Hoshizaki C-80BAK Undercounter Cubelet Ice Maker - 92 lb/Day with 27 lb Bin, Air-Cooled

Quick Answer

The Hoshizaki C-80BAK is a compact self-contained ice machine that makes cubelet ice — Hoshizaki’s soft, chewable nugget-style format — and stores it in a built-in 27 lb bin. Hoshizaki rates it at 92 lb per 24 hours at 70°F air and 50°F water, and 65 lb per 24 hours at 90°F air and 70°F water. At 14-7/8 in. wide and 33-1/2 in. tall it genuinely fits under a counter, needs no side or top clearance, and is UL approved for outdoor use. It plugs into a standard 115V outlet. Its main limitations are the 27 lb bin and a two-year warranty.

Hoshizaki C-80BAK At a Glance

Who Should Buy the Hoshizaki C-80BAK?

The C-80BAK answers a narrow question well: where do you put chewable ice when there is almost no room and possibly no roof? At 14-7/8 in. wide and 33-1/2 in. tall it is the only machine in this catalog that genuinely fits a standard undercounter opening — most commercial "undercounter" machines stand 39 in. on their legs and do not. It needs no side or top clearance at all. And it is UL approved for outdoor use, which very few commercial ice machines are.

That combination points to specific buyers: offices and break rooms, hotel suites and guest-floor stations, clinics, dental practices and medical offices, small bars and coffee counters with a 15-inch gap, and covered outdoor kitchens and patio bars. Cubelet ice is soft and chewable, absorbs flavour from the drink around it, and packs densely — which is why it is popular in healthcare, in soft-drink service and with customers who like to eat the ice.

Two practical details make it easier to place than most machines. The door is field-reversible, so the swing can be set to suit the cabinet run rather than the other way round. And the R290 charge is only 1.9 oz., which gives a minimum room floor area requirement of 27.8 sq. ft. — small enough that a compact office nook or a guest-floor alcove qualifies. If you are weighing chewable ice against a conventional cube, the commercial nugget ice machines collection shows what the format looks like at larger sizes.

Who Should Consider Another Model?

This machine is priced and specified for its format and its placement flexibility, not for volume. Five situations point elsewhere.

• You need meaningful daily volume. At 65 lb per 24 hours rated, the C-80BAK costs roughly $71 per pound of rated daily capacity. The Scotsman UC2024SAX-1 works out around $17 per pound of capacity — roughly a quarter as much. If chewable ice is not the reason you are buying, this is an expensive way to buy ice.

• Your peak draw exceeds what a 27 lb bin can cover. Storage is 42 percent of the rated daily production, and 27 lb is not much ice. The arithmetic is below.

• You need a drain pump. The C-80BAK drains by gravity; the HS-5061 drain pump is an optional assembly, not standard. Both of the closest competing machines in this size class include a pump. If your site has no gravity drain, budget for the accessory and confirm availability before ordering.

• You need ADA compliance. The standard C-80BAK at 33-1/2 in. is not ADA compliant. Hoshizaki makes the C-80BAK-AD at 31-1/2 in. for that purpose. If your project is subject to accessibility review, specify the -AD variant rather than assuming this one qualifies.

• You want the longest warranty in the class. Two years parts and labor is shorter than the three-plus-five schedules on Hoshizaki’s cube machines, and shorter than the competing ICETRO nugget unit. It is longer than the competing Scotsman gourmet machine. Compare coverage, not brand reputation.

One more constraint that rarely appears on a spec sheet: Hoshizaki states the machine is not for use above 6,561 ft (2,000 m) elevation. That rules out parts of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, and is worth checking before a mountain-resort installation.

Maximum Output vs Real-World Production

Two production figures exist for this machine, and only one of them appears on most listings. The larger is measured under favourable laboratory conditions; the smaller is measured at conditions much closer to a working room.

The gap is 27 lb per 24 hours, or about 29 percent of the maximum — the widest proportional drop of any machine reviewed in this series. Hoshizaki publishes only these two data points, so any figure quoted for an intermediate condition is an interpolation rather than a manufacturer specification. Plan around 65 lb. This matters more here than on a larger machine, because most retail listings for the C-80BAK quote only the 92 lb figure, and a buyer sizing from that number will over-estimate what arrives by nearly a third.

