Cold Storage Capacity Planning Guide
Undersize capacity and you'll build another facility in 3 years. Oversize and you pay for empty pallet positions every day. This guide shows how to size capacity around real demand, not gut feel.
Plan capacity on peak-week throughput plus 15–25% headroom over a 5-year horizon. Convert product mass to pallets, then pallets to m³ using aisle & racking factors.
Demand analysis
Model 5-year demand by SKU, temperature class and seasonality. Peak-week volume — not average — sizes the facility.
Pallet positions
Convert peak inventory (t) into pallets using average pallet weight (typical 0.6–1.2 t). Add 15–25% headroom for slot-day variance.
From pallets to m³
Add aisles, racking type (selective, drive-in, mobile, ASRS), ceiling clearance and equipment room. Typical density: 5–7 m³ per pallet position (selective), 3–4 m³ (ASRS).
Throughput
Size docks, chillers and blast rooms on daily throughput, not storage volume. Under-sized docks bottleneck the whole operation.
Growth headroom
Design for Phase 1 with civil provisions (slab, panels, machine room space) for Phase 2 expansion — 20–30% cheaper than a separate greenfield later.
Copy this checklist into your project workspace
- 5-year demand modelled by SKU
- Peak-week volume identified
- Pallet position calculation done
- Racking type chosen
- Aisle & clearance factors applied
- Dock & throughput sized
- Growth headroom designed in
Frequently asked questions
How much headroom should I add?
15–25% for stable demand, 30–40% for growth markets. Above 40% signals you should phase the project rather than build all at once.
How do I convert tonnes to m³?
Tonnes → pallets (÷ average pallet weight) → m³ (× 5–7 for selective racking, × 3–4 for ASRS). Always sanity-check with an operator.