Frozen transport without a reefer: holding -18 °C in a closed container

In frozen distribution there is only one question: will the goods be handed over as solid as they left the depot? How the container was prepared and how the round was ordered decide it; the badge on the vehicle does not.

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Short answer

Frozen goods travel at -18 °C without a refrigerated vehicle: the container and plates are prepared for the deep-freeze regime. GEBHARDT gives -21 to -25 °C as the pre-cooling target, 12-20 hours as the pre-cooling time, and states that eutectic plates or dry ice hold the chain for up to 24 hours. The Turkish Food Codex requires -18 °C or lower at every point of the product; a brief rise of no more than 3 °C is allowed only in transport, distribution and the retail cabinet, never in storage.

Who this page is for

Producers and wholesalers distributing frozen food
Chains with a daily frozen shipment
Operations opening a frozen line without buying a reefer
Anyone sending frozen goods in small, frequent lots

In frozen distribution a mistake does not correct itself on the road. If the goods went in half-frozen, if the container was not pre-cooled, or if the lid stayed open at a stop, the loss shows up at the end of the round rather than in the middle of it.

What the Codex asks for

The Turkish Food Codex sets the requirement at -18 °C or lower at every point of a frozen product. A brief rise of no more than 3 °C is allowed only in transport, distribution and the retail cabinet; it is not a storage tolerance. Recording ambient temperature with date and time during carriage, and keeping those records, is the requirement of a separate communiqué.

The work that ends before the round starts

On a frozen regime the container is prepared overnight. GEBHARDT gives -21 to -25 °C as the deep-freeze pre-cooling target and recommends 12-20 hours of pre-cooling. Plates freeze through to the core on a rack that leaves an air gap between them. In the morning the container is closed with its plates and stays closed for the round.

Three rules on the round

Goods are loaded fully frozen. A container does not freeze a half-frozen product; it only works to hold the temperature it was given.
The lid stays shut between stops. The delivery order is built so the container is not opened for nothing.
The container runs on plates prepared for its regime. A plate prepared for chilled work will not carry a frozen round.

How it is set up

The programme runs on the GEBHARDT Isotec TBX: nine sizes, 410 to 1500 litres, deep-freeze regime at -21…-25 °C, ATP and HACCP certified for food transport. Alongside it, freezing racks that take plates to the core and EPP thermoboxes for the last few metres. Send the route, the daily frozen volume and the number of drops; the container size and the plate regime follow from those three numbers.

Both sides of the record

A logger placed inside the container keeps the record for the carriage; at goods-in the product's own temperature is measured separately. The set value and the air reading do not replace the product measurement - both records belong to the same file and an inspection asks for them together.

Products used for this job

Isotec TBX Insulated Container

Eutectic Plates

Eutectic Plate Freezing Racks

Thermobox (EPP)

Sources

Neighbouring jobs

Frozen food distribution →Cold chain logistics →Can frozen food travel without a reefer truck?Why warm loading costs you: precooling and thermal mass Do you have to pre-chill the container?The hidden loss in frozen cargo: freezer burn and weight loss Where the cooling unit's fuel tank stands in the regulation A frozen pallet refused at the ramp: protection, inspection and the burden of proof Refrigerated vehicle alternative →Frozen food distribution →

Frequently asked

How long does a container hold frozen goods?

The catalogue ceiling is 24 hours: GEBHARDT states that eutectic plates or dry ice hold the cold chain for that long. The real figure depends on how often it is opened, the outside temperature and the temperature of the load itself. With the route in hand we can work out how many hours your own round actually gets.

Will half-frozen goods freeze inside the container?

No. The container preserves, it does not refrigerate: it holds the temperature it is given. A frozen round works when the goods go in fully frozen.

Dry ice or eutectic plates?

Both work in the same container. Plates are frozen at the depot and reused; dry ice is bought for every trip and needs ventilation. The length of the trip and the freezing capacity at the depot decide which one fits.

Do the plates need a separate freezer?

Plates freeze on a rack that keeps an air gap between them, and the rack goes into your existing cold store. Send us your store temperature and how many plates you need per night and we will work out how many racks that takes.