Calculator methodology
Every ColdMatch calculator runs on one shared, version-controlled calculation library. This page documents the exact formulas, the source of every default value, the assumptions, the exclusions and the limitations of each model, so a buyer — or an answer engine — can check the method, not just the number.
A machine-readable version is published at /calculator-methodology.json.
What these tools are, and are not
All results are preliminary planning estimates. ColdMatch Group supports industrial procurement and project preparation. It does not manufacture equipment, does not provide regulated engineering certification, is not a bank or lender, does not approve financing and does not guarantee project feasibility, supplier performance or calculator results. Final technical design, machine selection, supplier quotation, performance guarantee, financing terms, legal compliance, tax treatment and engineering approval must be confirmed by the responsible qualified third party.
Refrigeration equipment & retrofit ROI calculator
ID equipment-roi · version 2.0.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by ColdMatch Group project engineering desk · confidence: engineering standard
Turn an equipment or retrofit scope into an installed investment figure and the four investment measures a board actually needs: simple payback, discounted payback, NPV and IRR.
Inputs
| Input | Unit | Default and its source |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment purchase cost * | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Freight, insurance, duties and clearance | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Installation, civil, electrical and commissioning | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Training and initial spare parts | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Working-capital effect at start-up | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Annual gross benefit (energy saved, output gained, losses avoided) * | currency/year | No default; user input required. |
| Additional annual operating and maintenance cost | currency/year | No default; user input required. |
| Useful life | years | 10 — Declared planning assumption — typical industrial refrigeration asset life before major overhaul. |
| Residual value at end of life | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Discount rate | % per year | 10 — Declared planning assumption; replace with your own cost of capital. |
Formula
- installedInvestment = equipmentCost + freightDuty + installation + spares + workingCapital
- annualNetBenefit = annualGrossBenefit − annualOperatingCost
- simplePayback (years) = installedInvestment ÷ annualNetBenefit
- NPV = −installedInvestment + Σ(annualNetBenefit ÷ (1+r)^t) + residualValue ÷ (1+r)^n
- discountedPayback = first year where cumulative discounted cash flow ≥ 0 (interpolated)
- IRR = r where NPV = 0, solved by bisection over −95% … 1000%
- annualROI = annualNetBenefit ÷ installedInvestment
- lifetimeROI = (annualNetBenefit × n + residualValue − installedInvestment) ÷ installedInvestment
Outputs
- Total installed investment (currency)
- Everything you must fund before the asset earns anything — not the equipment price.
- Simple payback (years)
- Undiscounted. A screening measure only; it ignores the time value of money and everything after payback.
- Discounted payback (years)
- Payback after applying your discount rate — always longer than simple payback.
- NPV (currency)
- Value created over the life at your discount rate. Positive means the project beats the hurdle.
- IRR (% per year)
- The discount rate at which NPV is zero. Returns 'not defined' when the cash flows never turn positive.
- Annual ROI (%)
- Accounting ratio, not a discounted return. Do not read it as an investment return.
- Break-even annual benefit (currency/year)
- The annual net benefit at which the project just recovers its capex over the chosen life.
Assumptions
- • The annual benefit is treated as level across the useful life unless you flex it with a sensitivity scenario.
- • Cash flows occur at year end; the investment occurs at time zero.
- • Sensitivity bands (conservative −20% benefit / +15% capex, upside +10% benefit / −5% capex) are declared planning assumptions, not market data.
Limitations
- • No depreciation, tax shield or financing cost is inside the cash flows — model debt separately in the financing calculator.
- • A single level benefit stream cannot represent ramp-up, seasonality or staged commissioning.
- • Energy savings depend on the existing plant's real condition; a poorly maintained plant can under- or over-deliver against the estimate.
Not included
- • Land
- • Building shell beyond stated civil works
- • Grid reinforcement beyond standard service
- • Corporate overhead
- • Downtime cost during installation
Must be confirmed by
- • Equipment cost and scope — qualified supplier quotation
- • Installation and civil scope — appointed contractor
- • Discount rate, tax treatment and depreciation — your accountant
- • Guaranteed energy performance — supplier performance guarantee
Currency policy: All amounts are entered and returned in a single currency chosen by the user; no FX conversion is applied inside the model.
Inflation policy: Figures are in constant money-of-the-day. Escalation is applied only where the tool exposes an explicit escalation input.
