Equipment · Tool · Kolpak
Size the box before the wall.
Pending approval
Pending Kolpak approval — figures below are industry-published guidance, shown for planning while we confirm them with the manufacturer.
Meals per day in, cubic feet and a nominal box out — the planning rule the industry actually uses, with the honest caveats attached.
Cold storage to plan
A planning estimate, not an engineering spec. The refrigeration system, floor, doors, and shelving plan are where a walk-in succeeds or fails — that's a drawing conversation with your rep and your Kolpak dealer.
Email me these numbers
Asked every week.
What size walk-in cooler do I need?
The published planning rule is 1 to 1.5 cubic feet of refrigerated storage per meal served per day. A 400-meal operation plans around 400 to 600 cubic feet — roughly an 8 by 10 foot box once aisles and airflow are accounted for. Delivery frequency moves the number: fewer, larger deliveries need more box.
When does a walk-in beat reach-ins?
Above roughly 250 meals a day, or whenever volume buying makes sense — a walk-in stores more per square foot of floor and per dollar of energy than the equivalent bank of reach-ins.
How much of a walk-in is usable storage?
Roughly half to 60% of the geometric volume, after aisles, airflow clearance, and shelving geometry. That's why the box is sized from the storage need up, not from the wall space available.
A tool gets you close. A person gets it right.
Every number here is a starting point, not a quote. Your Zink specialist runs these questions for a living — and checking your math costs you nothing.