A useful room needs space for products, shelving and safe movement. Gross internal volume is not the same as usable storage volume.
In short: size from peak stock, then check access, door traffic and the actual point and rolling loads on the floor.
Measure the product as it will be stored: crates, cartons, gastronorm containers or pallets. Add space for stock rotation, airflow and growth. Do not pack products against the evaporator or walls.
Door selection depends on the largest load and how often people or trolleys pass. A wider door is easier to use but admits more warm air when open.
For Algor floors, the stated classes are not interchangeable:
- pedestrian floor: static loads and foot traffic only;
- reinforced pedestrian floor: higher stated loads with limited approved rubber-wheel conditions;
- drive-in floor: intended where approved pallet trucks or forklifts enter.
Average kg/m² is not enough. Wheel load, contact area, shelving feet and spacers can control the design.
How much do you need to store?
Size by volume (m³), not floor area — a room racked floor-to-ceiling holds far more than one stacked waist-high. Convert your product weight to volume using realistic packing densities:
| Storage type | Density |
|---|---|
| Boxed / packaged goods on shelving | 300–400 kg/m³ |
| Hanging meat carcasses | 200–250 kg/m³ |
| Palletised goods | 350–450 kg/m³ |
Two rules separate a room that works from one that is full on day one:
- Size for peak inventory, the busiest week of your busiest season — never the annual average.
- Add a 20–30 % growth buffer. Replacing a cold room because the business grew is the most expensive way to add capacity.
Then add working space — aisles and a loading zone, typically a minimum of 30 % of floor area — because product you cannot reach is product you cannot use.
What traffic will the room handle?
Traffic intensity drives two decisions that are hard to change later: the door and the floor.
| Traffic level | Typical pattern | Door | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | A few entries per hour | Standard hinged door | Pedestrian floor, 1,500 kg/m² (foot traffic, shelving) |
| Medium | 10–20 entries per hour | Self-closing door + strip curtains | Reinforced floor, 3,000 kg/m² (hand pallet trucks, pallets) |
| High | Continuous access, forklifts | Sliding / rapid-roll door + air curtain | Drive-in floor, 4,000 kg/m² (forklifts) |
The standard Frostbox door is a hinged, semi-recessed door (700 or 900 × 1800 mm); sliding and rapid-roll doors are wider-industry options outside the standard Frostbox line — ask about availability.
Door cycling is also a major heat source — in a busy operation, infiltration through the door can be 30–50 % of total heat load — so the door specification is an energy decision as much as an access one. See Door types and specifications.
Getting the floor right
MTH publishes three named floor types, not two: pedestrian 1,500 kg/m², reinforced 3,000 kg/m² and drive-in 4,000 kg/m². Pedestrian floors are for foot traffic and shelving; hand pallet trucks and pallets need the reinforced floor; forklifts need the drive-in floor, and a loading ramp is available where forklifts or pallet trucks enter the room.
The published figure is a distributed load in kg/m². Wheels and pallet feet concentrate the same weight onto a far smaller area, so match the floor to real point loads and traffic, not just to the static weight of the goods. The full floor comparison — static, dynamic and point-load figures for each type — is in the manufacturer documentation: Download the documents.
A freezer always needs an insulated floor. A chiller on a suitable insulated, level, sealed slab may omit it. In the Frostbox range the "without floor" option is offered for the Cold Room 80 mm configuration only — every other room ships with an insulated floor panel.
Related articles
- Choosing the Right Cold Room: The Five Questions
- Temperature and panel thickness
- Site constraints and total budget
- Cold room configurations by sector
- Door types and specifications
- Using the Frostbox size calculator
Floor ratings quoted are the published MTH Algor figures for the three floor types; the floor type is confirmed per configuration. For a room sized to your stock and traffic, contact [email protected].