Tax treatment: Amounts are stated excluding recoverable VAT/GST. Import duties are only included where entered as an input. No tax-shield, depreciation or corporate-tax effect is modelled.
Cold storage project CAPEX, OPEX and total-cost estimator
ID project-capex · version 2.0.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by ColdMatch Group project engineering desk · confidence: planning benchmark
Separate equipment-only cost from installed cost and full project cost, then extend it to annual OPEX, lifetime total cost of ownership and cost per m³ per year.
Inputs
| Input | Unit | Default and its source |
|---|---|---|
| Facility volume * | m³ | No default; user input required. |
| Temperature class * | chilled / frozen / blast / pharma | No default; user input required. |
| Region | region multiplier | ColdMatch planning benchmark band by region; a range, never a quotation. |
| Scope of work * | equipment-only / supply & install / turnkey | No default; user input required. |
| Contingency | % of installed capex | 10 — Declared planning assumption for a defined scope; use 15–20% for an undefined scope. |
| Electricity tariff | currency/kWh | User input — no tariff is pre-filled by country because tariffs change faster than we can verify them. |
Formula
- equipmentOnlyCapex = coreEquipment + auxiliaryEquipment
- landedEquipmentCapex = equipmentOnlyCapex + freight + insurance + duties
- installedCapex = landedEquipmentCapex + installation + civil + electrical + utilities + automation + commissioning + training + spares
- projectCapex = installedCapex × (1 + contingency%)
- fundingRequirement = projectCapex + workingCapital
- annualOpex = energy + labour + maintenance + consumables + insurance + service + other
- TCO = fundingRequirement + Σ(annualOpex × (1+escalation)^t) − residualValue
- costPerSaleableUnit = TCO ÷ (annualUnits × years)
Outputs
- Equipment-only CAPEX (currency)
- What a supplier quotes ex-works. Never the project budget.
- Installed CAPEX (currency)
- Equipment landed, installed, commissioned and handed over.
- Project CAPEX (currency)
- Installed cost plus contingency — the number to take to a board or lender.
- Annual OPEX (currency/year)
- Recurring cost of running the facility at the assumed load.
- Total cost of ownership (currency)
- Funding requirement plus lifetime OPEX, less residual value.
- Cost per m³ per year (currency/m³/year)
- The comparable unit for benchmarking one facility design against another.
Assumptions
- • Regional bands are ColdMatch planning benchmarks derived from briefing suppliers, expressed as ranges and dated. They are not quotations.
- • Contingency defaults to 10% of installed cost for a defined scope.
- • Escalation applies to OPEX only.
Limitations
- • Order-of-magnitude accuracy: a class-5 estimate, typically ±30–40% until a supplier prices the actual scope.
- • Site-specific ground conditions, seismic requirements and grid reinforcement can move civil and electrical cost far outside the band.
Not included
- • Land acquisition
- • Permits and statutory fees
- • Racking and MHE unless entered
- • Grid upgrades beyond a standard service connection
- • Financing cost
- • Owner's project team
Must be confirmed by
- • Supplier quotation for equipment
- • Local contractor for civil, electrical and installation
- • Utility for the service connection
- • Customs broker for duties
Currency policy: All amounts are entered and returned in a single currency chosen by the user; no FX conversion is applied inside the model.
Inflation policy: Figures are in constant money-of-the-day. Escalation is applied only where the tool exposes an explicit escalation input.
Tax treatment: Amounts are stated excluding recoverable VAT/GST. Import duties are only included where entered as an input. No tax-shield, depreciation or corporate-tax effect is modelled.
Cold chain capacity & saleable-output calculator
ID production-capacity · version 2.0.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by ColdMatch Group project engineering desk · confidence: engineering standard
Convert nameplate throughput into realistic saleable output using availability, performance and quality, and size the plant needed to meet a required output.
