How do I size a meat chilling and cold room?

Size from daily carcass or boxed throughput, hanging rail metres or pallet positions, chilling time and hold days. Carcass chilling needs high air velocity and dedicated pull-down duty; frozen storage is sized separately from average hold tonnage.

What temperatures does a meat facility need?

Carcass chilling to a +7 °C core (poultry +4 °C), deboning rooms at +10 to +12 °C, chilled storage at 0 to +2 °C, blast freezing to a −18 °C core and frozen storage at −18 °C or colder.

What hygiene and compliance items affect cost?

Food-grade panels and coving, drainage falls, stainless doors and rails, washdown-rated evaporators and HACCP or export-abattoir documentation. Export approval requirements typically add 10–20% to fit-out cost and should be stated in the RFQ.

What happens after I submit the sizing?

ColdMatch converts it into a structured RFQ and routes it to suppliers with meat and abattoir references, so quotes cover the same rooms, duty and hygiene scope.

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Meat chiller and cold room with hanging carcasses

For commercial and industrial refrigeration projects (cold rooms, cold stores, process cooling) — not household fridges, home freezers or appliance repair. Results are planning estimates, not engineering design or safety advice; a qualified refrigeration engineer must confirm sizing before purchase.

Meat Cold Room Calculator

Size chilling, holding and freezing rooms for meat

For abattoirs, cutting plants and meat distributors: room volume, rail metres or pallet positions, refrigeration duty including carcass pull-down, and an indicative CAPEX range.

Daily throughput: 15 t

Days held in this room: 4

Product form

Room type

Clear internal height: 5.5 m

Design ambient: 32 °C

Required room volume

750 m³

Holding 60 t of product

Floor area

160 m²

Overhead rail

188 m

Refrigeration duty

57.8 kW

Indicative CAPEX

$300,000–476,000

Abattoir cold rooms are usually quoted with rails, doors and hygiene finishes — start an RFQ or review financing routes.

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ColdMatch Group is a supplier-neutral procurement platform — not a manufacturer, contractor or lender.

Estimates Only: This calculator is provided for general informational purposes only. Results are approximate and may contain errors, omissions, or outdated information. They do not constitute legal, financial, engineering, tax, technical, or professional advice. Users are solely responsible for independently verifying all calculations, specifications, prices, regulations, and requirements with qualified professionals before making any decisions. By using this calculator, you acknowledge that the website owners, operators, and affiliates accept no responsibility or liability for any loss, damage, or decisions resulting from its use.

Calculation method

1. Stored mass = daily throughput × days; net volume = kg ÷ density
2. Gross volume = net ÷ 0.40 (rail) or 0.45 (cartoned); floor = gross ÷ (height − 0.8 m)
3. Rail length (m) = stored kg ÷ 320 kg/m (beef) or 170 kg/m (smaller carcasses)
4. Envelope load = gross × W/m³ × (1 + (ambient − 30 °C) × 2%) ÷ 1000
5. Product load = daily kg × cp × ΔT ÷ (20 h × 3,600); full in chill/freeze rooms, 20% in holding rooms

Calculated in kg, m³ and kW. Imperial: 1 kg = 2.205 lb, 1 m = 3.28 ft, 1 kW = 3,412 BTU/h = 0.284 TR; ΔT of 34 K = 61 °F.

Worked example

Beef carcass chilling, 15 t/day held 4 days, 5.5 m room, 32 °C ambient.

Inputs

• 60 t stored (132,000 lb)
• Density 200 kg/m³ on rail
• Chilling +38 → +4 °C, 45 W/m³, cp 3.2 kJ/kg·K

Calculation

• 60,000 ÷ 200 = 300 m³ net → 750 m³ gross (26,500 ft³)
• Rail = 60,000 ÷ 320 ≈ 188 m (615 ft)
• Envelope = 750 × 45 × 1.04 ÷ 1000 = 35.1 kW
• Product = 15,000 × 3.2 × 34 ÷ 72,000 = 22.7 kW

≈ 57.8 kW chilling duty (≈ 16.4 TR · 197,000 BTU/h).

Limitations

• Assumes a 20-hour pull-down; faster chilling (e.g. spray or rapid chill) needs proportionally more duty.
• Hot-boning, evaporative weight loss and humidity control are not modelled.
• Hygiene zoning and wash-down requirements can change room layout and panel specification.

Illustrative planning result only. Confirm the final design, duty, equipment selection and performance with a qualified refrigeration engineer and supplier quotation.

Meat cold room sizing: buyer questions

How do I size a meat chilling and cold room?: Size from daily carcass or boxed throughput, hanging rail metres or pallet positions, chilling time and hold days. Carcass chilling needs high air velocity and dedicated pull-down duty; frozen storage is sized separately from average hold tonnage.
What temperatures does a meat facility need?: Carcass chilling to a +7 °C core (poultry +4 °C), deboning rooms at +10 to +12 °C, chilled storage at 0 to +2 °C, blast freezing to a −18 °C core and frozen storage at −18 °C or colder.
What hygiene and compliance items affect cost?: Food-grade panels and coving, drainage falls, stainless doors and rails, washdown-rated evaporators and HACCP or export-abattoir documentation. Export approval requirements typically add 10–20% to fit-out cost and should be stated in the RFQ.
What happens after I submit the sizing?: ColdMatch converts it into a structured RFQ and routes it to suppliers with meat and abattoir references, so quotes cover the same rooms, duty and hygiene scope.

Indicative planning figures only — final sizing belongs to the supplier's detailed design. Request comparable supplier quotes · all cold chain tools · common cold chain questions

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