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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.
Cold room sizing calculator for the UAE
Enter dimensions, temperature, region and daily product movement. The calculator estimates volume, pallet positions and refrigeration duty in kW and tons of refrigeration (TR) with a 15% margin, using high-ambient design temperatures you can edit.
Internal volume
4,800 m³
Pallet positions (indicative)
~1,566
Refrigeration duty
48.3 kW
Equivalent
13.7 TR
Transmission + infiltration + product + internal load, ×1.15 margin. Pallet positions: volume × 0.62 ÷ 1.9 m³ (1.0 × 1.2 m pallet, typical occupancy). (21.1 + 0.9 + 17.3 + 2.7 kW)
Take these figures to the RFQAssumptions and limits
- Regional design ambients are ColdMatch planning assumptions; use your engineer's design temperature.
- Typical panel coefficients and product specific heats; humidity, special lighting and large internal equipment excluded.
- For engineering, require a full load calculation from suppliers at the agreed design conditions.
UAE rules to ask suppliers about
- UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice (Civil Defence) — fire safety of insulated panels and refrigeration rooms.
- Food safety authority of the emirate — Dubai Municipality food code / ADAFSA in Abu Dhabi — for food storage approval.
- Pharmaceutical storage: Ministry of Health and Prevention / Emirates Drug Establishment and emirate health authority GDP requirements.
- Green building rules: Al Sa'fat (Dubai) or Estidama Pearl (Abu Dhabi) where they apply to the building.
- UAE.S product conformity (Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology) for regulated equipment.
- Refrigerant restrictions under the UAE's Montreal Protocol obligations — confirm the chosen refrigerant's status.
References for the buyer to require from suppliers; applicability must be confirmed by a qualified engineer and the relevant authority.
Frequently asked questions
What design ambient should a UAE cold room use?
Many Gulf projects design condensing equipment for around 46–50 °C outdoor conditions. Agree the value with your engineer; the calculator lets you edit it.
What is a ton of refrigeration (TR)?
3.517 kW of cooling capacity; many UAE suppliers quote in TR.
Does this replace an engineering design?
No. It is a planning estimate to prepare the RFQ and compare proposals on the same basis.
Planning estimates, not engineering design or a quotation. ColdMatch is free for buyers, supplier-neutral and manually reviews industrial projects from USD 250,000: our team validates the request and contacts suitable suppliers on your behalf. Reviewed 12 Oct 2026.
Send these inputs to an RFQ
Your size, cost and load inputs are copied into the quote form, so you don't type them twice. Nothing is sent until you review and submit.
Submit your project for expert review
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