Inputs
| Input | Unit | Default and its source |
|---|---|---|
| Rated machine throughput * | units/hour | No default; user input required. |
| Operating hours per shift * | hours | No default; user input required. |
| Shifts per day * | count | No default; user input required. |
| Operating days per year * | days | No default; user input required. |
| Planned downtime | hours/year | No default; user input required. |
| Availability | 0–1 | No default; user input required. |
| Performance efficiency | 0–1 | No default; user input required. |
| Quality yield | 0–1 | No default; user input required. |
| Changeover time | minutes/day | No default; user input required. |
| Required saleable output | units/year | No default; user input required. |
| Sizing margin | % | No default; user input required. |
Formula
- theoreticalOutput = ratedThroughput × 8,760 h
- plannedAvailableHours = hoursPerShift × shifts × days − plannedDowntime − changeoverHours
- grossOutput = ratedThroughput × plannedAvailableHours
- effectiveOutput = grossOutput × availability × performance
- saleableOutput = effectiveOutput × quality
- OEE = availability × performance × quality
- utilisation = saleableOutput ÷ theoreticalOutput
- requiredRatedThroughput = requiredOutput × (1 + sizingMargin) ÷ (plannedAvailableHours × OEE)
Outputs
- Theoretical capacity (units/year)
- 24/7 nameplate. Never a commercial expectation — it exists only as a reference.
- Saleable output (units/year)
- The number to plan sales, storage and revenue on.
- OEE (%)
- The share of scheduled time that produces good product at rated speed.
- Capacity gap (units/year)
- Shortfall against your requirement. Positive means the line is undersized.
- Recommended rated throughput (units/hour)
- The nameplate rating to specify in the RFQ, including your sizing margin.
Assumptions
- • Availability, performance and quality are user inputs; no default is presented as an industry norm for your product.
- • Seasonality is not modelled — enter the peak-week requirement when the line must be sized for a peak.
Limitations
- • A single OEE cannot represent a line with a bottleneck machine at a different efficiency; model the bottleneck.
- • Product mix changes the effective rate; run the model per product family.
Not included
- • Upstream/downstream buffer sizing
- • Labour scheduling
- • Cold-side pull-down time for the stored product
Must be confirmed by
- • Machine builder for rated throughput on your product
- • Plant management for realistic availability
- • Process engineer for yield
Currency policy: Not applicable — this model has no monetary inputs.
Inflation policy: Not applicable.
Tax treatment: Not applicable.
Cold chain project financing scenario calculator
ID financing-scenario · version 2.0.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by ColdMatch Group project engineering desk · confidence: illustrative assumption
Model an illustrative debt structure for a cold chain project: repayment, interest, grace period, debt/equity split and indicative DSCR.
Inputs
| Input | Unit | Default and its source |
|---|---|---|
| Total project value * | currency | No default; user input required. |
| Sponsor equity * | % of project value | No default; user input required. |
| Interest rate * | % per year | User input. No country interest rate is pre-filled — pricing is set by the lender, not by ColdMatch. |
| Tenor * | years | No default; user input required. |
| Grace period | months | No default; user input required. |
| Arrangement and structuring fees | % of debt | No default; user input required. |
| Projected annual cash flow available for debt service | currency/year | No default; user input required. |
Formula
- debt = projectValue × (1 − equity%)
- periodicRate i = annualRate ÷ 12
- grace: interest-only payment = outstanding × i, or capitalised into the principal
- payment = principal × i ÷ (1 − (1+i)^−n) over the repayment periods
- totalInterest = Σ interest of every period
- DSCR = annual cash flow available for debt service ÷ annual debt service
- debt/equity = debt ÷ equity
Outputs
- Estimated debt amount (currency)
- The amount to be raised, before lender fees and conditions.
- Periodic payment (currency/month)
- Level annuity payment during the repayment phase.
- Total interest (currency)
- Interest over the full tenor at the entered rate, including any grace-period interest.
- Indicative DSCR (ratio)
- Cash flow cover on debt service. Lenders typically look for comfortable headroom above 1.0; the required level is set by the lender.
- Preparation status (classification)
- A neutral readiness note on your own inputs. It is never a credit decision, eligibility statement or approval.
Assumptions
- • Level annuity repayment with monthly rests unless stated otherwise.
- • Fees are modelled as a percentage of debt and can be capitalised or paid up front.
- • The cash flow you enter is assumed constant across the tenor.
Limitations
- • ColdMatch Group is not a lender or financing institution. Eligibility, credit decisions, security, pricing, repayment terms and disbursement are determined exclusively by the relevant financing institution.
- • Real facilities carry covenants, security, insurance requirements, commitment fees and drawdown schedules that this model does not represent.
- • Export-credit and development-finance structures follow different repayment profiles (often straight-line) than the annuity used here.
Not included
- • Currency risk and hedging cost
- • Legal and security-perfection costs
- • Political-risk or credit insurance premia
- • Withholding tax on interest
Must be confirmed by
- • The financing institution for all terms
- • Your accountant for tax treatment
- • Legal counsel for security and covenants
Currency policy: All amounts are entered and returned in a single currency chosen by the user; no FX conversion is applied inside the model.
