{"id":2199,"date":"2020-06-25T14:51:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T14:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vikkins.com\/?p=2199"},"modified":"2026-07-01T23:54:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T23:54:41","slug":"cold-room-panel-thickness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vikkins.com\/fr\/cold-room-panel-thickness\/","title":{"rendered":"How Thick Should Cold Room Panels Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cold room panel thickness<\/strong> is driven first by the temperature you need to hold: as a working rule, 75\u2013100\u00a0mm for chillers (0 to +4\u00a0\u00b0C), 150\u2013200\u00a0mm for freezers (\u221218 to \u221225\u00a0\u00b0C), and 200\u00a0mm or more for blast freezing (\u221230 to \u221240\u00a0\u00b0C)<\/strong>. But temperature is only the starting point \u2014 the core material, your climate, the floor and the door traffic all move the right number. Here is how to get it right rather than guess.<\/p>\n

Panel thickness by temperature: the starting point<\/h2>\n
\"Cold
Every panel decision starts here. The temperature zone you need to hold sets the baseline thickness; everything else adjusts it.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Room type<\/th>\nTemp\u00e9rature<\/th>\nTypical thickness (PIR\/PU)<\/th>\nCommon use<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Chiller<\/td>\n0 to +4\u00a0\u00b0C<\/td>\n75\u2013100\u00a0mm<\/td>\nProduce, dairy, beverages<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pharma \/ cool<\/td>\n+2 to +8\u00a0\u00b0C<\/td>\n75\u2013100\u00a0mm<\/td>\nVaccines, medicines<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cong\u00e9lateur<\/td>\n\u221218 to \u221225\u00a0\u00b0C<\/td>\n150\u2013200\u00a0mm<\/td>\nFrozen food, meat, fish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blast \/ deep freeze<\/td>\n\u221230 to \u221240\u00a0\u00b0C<\/td>\n200\u00a0mm and above<\/td>\nRapid pull-down, seafood<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The physics in one line \u2014 and why it\u2019s really an energy decision<\/h2>\n

Heat always pushes from warm to cold, and the bigger the temperature gap, the harder it pushes. A panel resists that flow in proportion to its R-value<\/strong>, and R is simply the thickness divided by the core\u2019s conductivity (R = thickness \u00f7 \u03bb). Double the thickness and you roughly halve the conductive heat gain through the wall \u2014 which means the refrigeration runs less to hold the same temperature.<\/p>\n

That is the real point: panel thickness is an energy decision dressed up as a construction detail<\/strong>. A chiller sits only a few degrees below the air around it, so a 75\u2013100\u00a0mm panel copes easily. A blast freezer can be fighting a 60\u00a0\u00b0C-plus difference between inside and outside, so it needs far more insulation \u2014 otherwise the compressors run almost continuously and the electricity bill, not the build cost, becomes the expensive part of the room for the next twenty years.<\/p>\n

The core changes the thickness<\/h2>\n
\"Cross-section
Two steel facings and an insulating core. The lower the core\u2019s \u03bb-value, the less thickness you need for the same R-value.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thickness and core are one decision, not two, because a better-insulating core reaches the same performance in less depth:<\/p>\n