Cold room project case study in Canada: 2,400-pallet frozen and chilled logistics facility, Ontario
A new 3PL facility designed for extreme seasonal swing, with dock and floor detailing given as much attention as the refrigeration plant.
A 2,400-pallet −18 to −25 °c frozen facility in Canada of roughly 10,800 m³, built with ammonia (r717) industrial plant, models at about USD 11,569,735 installed (USD 9,255,788–USD 15,040,655 planning range) and USD 1,005,494 a year to run, over a 64-week programme from brief to handover. Figures are indicative planning estimates from ColdMatch Group's country cost model — not a quotation.
A senior cold-chain specialist stays with your project from first brief to commissioning.
What was built, and for whom
Dry / arid — low defrost load, high condensing temperatures
~25 generator hours modelled per year
Local band 0.060–0.120 USD/kWh
Zones
- Frozen store −23 °C, 1,700 pallets
- Chilled store +2 °C, 700 pallets
- Heated dock with levellers and seals
What a project like this costs in Canada
Derived from the same indicative country cost model used by the public ColdMatch calculators: local construction cost index, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability, diesel price and electricity tariff. Planning-grade estimates, never a quotation.
Planning range USD 9,255,788–USD 15,040,655
USD 1,071 per m³
31% of it is energy
438 kW average refrigeration load
| Envelope, plant, electrical and installation | USD 10,763,580 |
| Standby generation | USD 753,451 |
| Monitoring and alarms | USD 52,704 |
| Total installed | USD 11,569,735 |
| Grid electricity (3,836,974 kWh) | USD 306,958 |
| Standby diesel (2,606 litres) | USD 2,997 |
| Maintenance and spares | USD 462,789 |
| Operations labour (13 staff) | USD 227,500 |
| Monitoring and compliance | USD 5,250 |
| Total per year | USD 1,005,494 |
Running the same facility on legacy fixed-speed plant models at USD 1,168,032 a year — about USD 162,537 more, which is the efficiency decision this project turned on.
What made this project difficult in Canada
These are the local realities that change the design, the price and the supplier shortlist.
- Deep winter and warm humid summer in one design envelope
- Freezer floor heave risk requires under-floor heating
- Client mix changes — zones must be re-purposable
The decisions that shaped the result
- Under-floor heating and monitoring designed in, not value-engineered out
- Ammonia plant with winter head-pressure control to exploit cold ambient
- Zone flexibility so chilled space can be converted to frozen later
Programme: about 64 weeks from brief to handover
Phases overlap in practice. This sequence shows where the schedule risk sits in this market.
- 1
Brief and feasibility
Weeks 1–3 · 3 weeksProduct, temperature, capacity, site status, electrical supply, budget band and timeline confirmed. ColdMatch reviews the brief and flags missing data before anyone is approached.
- 2
Concept design and RFQ preparation
Weeks 4–7 · 4 weeksZone layout, load estimate, system shortlist and a single bid form so every supplier quotes identical scope, exclusions and assumptions.
- 3
Supplier review and tendering
Weeks 8–13 · 6 weeksSuitable suppliers are approached only after internal approval, then proposals are normalised on scope, energy assumptions, spares, commissioning and warranty.
- 4
Civil works and building envelope
Weeks 14–33 · 20 weeksSlab, drainage, docks and structure, including under-floor heating detail where freezer rooms sit on grade.
- 5
Equipment manufacture and delivery
Weeks 34–49 · 16 weeksPlant and panel manufacture with delivery sequenced to the installation programme.
- 6
Installation and insulation
Weeks 50–59 · 10 weeksPanel erection, refrigeration pipework, electrical installation and controls.
- 7
Commissioning, pull-down and handover
Weeks 60–64 · 5 weeksLeak and pressure testing, staged pull-down, performance verification against the specified duty, operator training, spares handover and documentation.
What the project delivered
- Winter operation exploited for genuine energy savings
- Floor heave risk eliminated by design
- Facility able to follow client mix changes without rebuild
What buyers in this market should take from it
- Under-floor heating is not optional in freezer new-builds in cold climates
- Design zone convertibility on day one if you serve 3PL clients
Tools and market data for Canada
Change the capacity, temperature and system and the numbers above move. These tools use the same country model.
Cold storage project costs and timelines in Canada
How ColdMatch Group works — independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform — ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.
Have a comparable project in Canada?
Submit your product type, temperatures, capacity, site status, power situation, budget band and timeline. David and the ColdMatch team review the brief, structure the RFQ so every supplier quotes the same scope, and approach suitable suppliers only after internal approval.
This is a worked project example built from ColdMatch Group's indicative country cost model — local electricity tariff, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability and construction cost index. It is a planning-grade illustration, not a client transaction, an engineering design or a quotation. Supplier and manufacturer listings on this site are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.