Inflation policy: Figures are in constant money-of-the-day. Escalation is applied only where the tool exposes an explicit escalation input.
Tax treatment: No tax shield on interest is modelled.
Cold room refrigeration load calculator
ID refrigeration-load-calculator · version 2.0.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by ColdMatch Group project engineering desk · confidence: engineering standard
Break a cold room's heat load into its four real components — transmission, product, infiltration and internal gains — and convert them into an indicative design refrigeration duty in kW and TR for supplier enquiry.
Inputs
| Input | Unit | Default and its source |
|---|---|---|
| Internal floor area * | m² | No default; user input required. |
| Internal clear height * | m | No default; user input required. |
| Room set-point * | °C | No default; user input required. |
| Ambient design temperature * | °C | User input. Use the local summer design condition, not the annual average — no country value is pre-filled. |
| Envelope U-value | W/m²K | 0.22 — Typical 100–150 mm PIR sandwich panel. Replace with the panel manufacturer's declared value. |
| Daily product intake | kg/day | No default; user input required. |
| Product entry temperature | °C | No default; user input required. |
| Specific heat above freezing | kJ/kg·K | Published food-property tables; product-specific values must be confirmed for the actual commodity. |
| Latent heat of fusion | kJ/kg | Applied only when the product crosses its freezing point inside the room. |
| Pull-down period | hours | No default; user input required. |
| Door opening area | m² | No default; user input required. |
| Door openings per day | count/day | No default; user input required. |
| Infiltration control effectiveness | % reduction | Editorial planning assumption for strip curtains, air curtains or an anteroom. Confirm with the door supplier. |
| Compressor running hours | hours/day | 18 — Common design basis allowing for defrost and part-load; set by the designer. |
| Engineering safety margin | % | 15 — Editorial planning allowance for uncertainty. The engineer sets the real margin and redundancy philosophy. |
Formula
- transmission = U × (wall + roof×(1+solar) + floor area) × (ambient − room) ÷ 1000
- product sensible = m × cp × ΔT ÷ (pull-down seconds), split above/below the freezing point
- product latent = m × latent heat ÷ (pull-down seconds), only when the product crosses its freezing point
- respiration = stored tonnes × W/tonne ÷ 1000
- infiltration = doorway air volume × density × (sensible + latent enthalpy) × (1 − control) ÷ 86400
- internal = lighting + people + MHE + evaporator fans + defrost allowance
- average load = transmission + product + infiltration + internal
- design duty = average load × 24 ÷ compressor running hours
- design with margin = design duty × (1 + safety margin); TR = kW ÷ 3.51685
Outputs
- Load by component (kW)
- Transmission, product, infiltration and internal gains shown separately so the dominant driver is visible.
- Average 24 h load (kW refrigeration)
- Heat that must be removed from the room per day, averaged over 24 hours.
- Design refrigeration duty (kW refrigeration)
- Duty to quote to suppliers, over the stated running hours and including the safety margin. This is refrigeration kW, not electrical kW.
- Design duty (TR)
- The same duty in tons of refrigeration (1 TR = 3.51685 kW).
- Planning uncertainty band (kW range)
- Range within which a proper engineered calculation is likely to land, widened when infiltration or product load dominates.
- Implied W/m³ (W/m³)
- A sanity-check figure derived from the result. It is an output, never an input rule.
Assumptions
- • Square-plan room approximation for wall area; a long narrow room has more envelope for the same floor area.
- • A 10 % solar uplift is applied to the roof element unless changed.
- • Evaporator fan heat is taken as 6 % of the other components when fan power is not entered.
- • Infiltration uses a temperature-driven doorway exchange with a humidity-dependent latent share.
Limitations
- • This is a preliminary planning estimate, not a thermal-load calculation by a qualified refrigeration engineer.
- • Simplified W/m³ screening figures are early-stage only and are labelled as such; they should never be used to select equipment.
- • Blast freezing, IQF tunnels, ripening rooms and controlled-atmosphere storage have dynamic loads this steady-state model does not represent.
- • Floor loads on ground slabs, under-floor heating, and hot-gas defrost interactions are approximated.
