Laboratory Ice Machines

Why labs use flake ice

Lab work needs ice that touches the sample container on every side. Hard cubes leave air gaps and can tip tubes over. Flake ice:

• Molds around tubes, racks and flasks, so heat transfer is even and fast.
• Holds samples upright in an ice bucket.
• Is easy to scoop into buckets of any size.
• Makes smooth ice baths for chemistry and biology protocols.

Nugget ice is a good second choice: it packs reasonably well, is easy to scoop and suits labs that also want ice for drinks in a break room. Cube ice is the least suitable for bench work.

Choosing a format

Laboratory ice machines compared

Undercounter (built-in bin)

Modular heads (separate bin)

Specifications from each product page. The grid also includes more nugget heads and undercounter nugget machines. The Manitowoc UFK, UNK and RNK models ending in AZ are 230V / 50Hz versions for markets with 50Hz power; U.S. labs should choose the UFP, UNP and RNP equivalents.

How much ice does a lab need?

Labs measure ice in buckets, not pounds. Flake ice weighs roughly 30 lb per cubic foot (a common planning figure), so:

Example: a lab with 12 researchers, each filling a 4 L bucket twice a day, uses about 12 x 2 x 4 = 96 lb a day, plus ice baths and transport coolers, so plan about 120 lb. A Scotsman UF1415AX-1 (107 lb at 90/70) is close; a UF2020AX-1 (149 lb) gives headroom. A floor with 60 researchers needs about 500-600 lb a day, which suits an ITV IQF 700 or IQF 900 on a bin.

Placement in a research building

• Shared machines usually sit in a corridor alcove, equipment room or core facility, so every lab can reach them. Choose a spot with a floor drain.
• Keep it out of cold rooms unless the manufacturer approves the temperature; most machines need at least 50°F air. Also avoid hot equipment rooms: output falls in heat.
• Clear the front grille. Many undercounter flake machines, including the Scotsman UF series, are front-breathing.
• Heat output: undercounter flake machines release about 1,500-3,000 BTU/hr (Scotsman UF0915 and UF424), and large heads more. Check that the room's HVAC can handle it.
• Power: 115V for most machines here; the ITV IQF 1200 needs 220V.

Lab ice is not sterile or pure water ice

Ice machines make ice from the building's potable water, filtered for taste, sediment and scale. The ice is suitable for cooling sealed containers. It is not sterile, deionized or analytical-grade, so it should not contact samples directly or be used where water purity matters. For those uses, prepare ice from purified water in a laboratory freezer, following your lab's procedures. Dry ice is a different product altogether.

Water treatment and maintenance

• Filtration: fit a water filter with scale inhibitor sized to the machine. Flake and nugget machines run an auger continuously and are sensitive to scale.
• Cleaning: clean and sanitize at least every six months, or more often per your facility's biosafety and hygiene rules.
• Scoops: use a dedicated scoop stored outside the ice. Never fill buckets by dipping them into the bin.
• Contamination: don't put used buckets, gloves or anything that has been in the lab into the ice bin.

Read our maintenance checklist.

Running costs

From the product pages: Scotsman UF flake machines use 4.20-5.75 kWh per 100 lb and about 12 gallons of water per 100 lb; ITV IQF heads use about 4.4-5.9 kWh. At 150 lb a day and $0.15 per kWh, a UF2020AX-1 costs about $380 a year in electricity. Flake machines use much less water than cube machines.

Universities and procurement

For university and hospital purchasing, list the requirements your facilities team needs: voltage (115V or 220V), drain type, footprint, ice type (flake), daily output at 90°F air / 70°F water, bin size, water connection and warranty terms. We can provide spec sheets for quotes.

One shared machine or several small ones?

Many research buildings combine both: a modular flake head on a bin in a central ice room for bulk use, plus a small undercounter unit in labs that use ice constantly.

Worked example: a core facility

A genomics core runs sample preparation for 10 labs. Each day it fills about 60 standard 4 L buckets (about 240 lb), keeps two 50 lb transport coolers topped up (about 100 lb) and supplies ice baths for a few protocols (about 40 lb).

• Total: about 380 lb a day, with most demand in the morning.
• Machine: an ITV IQF 700 (635 lb at 90/68) or an ICETRO IM-0770-AF (595 lb hot-day) on a storage bin leaves room for growth and for warm summer days.
• Bin: size it to cover the morning peak, about half the day's use, so roughly 200 lb or more of storage.

The two Manitowoc undercounter models (UFP0200A at 198 lb and UFP0350A at 328 lb hot-day) would struggle at 380 lb, which is why core facilities usually move to a modular head.

Ice for sample transport

Flake ice is the usual choice for moving samples between buildings because it fills the gaps in a cooler and keeps tubes upright.

• Use sealed, labeled secondary containers inside the cooler so samples never contact the ice directly.
• Fill coolers from the scoop, not by dipping the cooler into the bin.
• Don't return used ice to the machine's bin.
• Follow your institution's biosafety and transport rules for the material you're moving.

Safety around ice machines

• Slips: flake machines and ice rooms create wet floors. Keep a mat and a floor drain nearby, and clean up spilled ice promptly.
• Lifting: a full 4 L bucket is light, but transport coolers and 20 lb ice bags are not. Store coolers at a comfortable height.
• Electrical: keep the machine's dedicated outlet away from where water collects.

Specifying a lab ice machine: what to include

For a facilities request or bid, list:

• Ice type: flake for bench use, nugget if it also serves a break room.
• Daily output at 90°F air and 70°F water, with your estimated use and growth margin.
• Storage: built-in bin size, or a separate bin sized to the morning peak.
• Footprint and height, including clearance above for service.
• Utilities: voltage and phase, dedicated circuit, water line size and pressure, drain type and air gap.
• Water treatment: filter with scale inhibitor and a shut-off valve.
• Cleaning plan: frequency, who is responsible and how it is recorded.

Hospital and clinical labs

Hospital labs often share ice with nursing units, but their needs differ. Patient areas usually want nugget or cubelet ice for drinking, while the lab wants flake for specimens. Keeping them on separate machines avoids patient-care ice being used for specimens and vice versa, and lets each machine sit where it's used. Specimen ice should be handled under the lab's biosafety procedures, and patient ice under the hospital's infection-prevention policy. See healthcare ice machines.

Common mistakes

1. Buying a cube machine for bench work. Flake packs around tubes; cubes don't.
2. Treating machine ice as pure or sterile. It's made from potable water.
3. Ordering a 50Hz model. Choose UFP, UNP or RNP for U.S. power.
4. Putting the machine in a hot equipment room. Output drops.
5. No drain. Flake machines drain meltwater continuously.

Related collections

• Undercounter flake ice machines and industrial flake ice machines
• Scotsman flake ice machines and Manitowoc flake ice machines
• Nugget ice machine heads and healthcare ice machines
• Flake ice makers