Cold storage
Dry ice for food storage
Keep frozen and refrigerated food cold — in an outage, on the move, or anywhere a freezer can’t reach — with dry ice.
Get a freight quoteDry ice is solid carbon dioxide at about −109°F (−78°C), so it keeps food far colder than regular ice and leaves no meltwater behind. That makes it the go-to for a power outage, a long-distance move of frozen goods, or temporary cold storage when refrigeration is unavailable. RS Group supplies dry ice for exactly these jobs and can ship it where it needs to go.
How dry ice keeps food cold
Dry ice doesn’t melt into liquid — it sublimates straight from solid to CO₂ gas, so your food stays dry while it stays frozen. Placed correctly, it holds a freezer or cooler well below freezing far longer than water ice can.
- Put dry ice on top of the food: cold air sinks, so top placement cools the whole space.
- A typical chest freezer holds frozen food for a day or more with a few blocks of dry ice, depending on insulation and how often it’s opened.
- For a cooler, line the bottom and top with insulation, then place the dry ice on top of the items.
- For transport, the colder hold and no meltwater make dry ice ideal for frozen goods on a long route.
Handle dry ice safely
Dry ice is safe and effective when handled correctly, but its extreme cold and the CO₂ gas it releases call for a few precautions:
- Never touch dry ice with bare skin — it causes frostbite in seconds. Use insulated gloves or tongs.
- Keep the space ventilated: dry ice releases CO₂ gas as it sublimates, which can displace oxygen in a sealed room or vehicle.
- Never store dry ice in a fully airtight container — the gas needs to escape, or pressure can build.
- Don’t put dry ice directly against food you’ll eat unfrozen, and keep it out of reach of children and pets.
- For air or commercial shipments, dry ice is a regulated material with packaging and labeling rules — that’s where our compliant shipping comes in.
More on dry ice
Need dry ice for your food storage?
Tell us how much and when, or call our team — we supply and ship dry ice with compliant handling.