Not included
- • Refrigerant selection and safety assessment
- • Pressure-system and electrical design
- • Structural and fire/life-safety design
- • Pipework and pressure-drop losses
- • Local regulatory approval
Must be confirmed by
- • A qualified refrigeration engineer for the final thermal load and equipment selection
- • The panel and door suppliers for declared U-values and infiltration performance
- • The selected supplier for guaranteed capacity at the specified ambient and evaporating temperatures
- • The local authority for safety and regulatory requirements
Currency policy: Not applicable — this model returns thermal duty only.
Inflation policy: Not applicable.
Tax treatment: Not applicable.
Controlled terminology
The same technical term is used consistently across every language version of every tool.
| English | Español | Português | Français | Deutsch | العربية |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPEX (capital expenditure) | CAPEX (inversión de capital) | CAPEX (investimento de capital) | CAPEX (dépense d'investissement) | CAPEX (Investitionsausgaben) | النفقات الرأسمالية (CAPEX) |
| OPEX (operating expenditure) | OPEX (gasto operativo) | OPEX (despesa operacional) | OPEX (dépense d'exploitation) | OPEX (Betriebskosten) | النفقات التشغيلية (OPEX) |
| Installed cost | Costo instalado | Custo instalado | Coût installé | Installationskosten | التكلفة المركّبة |
| Total cost of ownership | Costo total de propiedad | Custo total de propriedade | Coût total de possession | Gesamtbetriebskosten | التكلفة الإجمالية للملكية |
| ROI (return on investment) | ROI (retorno de la inversión) | ROI (retorno sobre o investimento) | ROI (retour sur investissement) | ROI (Kapitalrendite) | العائد على الاستثمار (ROI) |
| Simple payback | Retorno simple | Payback simples | Retour simple | Einfache Amortisation | فترة الاسترداد البسيطة |
| Discounted payback | Retorno descontado | Payback descontado | Retour actualisé | Diskontierte Amortisation | فترة الاسترداد المخصومة |
| NPV (net present value) | VAN (valor actual neto) | VPL (valor presente líquido) | VAN (valeur actuelle nette) | NPV (Kapitalwert) | صافي القيمة الحالية (NPV) |
| IRR (internal rate of return) | TIR (tasa interna de retorno) | TIR (taxa interna de retorno) | TRI (taux de rendement interne) | IRR (interner Zinsfuß) | معدل العائد الداخلي (IRR) |
| OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) | OEE (eficiencia global del equipo) | OEE (eficiência global do equipamento) | TRS (taux de rendement synthétique) | OEE (Gesamtanlageneffektivität) | الفعالية الإجمالية للمعدات (OEE) |
| Throughput | Rendimiento | Vazão | Débit | Durchsatz | الإنتاجية |
| Saleable output | Producción vendible | Produção vendável | Production vendable | Verkaufsfähige Produktion | الإنتاج القابل للبيع |
| Equity | Capital propio | Capital próprio | Fonds propres | Eigenkapital | حقوق الملكية |
| Debt | Deuda | Dívida | Dette | Fremdkapital | الدين |
| Interest | Interés | Juros | Intérêts | Zinsen | الفائدة |
| Tenor | Plazo | Prazo | Durée | Laufzeit | مدة القرض |
| Grace period | Período de gracia | Período de carência | Différé | Tilgungsfreie Zeit | فترة السماح |
| DSCR (debt-service coverage ratio) | DSCR (cobertura del servicio de deuda) | DSCR (cobertura do serviço da dívida) | DSCR (couverture du service de la dette) | DSCR (Schuldendienstdeckungsgrad) | نسبة تغطية خدمة الدين (DSCR) |
| Contingency | Contingencia | Contingência | Provision pour aléas | Reserve | احتياطي الطوارئ |
| Residual value | Valor residual | Valor residual | Valeur résiduelle | Restwert | القيمة المتبقية |
| Discount rate | Tasa de descuento | Taxa de desconto | Taux d'actualisation | Diskontsatz | معدل الخصم |
| FAT (factory acceptance test) | FAT (prueba de aceptación en fábrica) | FAT (teste de aceitação em fábrica) | FAT (essai de réception en usine) | FAT (Werksabnahme) | اختبار القبول في المصنع (FAT) |
| SAT (site acceptance test) | SAT (prueba de aceptación en sitio) | SAT (teste de aceitação em campo) | SAT (essai de réception sur site) | SAT (Standortabnahme) | اختبار القبول في الموقع (SAT) |
| Commissioning | Puesta en marcha | Comissionamento | Mise en service | Inbetriebnahme | التشغيل التجريبي |