Spiral or tunnel IQF freezer
Continuous freezer that moves product on a belt through cold air so pieces freeze individually, used inside processing lines.
- Packaged unit
- Blast freezing / chilling
Batch blast freezer
- System type
- Packaged unit
- Temperature duty
- Blast freezing / chilling
- Typical applications
- Meat & poultry, Fish & seafood, Bakery & ready meals, Food & beverage
Free for buyers. Your request goes to the ColdMatch team, who review it and contact suitable suppliers on your behalf. Suppliers do not receive your details before that review.
ColdMatch facilitates sourcing and RFQs; it does not manufacture, sell, import or export the listed products and is not a regulatory authority. Suppliers are responsible for their products meeting the requirements of the origin and destination countries; buyers for import permissions, local rules and due diligence. Requirements vary by product and country, and the team checks requests before any supplier contact. Regulation and restricted items
Is this the right system for you?
Best fit when
- Product is frozen in batches on trolleys or pallets rather than on a continuous line.
- Volumes vary by day or season.
Evaluate carefully when
- The freezing time you need is short and throughput is steady — a continuous freezer may suit better.
- Packaging or stacking restricts air flow around the product, lengthening freezing time.
Operating context and compatibility
Give product, packaging, batch weight, entry and target core temperature and required cycle time; ask suppliers to state the basis of their freezing-time estimate.
Maintenance, risks and compliance questions
Maintenance to plan for
- Coil defrost and cleaning between batches or shifts.
- Fan, belt and hygiene inspections for continuous freezers.
Risks to manage
- Under-sized freezing capacity leaving product too warm at the core.
- Ice and frost reducing air flow and performance over a shift.
Compliance questions to raise
- Food-safety rules for freezing and cooling times that your authority applies.
- Hygiene design requirements for food-contact areas.
ColdMatch does not certify equipment or guarantee compliance; requirements depend on your country and project, and your advisers and authorities decide what applies.
Components often specified with it
- Evaporators and unit air coolers
Fan-coil units that remove heat from the cold room or process area, matched to refrigerant, room temperature and air throw.
- Compressor rack / condensing unit
Factory-assembled set of compressors with controls, or a condensing unit, serving one or more evaporators.
- Cold-room and high-speed doors
Hinged, sliding and high-speed insulated doors for cold rooms and cold-store openings, selected for traffic and temperature.
- Temperature monitoring and alarm system
Sensors, data loggers and software that record temperatures across rooms, vehicles or sites and raise alarms when limits are exceeded.
Sizing and specification questions
Answer these in your request so supplier offers are comparable.
- Product, packaging and batch weight
- Entry and target core temperature
- Required freezing time per batch
- Loading method (trolleys, pallets, racks)
Unknown items can be left open — the ColdMatch team will ask before approaching suppliers.
Procurement decisions for blast freezing
- Product, entry and target core temperature, and the hourly or batch quantity.
- Batch versus continuous freezing and the packaging the product enters in.
- Hygiene and cleaning requirements for the processing area.
- Connection to an existing refrigeration plant or a dedicated unit.
Estimate it before you request quotes
Free planning calculators that answer the sizing, load or cost questions above. Results are estimates, not quotes; add them to your request so suppliers can check them.
- Blast freezer cost calculator
Gives capacity, refrigeration duty, a CAPEX range and running cost by tonnage and temperature.
- Refrigeration load calculator
Gives transmission, product, door and internal loads summed into a design duty in kW and TR.
How it compares
Blast chiller vs blast freezer
Does the product need to be chilled quickly, or frozen through to the core?
| Aspect | Blast chiller | Batch blast freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Brings cooked or fresh product down to chilled temperature quickly. | Freezes product through to a frozen core temperature. |
| What happens next | Product goes to chilled storage or dispatch. | Product goes to frozen storage; a storage freezer room is not designed to do the freezing. |
| Typical users | Kitchens, catering, ready-meal and bakery production. | Meat, fish, bakery and food processors freezing in batches. |
| Key RFQ inputs | Product, batch size, entry and target temperature, cooling time. | Product, packaging, batch weight, entry and target core temperature, freezing time. |
Rule of thumb: Some units offer both modes; ask suppliers to state performance separately for chilling and freezing, on your product and packaging.
Batch blast vs spiral/tunnel vs plate freezer
How does your product arrive — in batches, on a line, or in flat packs?
| Aspect | Batch blast freezer | Spiral or tunnel IQF | Plate freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product flow | Batches on trolleys or pallets. | Continuous flow on a belt from the line. | Flat packs or blocks between plates. |
| Suits | Variable or seasonal volumes. | Steady line production; individually frozen pieces. | Seafood, meat blocks and packed goods of even thickness. |
| Watch out for | Packaging and stacking that restrict air flow. | Under-use if production is irregular; floor space and hygiene design. | Irregular shapes that do not contact the plates. |
Rule of thumb: Match the freezer to how product reaches it, then ask suppliers to state freezing times for your product and packaging.
Start your request for this system
Optional: answer two questions now and they are pre-filled in the request form, together with “Batch blast freezer”.
Continue to the request form
Free for buyers. ColdMatch arranges projects from about USD 250,000; smaller requests are still received and pointed to free planning tools. The ColdMatch team reviews every request before contacting suppliers.
Supplier-confirmed listings
No supplier-confirmed listings are published here yet. ColdMatch only publishes details that a supplier has confirmed in writing and our team has reviewed — we do not show estimated stock, prices or specifications.
You can still request quotes now: send your requirement and the ColdMatch team will review it and contact suitable suppliers on your behalf.
Details shown once a supplier confirms them
- Capacity range (kW or pallet positions)
- Temperature range
- Refrigerant
- Energy data supplied by the manufacturer
- Country of manufacture
- Countries the supplier can deliver to
- Project scale handled
- Availability confirmed by the supplier, with date
- Documents available on request
Buyer resources
Guides for this decision
Buying blast freezing by country
Import, delivery and service context for your market.
Need design or a whole facility?
This page is about sourcing equipment. Project planning — sizing a complete facility, layout, scope and contractor structure — is a separate service.
Project planning servicesSources and further reading
Links checked on . They explain rules and practice; they do not confirm that any specific offer complies. Requirements differ by country — check with your own advisers.
- FDA Food Code — US Food and Drug Administration
Model food-safety code adopted by many US authorities, including time and temperature limits for cooling cooked food.
- Codex Alimentarius codes of practice — FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius
International food-hygiene codes of practice, including codes for frozen foods and specific commodities.
- ASHRAE Handbook — ASHRAE
Engineering reference; its Refrigeration volume covers refrigeration systems, cold-storage design and food refrigeration.
Variants: other blast freezing system types
Plate freezer
Freezer that presses packed or block product between refrigerated plates, common for seafood, meat blocks and packed goods.
- Packaged unit
- Blast freezing / chilling
Blast chiller
Equipment that rapidly cools cooked or fresh product to chilled temperature, used in food production and catering.
- Packaged unit
- Blast freezing / chilling
- Chilled storage