Temperature control is hands down the most important detail when transporting perishable products through regional or national distribution channels. Whether you run a local farm-to-table delivery service or a multi-million dollar seafood distribution company. Dry ice for shipping freight helps prevent temperature-sensitive spoilage and food-borne pathogens from ruining your cargo.
Every shipping container, truckload, and cargo plane transporting food products relies on steady freezes to keep items fresh. Learn how dry ice keeps food fresh during transportation so you can equip your storage facilities and distribution fleets with effective cooling solutions.
Grocery distributors, wholesale suppliers, and online retailers depend on consistent refrigeration to guarantee the integrity of every shipment that leaves their warehouses. Once you understand how ice keeps food frozen during transportation and distribution, you can reduce your reliance on electrically powered cooling systems and save money on temperature-controlled storage.
How Does Dry Ice Keep Food Fresh During Transportation?
Dry ice keeps food frozen by absorbing heat and maintaining temperatures near -109.3° F. As the dry ice changes from a solid to a gas, it envelops your shipment in a protective coating of CO2. Pure carbon dioxide gas helps:
- Preserve cellular structure in produce
- Inhibit aerobic bacteria and mold
- Lock in moisture without wetting the cargo
Dry ice for food transportation replaces older, slower cooling technology by freezing perishables at rapid temperatures without the risk of liquid water damage.
How Does Ice Keep Food Cold?
| Water Ice | Dry Ice | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-Zero Temperatures | 32° F (0° C) | -109.3° F (-78.5° C) | Dry Ice freezes significantly colder than water ice. |
| Gives Off Moisture? | Yes | No | Dry ice leaves your products dry. |
| Inhibits Bacterial Growth? | No | Yes | CO2 slows the growth of bacteria and mold. |
What Is Dry Ice and How Does It Work?
Dry ice for shipping purposes isn’t made the same way your everyday water ice is produced. This solid form of carbon dioxide is made from the same gases we breathe out!
Dry ice is frozen CO2. It sublimates (goes from solid to gas) at -109.3 degrees F.
Regular ice doesn’t sublimate — it liquefies. When solid carbon dioxide warms up, it skips the liquid phase and turns into vapor. That means dry ice keeps food frozen without adding extra moisture to your boxes. Prevent water damage to cardboard boxes and shipping labels by using dry ice.
The Super Cold Temperature Of Dry Ice
When most freezers fail, it’s because their cooling element stops producing cold air at temperatures around 25° F. That’s barely cold enough to freeze water ice.
Dry ice stays colder longer because there’s less room for temperatures to rise before it hits -109.3°F. Keep your products frozen using one of the coldest substances on the planet.
Why Use Dry Ice for Food Shipping?
Successful food shipping and transportation means your cooling agents can withstand prolonged delays, severe summer temperatures, and inter-country transit times. Every trucker, dispatcher, and warehouse supervisor knows the frustration of watching valuable perishables spoil before they reach their destination.
Thankfully food transportation industry leaders have turned to dry ice for shipping solutions. Here are three ways freezing temperatures make dry ice the perfect choice for shipping perishables.
Dry Ice Packs Stay Frozen Longer
Ice melts. Drop your frozen shipping container into a hot loading dock, and you’ve instantly elevated temperatures by several degrees. With dry ice, there’s no waiting for your freight to cool down. Restocked immediately at -109.3°F.
Dry Ice Inhibits Bacteria
Ice does nothing to slow the growth of bacteria or mold. Food is poisoned once reached their destination. Utilizing dry ice for frozen food distribution forces microbes to work in extreme conditions. Extreme temperatures discourage pathogens from consuming your cargo.
Dry Ice Is The Perfect Shipping Companion
Long-distance moving perishables is always a gamble. You don’t know what weather conditions your freight will encounter until it’s too late.
Dry ice keeps food fresh during transportation by giving you back your commercial refrigeration if there’s a power outage or sudden spike in outdoor temperatures. Lose your diesel-powered freezer packs and you’re sunk. Emergency Ice gives you a second chance to succeed.
Should I Choose Dry Ice Over Regular Ice for Shipping Food?
Every investment in cold chain technology comes down to units cost. Most shippers look at the price of solid carbon dioxide blocks versus wet ice and calculate their savings before they request a quote. Both types of ice keep food cold, but dry ice has several advantages.
Dry Ice
- Much colder than water ice (-109.3° F)
- Does not produce any liquid as it evaporates
- Safe to handle with the proper equipment
- Perfect for deep frozen items
Water Ice
- Only stays cold up to 32° F
- Melts into a water as it evaporates
- Safe to handle with bare hands.
- Use for same-day deliveries only.
Dry ice keeps your product cold and dry during transportation. Imagine trucks loaded with melting ice sitting in a hot warehouse on an afternoon.
How Long Will Dry Ice Keep My Food Frozen?
Dry ice lasts as long as you need it to. Sure, blocks of carbon dioxide eventually disappear, but every sphere, brick, and pellet comes with a sublimation rate. Learn how long your ice will last under average temperature conditions.
Average Sublimation Rates For Dry Ice
| Insulated Cooler Type | Estimated Dry Ice Lifespan |
| Standard Home Cooler | 18-24 hours |
| High-Quality Shipping Container | 2-5 days |
| Vacuum Cooker with Ice Packs | 1-2 weeks |
External Temperature
The warmer your storage facility, shipping container, or truck ride is, the quicker your ice will sublimate. Summer-time shipping is always more expensive due to the increased amount of ice necessary for continuous freezes.