What moves production up or down

• Ambient air temperature. The machine is rated for 45–100°F and output falls steadily across that range. This is the dominant factor for an outdoor installation, where summer afternoons sit at the top of the range.

• Incoming water temperature. Water arriving at 70°F carries more heat to remove than water at 50°F. Long uninsulated supply runs raise inlet temperature measurably.

• Front air path. All intake and all discharge happen at the front. No side or top clearance is required, but the front must stay clear — a trolley, a bin or a decorative panel across the grille does what poor ventilation does to a conventional machine.

• Auger and bearing condition. Cubelet ice is extruded by an auger inside an evaporator cylinder, and that mechanism has wearing parts — bearings, a mechanical seal and the auger itself all appear in Hoshizaki’s maintenance schedule. Worn components cost output before they cost a callout.

• Water quality and scale. Scale on the evaporator cylinder lengthens freeze time and reduces yield. Cubelet machines are sensitive to it because the ice forms against and is scraped from that surface continuously.

The article on how hot kitchens affect commercial ice machine production covers the ambient relationship in more depth. Daily production cannot be guaranteed for any installation; verify actual harvest after commissioning.

Understanding the Built-In Storage Capacity

The C-80BAK stores 27 lb of ice. On a machine this size that number, rather than the production figure, is what most often disappoints buyers.

Storage against demand: the arithmetic

Production is how much ice arrives across a full day; storage is how much is available at one moment. At the 65 lb per 24 hour rating, average replenishment works out to 65 ÷ 24 = about 2.7 lb per hour, assuming the machine runs continuously and the bin control has not stopped it because the bin is full.

So a bin that is full at the start of a session supports 27 lb of draw immediately, plus roughly 2.7 lb for each hour that follows — about 38 lb across four hours and about 43 lb across six. To put that in everyday terms, a 27 lb bin is roughly two full ice buckets. For an office, a clinic waiting room or a hotel guest floor where people take a cup at a time across the day, that is ample. For a bar service or a catering setup that wants ice in volume at a fixed moment, it is not.

The practical conclusion: on the C-80BAK the bin is the constraint, not the machine. Storage is 42 percent of the rated daily production, and the absolute number is small. If your demand arrives in a block rather than spread across the day, either plan to hold ice in an insulated transport bin ahead of the peak, or choose a machine with more storage.

Published bin capacities are volumetric ratings rather than measurements of how much ice staff will actually scoop out. Ice mounds unevenly under the drop point and corners go unused, so treat 27 lb as the ceiling and plan against something below it.

Installation Requirements

These are the manufacturer-published requirements for the C-80BAK. Placement is unusually flexible; the drain is where projects stall.

Electrical

• 115V, 60 Hz, single phase; operating voltage range 104–127V.

• 2.8 A running current; 15 A minimum circuit ampacity and 15 A maximum fuse or HACR-type breaker.

• A 6 ft cord with a NEMA 5-15P three-prong grounding plug is supplied. Hoshizaki requires an independent power supply of proper capacity and prohibits extension cords.

• The cord must not be altered, pinched, bundled or weighed down — relevant when the machine is pushed back into a cabinet.

Water and drain

• Potable cold water inlet, 1/2 in. FPT connection, fed by a minimum 1/4 in. nominal ID copper tubing run or equivalent. A shut-off valve and a drain valve are required.

• Supply pressure between 10 and 113 PSIG.

• Gravity drain, 1/2 in. FPT, minimum 1/2 in. nominal ID hard pipe — a smaller drain than the 3/4 in. required by the cube machines in this catalog, which can simplify a retrofit.

• Horizontal drain runs need a fall of 1/4 in. per foot with a vented tee, and a minimum 2 in. vertical air gap above the floor drain. Hoshizaki states the drain line should not be piped directly to the sewer system.

• Where no gravity drain is available, the optional HS-5061 drain pump assembly is the manufacturer’s solution. It is not supplied with the machine and carries a shorter one-year warranty than the machine itself.

Location, clearance and outdoor use

• No side or top clearance is required. Allow 15 in. at the front for service access, plus enough space at the rear for the water and drain connections.

• Both built-in and undercounter installations are approved. Hoshizaki specifies installation at floor level on a finished floor, even when the machine sits under a cabinet.

• Approved for indoor or outdoor use. The UL outdoor listing does not relax the operating limits — ambient must still be 45–100°F and water 45–90°F, and the machine still needs proper utility connections and protection from freezing.

