Cold room and walk-in cooler load calculator
Enter room volume, target temperature, insulation thickness and daily product intake to see the required cooling capacity in kW, BTU/h and tons of refrigeration. Turn the result into a quote request with one click.
Application & Input Data
Includes product chilling/freezing, door infiltration, fans and defrost allowance.
Room & product data
Internal loads
Engineering Capacity Result
Required cooling capacity
16.5 kW
BTU/h
56,222
Tons (TR)
4.7
kcal/h
14,170
Load breakdown
- Envelope conduction6.7 kW · %47
- Product chilling / freezing4.1 kW · %28
- Fans & lighting1.8 kW · %13
- Door infiltration1.7 kW · %12
Calculated load
14.3 kW
Safety margin
+2.1 kW (%15)
Sensible load
13.8 kW
Latent (moisture) load
0.5 kW · SHR (sensible heat ratio) 0.96
- Recommended system
- Air-cooled compact chiller (scroll compressor)
- Water/glycol flow (ΔT 4 K · Glycol content %30)
- 3.7 m³/h
- Water regime (supply/return): -6 / -2 °C · Recommended main pipe size: DN32 · Minimum buffer tank: 82 L
The calculation follows an ASHRAE-style item-by-item method and is for preliminary assessment. Final selection requires process data, a site survey and an engineering calculation.
What makes up a cold room load?
A walk-in cooler load cannot be found with a single factor; it is the sum of five independent items.
Envelope (transmission)
Heat gain from panel U-value and the inside-outside temperature difference. The difference between 100 mm and 150 mm panel is significant.
Product load
Pulling the daily intake from entry temperature down to the target. Frozen storage adds the latent heat of freezing.
Air change / door openings
Warm humid air entering with door traffic; in high-throughput operations this is a major share of the load.
Internal loads
Evaporator fans, lighting, forklifts and staff. Fan heat is not negligible in low-temperature rooms.
Run time and margin
The daily load is divided by 16–18 hours of effective compressor run time, not 24, then a 10–15% margin is added.
Typical load and panel selection by temperature class
| Application | Target temperature | Typical load / panel |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable storage | 0…+4 °C | 40–60 W/m³ · 80–100 mm panel |
| Meat and dairy | 0…+2 °C | 50–70 W/m³ · 100 mm panel |
| Frozen storage | −18…−22 °C | 70–100 W/m³ · 120–150 mm panel |
| Blast freezing | −30…−35 °C | 150–350 W/m³ · 150–200 mm panel |
| Dry food / pharma store | +15…+20 °C | 25–40 W/m³ · 60–80 mm panel |
What to check after the calculation
- When blast and storage rooms share one condensing unit, plan staged capacity and separate expansion control.
- An air curtain or fast-closing door noticeably reduces the air change load.
- Missing floor insulation or vapour barrier causes condensation and ice build-up that erodes capacity.
- The defrost method (electric or hot gas) directly affects total energy use.
- A layout that blocks condenser airflow can cost up to 15% of capacity in summer.
Frequently asked questions
- How much cooling does a 100 m² cold room need?
- With a 3.5 m ceiling and +2 °C storage — about 350 m³ — a 15–25 kW range is typical; daily intake and door traffic shift that range.
- Why is the load not divided by 24 hours?
- Because of defrost periods and part-load operation, the daily load is divided by 16–18 hours of effective run time.
- Does thicker panel reduce required capacity?
- Yes, it lowers the transmission load. Going from 100 mm to 150 mm can cut envelope load by roughly a third in frozen storage.
- Can I request a quote from the result?
- Yes. The quote link on the result panel carries the calculated values into the form; a written offer follows measurement and design review.
For installation scope, panel and refrigeration unit selection and the factors that drive price, see our cold storage service page. Cold storage installation
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