Cold room project case study in Thailand: Export processing cold store with blast capacity, Eastern Seaboard
A new export facility combining blast freezing, frozen storage and chilled ready-meal production under one roof, with Japanese buyer specifications applied throughout.
A 1,500-pallet −18 to −25 °c frozen facility in Thailand of roughly 7,000 m³, built with ammonia (r717) industrial plant, models at about USD 8,760,710 installed (USD 7,008,568–USD 11,388,923 planning range) and USD 891,581 a year to run, over a 68-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
Hot and humid — higher defrost energy and infiltration load
~90 generator hours modelled per year
Local band 0.110–0.160 USD/kWh
Zones
- Blast tunnels to −35 °C core
- Frozen store −22 °C, 1,200 pallets with semi-automation
- Chilled ready-meal production +8 °C, 300 pallets buffer
What a project like this costs in Thailand
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 7,008,568–USD 11,388,923
USD 1,252 per m³
50% of it is energy
385 kW average refrigeration load
| Envelope, plant, electrical and installation | USD 6,150,782 |
| Standby generation | USD 430,555 |
| Monitoring and alarms | USD 26,600 |
| Automation / storage systems | USD 2,152,774 |
| Total installed | USD 8,760,710 |
| Grid electricity (3,374,263 kWh) | USD 438,654 |
| Standby diesel (8,251 litres) | USD 7,838 |
| Maintenance and spares | USD 252,308 |
| Operations labour (15 staff) | USD 189,000 |
| Monitoring and compliance | USD 3,780 |
| Total per year | USD 891,581 |
Running the same facility on legacy fixed-speed plant models at USD 1,125,717 a year — about USD 234,136 more, which is the efficiency decision this project turned on.
What made this project difficult in Thailand
These are the local realities that change the design, the price and the supplier shortlist.
- Buyer specifications tighter than local regulation
- Humid climate and heavy internal moisture load from production
- Multi-shift operation with continuous door traffic
The decisions that shaped the result
- Ammonia central plant with separate suction levels per temperature class
- Dehumidification in the production hall to control condensation
- Automated frozen store aisles to cut door-open time
Programme: about 68 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 50–63 · 14 weeksPanel erection, pipework, electrical and automation installation with a written interface responsibility matrix between refrigeration and automation scopes.
- 7
Commissioning, pull-down and handover
Weeks 64–68 · 5 weeksLeak and pressure testing, staged pull-down, performance verification against the specified duty, operator training, spares handover and documentation.
What the project delivered
- One facility serving blast, storage and chilled production without cross-contamination
- Condensation and hygiene issues designed out rather than managed
- Buyer specification signed off at commissioning
What buyers in this market should take from it
- Where buyer specs exceed local rules, write the buyer spec into the RFQ
- Internal moisture load from production is routinely underestimated
Tools and market data for Thailand
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 Thailand
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 Thailand?
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.