Guide · Dry ice
Dry ice planning: enough ice for the lane, not enough by habit.
Most ultra-cold losses in transit are not equipment failures. The ice simply ran out two hours before the hub.
What decides how much dry ice you need
| Input | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Lane time | Total time from dispatch freezer to receiving freezer, including waits |
| Ambient profile | Hot lanes and seasons use ice faster |
| Shipper performance | Each shipper has its own qualified duration |
| Hubs and top-ups | Where ice can be added, and how long between them |
| Delay buffer | Customs, flight changes and road delays |
A planning process
- Define each lane with its legs, hubs and typical times.
- Set the ambient profile for the season.
- Use the shipper’s qualification data to work out ice at dispatch.
- Plan top-ups at each hub, with quantity and who does it.
- Add a buffer for known delays on that lane.
- Track remaining cover in transit and warn before it runs low.
- Record every top-up against the shipment.
Common mistakes
- One standard quantity for every lane and season.
- Top-ups planned but not recorded, so nobody knows they happened.
- No warning until the temperature is already climbing.
- Ignoring waiting time at hubs and airports.
See the full journey in how to ship at −80 °C.
How UltraCold does it
UltraCold runs −60 °C and −80 °C shipments from freezer to freezer in three phases with their own controls: 22 at dispatch, 22 in transit and 24 at delivery. Any FAIL at dispatch holds the shipment, and release needs QA and warehouse to sign independently; the system refuses the same person twice. Two loggers are watched live: drift beyond ±2 °C around target raises an alert, and a breach of the configured hard limits for 30 minutes becomes an NCR with a 4-hour QA disposition deadline. Dry ice is calculated per lane from lane time and ambient profile, with exhaustion risk flagged at two hours of cover. Every cross-dock records seal and dwell time, a 12-trigger ladder escalates from the control tower to senior management, and everything is kept in a five-year audit log.
Questions
How much dry ice do I need for a shipment?
It depends on lane time, ambient profile, the shipper’s qualified performance and where top-ups are possible. Calculate it per lane and season, not by habit.
When should dry ice be topped up?
At planned hubs along the lane, before remaining cover runs low, with each top-up recorded against the shipment.
How do I know dry ice is running out in transit?
Track the remaining cover against the plan and raise a warning ahead of exhaustion, rather than waiting for the temperature to rise.
See it on your own data. UltraCold — −80 °C, signed off at every step. Book a 30-minute working session with an engineer.