Walk-in cooler for a butcher shop or meat processor
What butcher shops, meat markets and deer processors actually order from us, and the choices that matter most when the product is meat.
A butcher shop, meat market or processor usually needs both a walk-in cooler and a walk-in freezer, often built as one combination box with a shared wall. In our records of about 100 butcher, meat, deer and game processing quotes, the split is about even between coolers and freezers, plus combinations, and the median floor area is about 160 sq ft, bigger than a typical restaurant box.
About 1 in 5 of those boxes goes outdoors. For meat, the decisions that matter most are the floor, the door width, the interior finish for wash-down, and refrigeration sized for the warm product you bring in, not just for the floor area.
What meat buyers actually order
Round numbers from our quote records, compared with restaurant quotes.
| Measure | Butcher, meat, deer and game | Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes in our records | About 100 | More than 220 by name |
| Box type | About even between coolers and freezers, plus combinations | About 1 in 4 is a cooler and freezer combination |
| Typical size | Median about 160 sq ft of floor | 8x10 is the most common size |
| Outdoors | About 1 in 5 | About 1 in 4 |
Rounded figures from our quote database. 160 sq ft is roughly a 10x16 footprint.
Meat takes more room than most kitchens expect. You hold fresh product in the cooler, frozen stock in the freezer, and you need an aisle wide enough for a cart. Plan the shelving and the aisle first, then the footprint, using our walk-in cooler size guide. If you also run a kitchen, compare with our restaurant walk-in page.
One box, two temperatures
A combination cooler freezer puts both rooms in one box with a shared wall between them. You build one box instead of two, and the freezer has one less wall facing the warm room.
The freezer section always gets an insulated floor. Tell us whether you want the floor carried under the cooler side too. Every layout is shown on a dimensioned approval drawing you sign before your order goes in.
Hanging carcasses and rail loads
Hanging sides or whole carcasses puts a heavy, concentrated load on the ceiling, and that load moves as product slides along a rail. A standard insulated ceiling panel is built to span the box, not to carry hanging meat. Rails and hooks are not part of our quote. If a rail runs through the door, tell us and the door frame is cut for it.
Roof suspension, which we use when ceiling panels span too far, supports the ceiling panels themselves. Do not assume it is rated for a rail load. If you hang meat, write in your quote notes how many carcasses you hang at once and their approximate weight, and we will answer on the quote.
Floors and finishes for wash-down
- Freezer floor always included. Concrete is not an insulator. Under a freezer, moisture in the slab freezes, expands and lifts the concrete (frost heave), throwing the panels out of level.
- Insulated floor panels. NSF Listed, heavy gauge smooth aluminum interior, with a cove where wall meets floor so there is no square corner to trap debris.
- Diamond tread plate. Aluminum diamond tread plate cut to size reinforces the floor for daily cart traffic.
- Marine plywood reinforced floor. A 3/4 inch marine plywood reinforced floor for heavy loads.
- Cooler without a floor. Walls sit on your level slab with a vinyl screed, so the entry is flush and carts roll straight in.
- Stainless interior. Stainless steel inside skins can be quoted in place of the standard 26 gauge stucco-embossed Acrylume.
- No wood perimeter. Panel edges have nothing organic to absorb wash water, swell or rot.
A floor raises the entry by about 4 inches, which is why ramps exist. Our floor or no floor guide walks through the decision.
Temperature and warm product
Our standard coolers hold 35°F. The FDA limit for refrigerated food is 41°F, so 35°F leaves a 6 degree buffer for door openings. Freezers run 0°F to -10°F, and our standard walk-in freezer packages are specified at -10°F.
Holding cold product and pulling down warm product are different jobs. Freshly processed meat carries heat that the system has to remove on top of the box load. We size refrigeration from the heat load, not the floor area: an undersized system never catches up, and an oversized one short-cycles. Tell us roughly how many pounds come in per day, at what temperature, and how fast you need them down. You can compare systems in our refrigeration equipment gallery.
Seasonal processors
Deer and game processors see a hard peak in season. Size for the peak week, not the average month, because that is the week the box fails if it is too small. Plan your order well ahead of the season and ask for the current lead time when you order.
Choosing the right door
The standard door is a 34 x 76 inch opening with a self-closing door, key lock, inside safety release and a 12 inch diamond kick plate. That works for hand carry and narrow carts, but it will not pass a standard 48 x 40 inch pallet.
- Wider swing doors. 48 x 76 and 60 x 76 inch openings for wide carts and pallets.
- Sliding doors. Manual sliding doors from 5x8 up; see sliding and wide doors.
- Freezer doors. A heater wire in the frame keeps it from icing, and every freezer gets a pressure relief vent.
- Ramps. On boxes with a floor: inside ramp 34 inches wide, outside ramps 34, 48 or 60 inches wide, all 30 inches deep.
Stainless, reinforced floors, wider doors and bigger refrigeration each add cost. Our walk-in cooler cost guide explains what moves the number.
Outdoor boxes behind the shop
About 1 in 5 meat boxes we quote goes outdoors. Outdoor boxes get a rain roof unless you protect the box another way, and the refrigeration is a remote outdoor condensing unit or a self-contained outdoor system.
An outdoor walk-in must meet local wind uplift code. Where required, that means a wall 9 inches higher than the walk-in or a roof wire strap system (not supplied), and in Florida you may need an engineer to confirm compliance. See indoor vs outdoor walk-ins.
Send your dimensions, product volume and door needs through the quote form, or text pictures to 954-237-6753. Every walk-in we quote includes free shipping.
Frequently asked
Should I buy a separate cooler and freezer or a combination?
If both rooms sit in the same area, a combination usually makes sense: one box, a shared wall, and the choice of walking through the cooler or giving each room its own door. Separate boxes fit better when the rooms must be in different places. See our combination page.
What temperature should a meat cooler run?
Our standard coolers hold 35°F, a 6 degree buffer under the FDA 41°F limit for refrigerated food. Freezers run 0°F to -10°F.
Can the walk-in handle warm product from processing?
Yes, if the refrigeration is sized for it. Pull-down of warm product is extra heat load on top of holding. Tell us pounds per day, the entering temperature and how fast you need it cold, and we size the system to that load.
Do you make rails for hanging meat?
Rails and hooks are not in our quotes, but the door frame can be cut for a rail. Tell us in your quote notes how many carcasses you hang and their weight so we can answer on your quote.
Can I get a stainless interior for wash-down?
Stainless steel inside skins can be quoted in place of the standard 26 gauge stucco-embossed Acrylume, and the panels have no wood perimeter to soak up water. Ask for it in your quote notes.
What floor do I need for heavy carts?
Freezers always include an insulated floor with a smooth aluminum interior and a cleaning cove. For heavy carts add diamond tread plate, or choose the 3/4 inch marine plywood reinforced floor for heavy loads. A cooler can also go floorless on a level slab for a flush entry; see the floor guide.
Also worth a look
Get a meat walk-in quote the same day
Send your size, cooler and freezer split, door width and daily product volume. We send a real number, usually the same day, with free shipping and an approval drawing to sign before anything is built. Call 954-237-6753 or use the quote form.