The eutectic plate is the cold store of an Isotec container. The container only insulates; what feeds the cold along the trip are the plates that slide into the rails under the lid. This page collects which plates actually exist in the GEBHARDT range, which size comes in which melting point, and how a plate is prepared.
Melting point and size matrix
| Melting point | 390 × 295 × 34 | 480 × 280 × 34 | 615 × 378 × 34 |
|---|---|---|---|
| -3 °C | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| -14 °C | - | ✓ | - |
| -18 °C | - | ✓ | - |
| -21 °C | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The matrix says one thing: melting point and body size cannot be chosen independently. -3 and -21 °C come in all three sizes; -14 and -18 °C are offered only in the 480 × 280 × 34 mm body. That is why we settle the regime first and the size second - the other way round you risk asking for a combination that does not exist.
How the melting point is chosen
The plate's melting point follows the regime of the goods. -3 °C works for fresh produce, and -14, -18 or -21 °C for frozen. A plate draws heat at the temperature where it melts: a -3 °C plate exists to keep fresh goods cold without freezing them, not to protect frozen goods.
How they are frozen
The rule is simple: the freezer must be at least 5 °C below the plate's melting point. For a -21 °C plate that means a freezer at -26 °C. If a plate goes into the container before it is frozen through, it carries less cold than it should and runs out early on the road.
- Place the plates in a freezing rack: leave an air gap between them, never stack them directly.
- Set the freezer to at least 5 °C below the melting point.
- Allow the time: 8-24 hours depending on the cooling technique, in practice 15-21 hours. As an example, a -21 °C plate freezes in about 19 hours in a -26 °C freezer.
- Slide the plate into the upper rails of the container; a container takes up to six plates.
Shell and filling
The outer shell is food-safe polyethylene; the filling is non-toxic brine. A plate is not a single-use consumable: it is bought, frozen, used and frozen again. Unlike dry ice it does not become a line item you re-purchase for every trip.
What holds the plate inside the container
Three separate parts get mixed up here: slide rails hold the plate in place inside the container and let it be pushed in and out; the plate shelf carries plates with a bar that stops them falling and can be removed; freezing racks work not in the container but in the freezer at the depot. Freezing racks are listed in two sizes: art. 7027745 (72 plates) and art. 6051186 (144 plates).
Ice pack or eutectic plate
Two sizes of the same logic. The market sells the small sizes as ice packs; the industrial-size version is technically a eutectic plate. The difference is not only size: an industrial plate is made for a defined melting point and draws heat at that temperature, while household gel packs have no such defined point.
