A frozen plate holds the temperature near its own melting point: the salt-and-water filling absorbs heat as it changes phase, and that is where the plate does its work. So the coldest plate is not the best plate for every load; the load's target range chooses it. GEBHARDT offers four standard melting points, -3, -14, -18 and -21 °C, told apart by closure colour: red, yellow, green and blue.
- Fresh food, target around 0 to 2 °C: the -3 °C plate. A colder plate pulls the load below its range.
- Frozen food with a -12 °C limit under ATP Annex 2: the -14 °C plate leaves a margin.
- Deep-frozen food (-18 °C) and ice cream (-20 °C): the -21 °C plate leaves a margin; a -18 °C plate sits exactly on the limit.
Conditioning limits the choice as well. A plate must be frozen at least 5 °C below its melting point (-8, -19, -23 and -26 °C for the four types) and frozen through completely; depending on the cooling technology that takes 8 to 24 hours. If your freezer cannot reach -26 °C, the answer is preparation capacity rather than a different plate, since swapping a plate to suit the freezer voids the assessment made for the product. Leave an air gap between plates so cold air can circulate.
Confirm the article number, size and fit with the container's slide rails or grid shelves, and test the packout with the actual load. How many plates a route needs depends on load and duration: send route and product data to Aris Makina and we pass on GEBHARDT's thermal analysis. Sizes are in the plate guide.
