Refrigerated Storage Containers – Reefers

Description

A refrigerated container, or reefer, is an insulated shipping container fitted with a cooling motor that maintains a set internal temperature. Our range is specified around insulation quality as much as machine capacity, because the two are directly linked: a better thermal envelope means the compressor cycles less to hold the same set point, which is what actually shows up on the electricity bill over a year. Internal load bars can be fitted to double usable pallet capacity, and units are available in several sizes and in both working and non-operating form.

Standard sizes

• 20ft external: 6.06 × 2.44 × 2.90 m (20 ft × 8 ft × 9 ft 6 in), around 28.3 m³ inside
• 40ft external: 12.19 × 2.44 × 2.90 m (40 ft × 8 ft × 9 ft 6 in), around 57.8 m³ inside
• Door opening: approximately 2.34 m wide × 2.58 m high (7 ft 8 in × 8 ft 6 in)
• Internal length is shorter than the shell on every reefer, because the machinery pack takes the front wall
• 10ft and 30ft units are also held for constrained sites and intermediate volumes

Settle these before you buy

• Power supply. Most reefer machinery wants a three-phase feed. Check what the site already has, or price in a generator of the right size
• Temperature range. Chiller duty and true freezer duty are not the same specification. Give us the set point and the machine is matched to it
• Working or non-working. A unit whose machinery no longer runs still makes a very good insulated dry store, and costs less. What it will not do is hold a set point
• Airflow. Air travels under the load through the T-bar floor. Stack pallets so that path stays open instead of being sealed off
• Placement. Keep the ground in front of the machinery end clear, both for servicing and so the condenser can breathe

Load bars and usable capacity

The capacity figure on a reefer is rarely the capacity you get. Airflow requirements mean you cannot simply fill the box, and the height available above a single pallet is often wasted. Internal load bars address that directly by carrying a second tier, which for lighter palletised product can double what the container actually holds without touching the machinery or the power draw. It is the cheapest capacity increase available on a reefer and the one most often overlooked at the point of purchase.

Where reefers end up

Food producers, distributors and restaurants use them as overflow cold storage. Farms and horticulture buffer harvest and packhouse volumes in them. They turn up at events, festivals and catering operations. Florists, pharmacies and laboratories take them wherever a stable set point counts for more than sheer volume.

Delivery and cover

Delivery is free anywhere in the UK, including Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, and the price shown is the total payable, since no VAT is added at checkout. Access requirements scale with the unit you choose: a 10ft goes almost anywhere on a rigid tilt-bed, a 20ft wants roughly twice its own length as a clear run, and a 40ft needs an articulated vehicle with a straight approach and room to reverse. Every size needs level, load-bearing ground and, on a working unit, a commissioned supply. Where a crane or HIAB offload is required, that is agreed in writing before delivery. Cover follows the grade of the unit you buy: new and one-trip stock carries 12 months against structural defects and water ingress, while used units supplied wind and watertight carry three months against water ingress and door operation. Your statutory rights are separate from both and from each other: 14 days to change your mind under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, and 30 days to reject faulty goods under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Go straight to a unit

Check our container buyers guide for sizes and dimensions before selecting. Browse the full refrigerated container category, or go direct: compact sites are usually served by the 20ft refrigerated container, value by the used 20ft and 40ft reefers, and anything wanting more internal height by a refurbished high cube reefer.