Dry ice

The GEBHARDT eutectic-plate brochure states savings potential of up to 41% versus dry ice. Calculate your own result from invoices, metered electricity and plate cycles.

Beyond plates and dry ice there is a third route: turning liquid carbon dioxide into snow inside the box. The sublimation temperature, the cooling per kilogram and the CO2 limit in a closed cab set the terms.

Dry ice can release CO₂ gas. Do not open in an enclosed, poorly ventilated area; follow the SDS and site risk plan.

IATA Packing Instruction 954 allows up to 200 kg of dry ice per package, but it says nothing about how long a consignment waits. Acceptance, screening, build-up and loading have to be timed before packaging is chosen.

How long dry ice lasts depends on insulation and lid openings: it does not melt but sublimes, and the temperature curve shows what is left on the road.

Verify product compatibility, carrier acceptance, packaging and vehicle instructions; keep separate records per container.

Sublimation is the kind of phase change that goes straight from solid to gas, which is how dry ice is used up. A eutectic plate works between solid and liquid at a chosen melting point and is frozen again.

Where a eutectic plate cannot reach deep enough, dry ice is used. The tray holds it above the load and apart from the product; the container is not sealed airtight, so the gas can leave.

Dry ice sublimes at -78.5 °C and freezes the product wherever it touches. In fresh produce that means freezing injury; a separating layer, spread-out placement and the right logger position close the gap.

Dry ice cools, but it also produces gas and burns. In a closed vehicle the real risk is not the product but the person carrying the box.

Do not apply minus 70 degrees to every product; current instructions, equipment range, and route validation all matter.

Dry ice releases CO₂ gas. Do not assume body or cab conditions are safe; define a vehicle-specific risk assessment, monitoring and entry procedure.

Dry ice is Class 9 dangerous goods under UN 1845. By air it needs package marks, a label and an air waybill entry; by road, ADR 5.5.3 requires a warning sign and a transport document entry.

Dry ice is never kept in an airtight container: the subliming gas builds pressure. Below: how to choose the container and the place, the OSHA and NIOSH limits, and a worked calculation of why gas in a closed room is a risk.

Dry ice is made by expanding liquid carbon dioxide into snow and pressing it. Because it sublimes, compare suppliers on the net kilos weighed at delivery, not on price per kilo.

Dry ice is -78.5 °C at normal pressure and turns straight into gas without melting, so it needs a barrier from the product and a vented container.