• Not for use above 6,561 ft (2,000 m) elevation.

• Site it on a firm, level foundation and away from ovens, grills and other high-heat equipment. Level side to side and front to rear.

• R290 requirement: a minimum room floor area of 27.8 sq. ft. (2.6 m²). Because the 54 g charge sits below the 114 g threshold, the additional restrictions that apply to larger charges in public corridors and lobbies do not apply here.

Confirm local requirements before you order. Plumbing, electrical, health-department and building-code rules vary by state and municipality, and outdoor installations may bring additional requirements for weather protection, GFCI protection and drainage. Verify what applies at your address with your licensed installer and your local authority having jurisdiction.

Related reading: commercial ice machine electrical requirements, 115V vs 208–230V, and water pressure requirements, PSI, flow and filters.

Operating Cost and Efficiency Considerations

Hoshizaki publishes two consumption figures for the C-80BAK, both measured at 90°F air and 70°F water: 8.5 kWh per 100 lb of ice, and 12 gal of potable water per 100 lb of ice. A worked example, with every assumption stated:

Substitute your own rates and realistic daily production and the arithmetic holds. The estimate excludes filter cartridges, cleaning chemicals, preventive maintenance labor and the air-conditioning load created by 1,400 BTU/hr of condenser heat — the lowest heat rejection of any machine in this catalog, which is one reason it suits an enclosed office space.

The cubelet trade-off: least water, most electricity

Cubelet ice is made differently from cube ice. Instead of freezing a batch on a plate and releasing it, an auger continuously scrapes and extrudes ice from a chilled evaporator cylinder. That difference shows up clearly in the consumption figures, and it is the most useful thing a buyer can know about running one.

The C-80BAK uses the least water of any machine in this catalog — 12 gal per 100 lb, against 31 gal for the self-contained Hoshizaki KM-301BAK, which is about 61 percent less. It also uses the most electricity per pound, roughly 62 percent more than the modular Hoshizaki KM-622MAK. Because electricity dominates the bill at typical US rates, it still ends up the most expensive of the four to run per pound of ice. Where water is metered aggressively or supply is constrained, the ranking shifts in its favour; where electricity is expensive, it does not.

Two further points. Hoshizaki lists this model as ENERGY STAR certified, so it may qualify for utility rebates in some service territories — check your own utility’s current program list. And the guide to commercial ice machine operating cost treats filters, chemicals and service as separate line items, which matter more on an auger machine than on a cuber.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Hoshizaki states that the C-80BAK must be cleaned and sanitized at least twice a year, with more frequent service required in some conditions. That is twice the minimum interval Hoshizaki sets for its KM cube machines, and the reason is the mechanism: an auger machine has more wetted moving parts than a batch cuber.

• Cleaning and sanitizing are separate steps. Descaling addresses mineral build-up in the water circuit; sanitizing addresses biological growth. Both are required at each service.

• The water circuit disassembles for cleaning, which is a genuine design advantage on a machine of this type and makes a thorough service practical rather than aspirational.

• Wearing parts to plan for. Hoshizaki’s maintenance schedule names the upper bearing in the extruding head, the lower bearing and O-ring, the mechanical seal, the evaporator cylinder and the auger. These are consumable over the life of the machine in a way that a cuber’s evaporator is not, and they should be part of a long-term service budget.

• Front air filter. All airflow is at the front, so filter condition directly determines output. Check it on a routine monthly schedule in a busy location and more often outdoors.

• Water quality. Scale on the evaporator cylinder is the main enemy. Hoshizaki lists a matched water filter, H9320-51, for this machine. Cartridges are a recurring consumable, not a one-time purchase.

• Outdoor installations need more attention. Dust, pollen, insects and weather all load the front air path faster than an indoor location does.

• Professional service. Sealed-system work on an R290 machine must be carried out by a technician trained and equipped for flammable refrigerants.

Warranty and Service Considerations

Hoshizaki covers the C-80BAK with two years parts and labor on the entire machine, and one year parts and labor on the optional HS-5061 drain pump assembly, valid in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and US territories.

Worth knowing if you are cross-shopping Hoshizaki: this is not the KM-series schedule. Hoshizaki’s cube machines carry three years parts and labor plus five years on the evaporator and compressor. The C-80BAK carries two years on everything. That is a real difference on a machine with more wearing parts, and it is easy to miss when comparing within one brand.

