Choosing the right walk-in size for a cooler or freezer starts with a simple question: How much cold storage space does your operation really need?
The answer involves more than measuring an available area and selecting a walk-in that fits. Inventory levels, delivery schedules, product mix, employee workflow, future growth, and even door placement can all influence how much space you need.
Choosing a unit that is too small can leave your operation struggling for storage space. Going too large can mean dedicating space and resources to capacity you may not need.
Here are some of the most important factors to consider when determining the right walk-in size for your operation.
Start With Your Current Inventory
Begin by looking at what you need to store during normal operations. Consider the amount of refrigerated or frozen inventory you typically have on hand and, more importantly, how much you have during your busiest periods.
Think about:
- The types of products being stored
- Average inventory levels
- Peak or seasonal inventory
- Case and pallet sizes
- Shelving requirements
- Bulk ingredients or oversized products
- Carts, racks, or other equipment stored inside the walk-in
The goal isn’t simply to fit today’s inventory. Your walk-in size should provide enough room to keep products organized, accessible, and properly stored without making employees constantly rearrange inventory.
Consider Your Delivery Schedule
How frequently you receive deliveries can have a major impact on the amount of cold storage space you need.
An operation receiving several smaller deliveries throughout the week may require less storage capacity than one receiving large weekly or biweekly shipments. Businesses that purchase products in bulk may also benefit from additional space.
Having sufficient cold storage can provide greater flexibility when ordering products and help an operation take advantage of bulk purchasing opportunities.
When sizing your walk-in, plan around the maximum amount of inventory you expect to have at one time, rather than an average day.
Don’t Forget About Usable Space
An 8′ x 12′ walk-in doesn’t provide 96 square feet of usable product storage.
Employees still need room to move through the walk-in, reach shelving, open doors, load and unload products, and maintain proper organization. Space also needs to be maintained around refrigeration components for proper airflow.
That makes the interior layout just as important as the overall dimensions.
Before choosing a size, think about how shelving, racks, pallets, carts, and products will actually be positioned inside the unit. A well-designed layout can make a walk-in easier to use while helping you get more value from the available space.
Think About Employee Workflow
Your walk-in is part of your operation, not simply a storage box.
Consider how employees will use it throughout the day. Where will they enter? Which products will they access most frequently? How far will employees need to travel between the walk-in and the kitchen, production area, loading dock, or other workspace?
Door placement can make a significant difference.
Polar King walk-ins can be configured as freestanding or through-wall units, and custom layouts allow doors and interior walls to be positioned based on the needs of the operation.
For high-volume operations, designing around workflow can reduce unnecessary movement and make loading, stocking, and retrieving products easier.
Plan for Growth
One of the easiest sizing mistakes is designing a walk-in exclusively around what you need today.
Consider where your operation could be several years from now.
Are sales increasing? Could you add menu items or product lines? Are you serving more customers, students, patients, or residents? Could your purchasing strategy shift toward larger orders? Is another expansion planned?
Adding some additional capacity during the planning stage can be considerably easier than discovering shortly after installation that you’ve already outgrown your cold storage.
The objective isn’t to dramatically oversize the walk-in. It’s to leave reasonable room for growth.
Determine Whether You Need a Cooler, Freezer, or Combination Unit
Your product mix can also influence the overall size and configuration.
Some operations only need refrigerated storage, while others primarily need frozen capacity. Businesses requiring both don’t necessarily need two completely separate walk-ins.
Polar King offers combination units that can incorporate separate cooler and freezer compartments within a single footprint. Units can also be configured with dry storage when the application requires it.
Determining how much space should be dedicated to each storage environment can help you make better use of the overall footprint.
Measure the Installation Area
Once you understand your storage requirements, it’s time to evaluate where the walk-in will go.
Measure the available area carefully and consider more than length and width. Look for:
- Building walls and rooflines
- Doors and windows
- Utility connections
- Loading and delivery areas
- Required clearances
- Drainage and site conditions
- Employee and vehicle traffic
- Future access and service requirements
For outdoor installations, using exterior space can also allow an operation to increase cold storage capacity without sacrificing valuable room inside the building.
So, What Walk-In Size Do You Need?
There isn’t one walk-in size that’s right for every business.
A restaurant, school cafeteria, grocery store, food processor, healthcare facility, and distribution operation can all have very different storage requirements, even when they handle similar amounts of product.
The best approach is to evaluate:
- What you’re storing
- How much inventory you have at peak capacity
- How frequently you receive deliveries
- How employees will move through and use the walk-in
- How much space shelving and equipment will require
- Your available installation area
- How your cold storage needs could change in the future
By looking at the entire operation rather than simply choosing a standard dimension, you can select a walk-in that works better today and continues to support your business in the years ahead.
Build Cold Storage Around Your Operation
Since 1982, Polar King has manufactured outdoor walk-in coolers and freezers for businesses and organizations across a wide range of industries. Each unit is built at Polar King’s facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana and can be customized around the specific requirements of the application.
Whether you need a compact walk-in cooler, additional freezer capacity, a combination unit, or a highly customized cold storage configuration, Polar King can help determine the dimensions and layout that make sense for your operation.
Not sure what walk-in size you need? Contact Polar King to discuss your inventory, available space, workflow, and future cold storage needs.