How Air-Tight is the Container?
Dry ice sublimates faster in warmer air. Simply by creating a vacuum, you can slow the escape of your frozen gas. Fill every open area with newspaper, packing peanuts, or crumpled paper. Limit air circulation to limit sublimation.
Size of Ice Blocks
Larger blocks of dry ice last longer than broken pieces or pellets. Factory cube shapes maximize density and minimize air exposure. You get what you pay for when buying ice by the pound.
What Kinds of Food Businesses Use Dry Ice?
You can learn a lot about dry ice benefits by examining the industries that still use it. Every food distributor, processor, and retailer has different temperature standards they must abide by. Statewide health code rules even vary from region to region.
Restaurant Kitchens and Café Restrooms
Pizza isn’t frozen pizza until it leaves the store. Food service industries use dry ice to keep chilly treats cold while preventing freezer burn. Higher-end brands take fresh pizzas out of the cooler and flash freeze the ingredients with dry ice before baking.
If you own a deli or meat processing shop, your cuts of meat don’t face immediate slaughter. Kegels have been known to use dry ice to prep briskets for days-long smoking and roasting cycles.
Grocery Stores and Veggie Packers
Nothing spoils faster than nuts, vegetables, and freshly sliced meats. Hobbyists have even used dry ice to preserve strawberries and mushrooms for weeks-long journeys. Backpackers survive on dry ice for food storage.
Meal Prep and Plan Services
Spending money on dry ice vs ice comes down to predictability. All refrigerated foods will stay fresh if they’re kept at the right temperature. Frozen foods and ice cream fall under less forgiving standards.
Online vendors have significant investments in efficient cold storage. Almost every meal prep company knows the ins and outs of dry ice perfectly.
How Much Dry Ice Should I Use for Shipping?
Several rules of thumb guide most seasoned food transporters when calculating shipping volumes. While every package varies by size, shape, and weight. A good starting point when learning how to ship with dry ice is to assume that you need one pound of dry ice for every two pounds of food.
That’s right! The food itself acts as an insulator, helping you maintain steady temperatures. Large coolers full of ice eat up your dry ice supply twice as fast.
| First 24 Hours in Transit | 5 to 10 pounds of dry ice |
| 48 Hour Shipping Estimate | 10 to 20 pounds of dry ice |
| 72+ Hour Shipping Expectations | 20 to 30 pounds of dry ice |
How to Ship With Dry Ice
- Prep your container. Cover the inside of your insulated box with a plastic bag. This step prevents dry ice from directly touching your food items.
- Add First Layer of Ice. Rest your frozen CO2 at the bottom of the container.
- Add Food Items. Pack your goods on top. Dense frozen items like meats or ice cream should touch the dry ice.
- Fill Dead Space. Stop air flow with foam padding or loose newspaper.
- Add a Top Layer of Ice. “Cold air rises” isn’t true. Always place a second layer of ice on top to retain temps.
- Seal the Plastic Bag. Create a vent by folding the plastic bag over on itself. Don’t tape it shut!
Now you know how dry ice keeps food frozen during transportation!
How To Transport Food With Dry Ice
Dry ice can withstand temps of -109.3°F but that doesn’t mean you can touch it with your bare hands. Anyone who’s handled dry ice for shipping understands the basic safety requirements.
Don’t Breathe the Gas: As any bag of dry ice sits inside your container, it converts to gas at a rate of 5 to 10 pounds per 24-hour period. Always use your frozen cargo as a workspace, not a cupboard.
Ice is Cold: Become numb to cold, and you’ll stick your hand in the freezer. Wear gloves and grabbers when handling dry ice for shipping purposes.
Label Your Packages: Major carriers don’t like shipping dry ice without clear indications of contents. Period. Don’t ship dry ice without proper warnings.
- Shipper must label packages with a Class 9 Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods label.
- Shipper must label packages with the net quantity of carbon dioxide in pounds.
- Shipper must mark packages with “Contains Dry Ice. Keep Away from Heat”
Now that you know how dry ice keeps food frozen during transportation. Teach your team the same information using our comprehensive Dry Ice Safety Guide.
How Do I Find the Best Supplier for Cold Shipments?
Imagine rushing out to restock your ice warehouse, only to find your supplier sold out for the next two weeks. Planes get delayed, storms cause shipping emergencies, and losing cold storage doesn’t just hurt you, it ruins your reputation. Knowledge is power when it comes to dry ice vs ice delivery. Companies like Emergency Ice provide on-demand ice services so you never have to worry about unexpected heat waves or false low scares.
Transporting food overnight with dry refrigeration takes a strong cooler and plenty of ice. Temperature fluctuations can ruin even the best packaging jobs. Emergency Ice specializes in dry ice for shipping containers that withstand the toughest conditions.
Our reliable coolers give your products something to lean on when external temperatures spike. Stop guessing about how long your ice will last. Contact Emergency Ice today to learn more about our competitive bulk ice pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How does dry ice keep food fresh during transportation?
Because dry ice does not melt into water, it locks in the moisture of food items without wetting them.
Q. Why is dry ice used for shipping freight?
Dry ice is much colder than regular ice and goes directly from a solid to a gas.
Q. How do you pack food with dry ice?
When packing dry ice with food items, always create a protective barrier between the dry ice and your items.