Commercial Crushed Ice Machines

"Crushed ice" in a commercial machine

At home, crushed ice comes from a blender or a refrigerator door that breaks up cubes. Commercial machines work differently. Instead of making cubes and crushing them, they freeze a thin layer of ice inside a refrigerated cylinder. An auger scrapes it off continuously, producing small pieces of ice directly. Depending on how the machine shapes those pieces, you get one of three types:

If you want crushed ice for drinks, choose nugget. If you want it to pack around food or products, choose flake. Chip ice sits between the two and is especially good at high volumes. Read cube vs nugget vs flake ice for a deeper comparison.

Why not crush cubes? A separate ice crusher can break up cube ice for an occasional cocktail. For daily volume it adds a step, labor and an extra machine to clean. A nugget or flake machine makes ready-to-use soft ice continuously.

Undercounter crushed ice machines (built-in bin)

Choose undercounter when you need up to about 400 lb/day at one service point and want production and storage in one cabinet.

Standouts: the Scotsman UF424AX-1 makes the most flake ice from an undercounter cabinet here (440 lb/day rated, 80 lb bin) in just 24 inches. The Manitowoc UFP0350A holds its output best in warm conditions (328 lb/day at 90/70). For 15-inch openings, the Scotsman UF1415AX-1 makes 142 lb/day of flake ice. See all undercounter nugget ice makers or flake ice makers.

Modular crushed ice heads (separate bin)

Choose a head when you need more than about 400 lb/day, want to feed a dispenser, or need a large bin.

Nugget heads

The full list, with every brand, is on our nugget ice machine heads page.

Flake heads

For bigger flake volumes, see industrial ice machines.

Chip / granular heads (ITV IQ series)

ITV's IQ heads make wet granular chip ice at the highest volumes in this collection, up to 2,900 lb/day.

Three-phase versions of the IQ 900 and IQ 1300 (A3 and W3 models) are also in the grid. All IQ heads list 3 years parts and labor on the machine and 5 years on the evaporator.

Watch the water use on water-cooled models. The water-cooled IQ 2700 W uses about 57.8 gallons per 100 lb of ice, against 14.3 for the air-cooled IQ 2700 A. At 2,000 lb a day, that is roughly 870 extra gallons every day. Choose water-cooled only where air cooling can't work and local codes allow it. Read air-cooled vs water-cooled ice machines.

Which crushed ice machine for your business?

Flake ice is very light, so it takes more volume per pound than cube ice. A display that holds 30 lb of flake ice per cubic foot (a common salad bar planning figure) needs a bigger bin than its weight suggests. Our guide to flake ice for seafood displays has more detail.

Crushed ice for cocktails

Several classic drinks are built on crushed ice: the mint julep, the swizzle, the cobbler, the bramble and most tiki drinks. Bars making these in volume usually choose flake or nugget ice. Flake packs tightly and frosts the glass quickly. Nugget holds its shape longer in the glass. A 15-inch undercounter flake machine like the Scotsman UF1415AX-1 behind the bar keeps crushed ice ready without a crusher or a mallet and canvas bag.

Flake vs nugget for seafood and produce

Most seafood counters use flake. See flake ice makers.

Buying checklist

1. Ice type: nugget for drinks, flake for packing, chip for high-volume drinks and bagging.
2. Volume: your peak-day need at 90°F air / 70°F water.
3. Format: undercounter up to about 400 lb/day; a head on a bin above that.
4. Power: 115V for most undercounter and mid-size heads; 208-230V or three-phase for the largest.
5. Cooling: air-cooled wherever possible; water-cooled only where codes allow and air cooling can't cope.
6. Storage: a bin approved for soft ice, sized to your busiest stretch.
7. Water treatment: a filter with scale inhibitor.

Commercial crushed ice by industry

• Bars and restaurants: nugget or flake undercounter units for cocktails and soft drinks.
• Healthcare: nugget for patients; flake for kitchens, cold packs and therapy. See healthcare ice machines.
• Grocery and seafood: flake heads on large bins for display cases.
• Convenience stores: nugget or chip ice for fountain drinks.
• Labs and food processing: flake ice for sample cooling and product chilling.
• Fisheries and bagged ice: high-volume chip or flake heads such as the ITV IQ 2700.

Output ranges at a glance

Air, water or remote cooling for large heads

Large flake and chip heads put a lot of heat into a room. Air-cooled is cheapest to run when the room is ventilated. Remote-condenser versions (such as the IQ 1300 R and IQ 2700 R) move the heat and noise outside, which suits processing rooms and kitchens. Water-cooled versions handle hot rooms but use far more water. Read our remote condenser guide.

What crushed ice machines cost to run

Auger machines are efficient compared with cube machines of the same output, because they don't heat an evaporator to release each batch. From the listings in this collection: Ice-O-Matic GEM nugget heads use about 2.4-2.5 kWh per 100 lb, Scotsman UF flake machines 4.2-5.75 kWh, and ITV IQ chip heads about 3.2-4.9 kWh. Water use for air-cooled nugget and flake machines is typically around 12 gallons per 100 lb, much less than most cube machines. See our operating cost guide.

Installation and running tips

• Voltage: undercounter models and most nugget heads run on 115V. Larger flake and chip heads need 208-230V, and the IQ 2700 needs three-phase.
• Water quality: auger machines are sensitive to scale. Fit a water filter with scale inhibitor. ITV recommends an anti-scale filter in hard-water areas.
• Drain: every flake and nugget machine needs a gravity drain or a drain pump kit. Flake and chip bins melt more water than cube bins.
• Bin choice: use bins approved for flake or nugget ice. Soft ice can bridge or clump in the wrong bin. See ice storage bins.

Cleaning

Nugget, flake and chip machines all use an auger, so they need regular descaling as well as sanitizing. Clean at least every six months, more often with hard water or in healthcare. Our nugget ice maker cleaning guide applies to flake machines too.

Related collections

• Commercial nugget ice machines
• Flake ice makers and chip ice machines
• Healthcare ice machines
• Industrial ice machines above 1,000 lb/day