week return and preparation event table so packout count and total pool can be qualified separately.
