Choosing an Isotec is not ticking a model in a catalogue; it is putting six facts on the table. This page sets out which facts are needed and what each of them determines, so the first exchange does not turn into a hunt for missing data.
Six facts before a quote
- The goods and the temperature regime: fresh or frozen, and the target temperature.
- Route time and number of stops: door-to-door distribution or a single delivery point.
- Daily number of lid openings.
- Volume per trip and the expected fill level of the container.
- Vehicle interior height, door opening and unloading method: by hand, pallet truck or forklift.
- Plate-freezing capacity at the depot: freezer temperature and how many plates you have room for.
Which fact determines what
| What you tell us | What it determines |
|---|---|
| Goods and regime | The melting point of the plate |
| Route time and stops | Plate count, input to the thermal analysis |
| Volume and fill level | TBX size and number of containers |
| Vehicle and unloading | Wheeled or pallet-based |
| Freezing capacity | Rotation setup and freezing-rack needs |
Wheeled or pallet-based
This is settled by the last metres, not by volume. If the container comes off the vehicle and is pushed by hand into a store or a kitchen, the wheeled sizes (410-795) are the right ones. If it moves by forklift or pallet truck inside a depot, or feeds a conveyor, the pallet-based sizes (900-1500) work: the base takes four-way entry.
The two groups also differ in payload: 500 kg on the wheeled sizes, 700 kg on the pallet-based ones.
Fresh, frozen or a mixed trip
Because the cold source sits inside the container, containers on different regimes can share a vehicle. The practical rule: one container, one regime. Fresh goods travel with -3 °C plates, frozen goods with -14, -18 or -21 °C plates; separating containers is cleaner than combining two regimes in one, both for product quality and for the calculation.
The depot side: plate-freezing capacity
Where the system usually gets stuck in the field is not the vehicle but the depot. Every trip needs fully frozen plates, and freezing takes 8-24 hours depending on the cooling technique, in practice 15-21 hours. So if you run a two-day rotation, you need twice the plates in circulation and a rack setup that holds them with air gaps.
How to send your enquiry
- Write as much of the six facts as you know; we will fill the gaps together
- Add the vehicle's interior dimensions and door opening
- Add the size of the crates you carry
- Tell us the temperature of the freezer at your depot
- Photos help: the loading area, the vehicle interior, the containers you use today