Before relying on that coverage, verify five things with the manufacturer or your installer:

• Installation requirements. Coverage on commercial ice equipment is commonly conditional on installation to the manufacturer’s published specifications, including the drain arrangement and clearance.

• Outdoor installations specifically. Confirm that an outdoor installation at your site is within the terms, and what weather protection is expected.

• Registration. Ask whether registration is required and what the deadline is after commissioning.

• Excluded maintenance and wear parts. Cleaning, descaling, sanitizing and filter replacement are routine maintenance and are typically not warranty items, and auger-machine wear components may be treated separately.

• Local service availability. Coverage is only useful if an authorized technician is reachable from your address, and R290 adds a training requirement.

For a general comparison of how the major brands structure coverage, see the commercial ice machine warranty guide.

Comparison With Relevant Alternatives

The first three machines below are compact self-contained units in roughly the same 15-inch footprint. The fourth is included deliberately as a reality check on price per pound of capacity.

Price checked on September 18, 2026. Prices and availability may change. Price per pound of rated daily capacity is calculated by dividing the current price by the 90/70 rated production, using the figures published on each product page.

If chewable ice is the requirement, the honest comparison is between the C-80BAK and the ICETRO IU-0090-ANP, and they split the difference. The ICETRO costs $316 less, carries a longer warranty, and includes a drain pump the Hoshizaki charges extra for — a meaningful advantage if your site has no gravity drain. The Hoshizaki holds 5 lb more ice, stands half an inch lower, and is the only one of the two carrying a UL outdoor listing. Choose the ICETRO on running-in cost and drainage flexibility; choose the Hoshizaki if the installation is outdoors, or if the opening height is genuinely tight.

The Scotsman CU50PAX-1 is a different proposition — clear gourmet cubes rather than chewable ice, for a premium bar or hotel suite — and its one-year parts and labor term is the shortest here. The Scotsman UC2024SAX-1 is in the table for perspective: at about $17 per pound of rated capacity against roughly $71, it is around a quarter the cost per pound of ice. That gap is the price of the cubelet format and the compact, outdoor-rated cabinet. If chewable ice is genuinely what your customers or patients want, it can be worth paying; if it is a preference rather than a requirement, it is worth reconsidering.

Browse the wider range of undercounter ice makers and self-contained ice machines, or see the best commercial ice machines by budget for a broader view of what each price band buys.

Before You Buy Checklist

• Ice type. Confirm chewable cubelet ice is what your customers, staff or patients actually want. It is the reason this machine costs what it does.

• Daily ice volume. Calculate your requirement, then compare it against 65 lb, not 92 lb.

• Peak draw. Work out how much ice leaves the bin at once and compare it against 27 lb plus about 2.7 lb per hour.

• Opening dimensions. 14-7/8 in. W x 22-5/8 in. D x 33-1/2 in. H, excluding the handle. Allow rear space for connections.

• Front access. 15 in. of clear space at the front for service, and nothing blocking the air grille in normal use.

• ADA requirements. If the installation is subject to accessibility review, specify the C-80BAK-AD at 31-1/2 in. instead.

• Door swing. The door is field-reversible — decide which side suits before installation.

• Power. 115V, dedicated 15 A circuit, standard NEMA 5-15 receptacle within reach of the 6 ft cord. No extension cords.

• Water connection. Potable cold water, 1/2 in. FPT, minimum 1/4 in. ID supply line, 10–113 PSIG, with shut-off and drain valves.

• Drain. Gravity drain within reach, 1/2 in. FPT, 1/4 in. per foot fall, vented tee, 2 in. air gap. If not, budget for the HS-5061 drain pump.

• Outdoor installation. Confirm weather protection, GFCI provision, freeze protection and that ambient stays within 45–100°F year round.

• Elevation. Confirm the site is below 6,561 ft.

• Room size. Minimum 27.8 sq. ft. floor area for the R290 charge.

• Water filtration. Budget for a matched water filter and replacement cartridges. Scale is the main threat to an auger machine.

• Service plan. Plan two cleaning and sanitizing services a year, and confirm an authorized Hoshizaki technician trained on R290 covers your area.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much ice does the Hoshizaki C-80BAK make in a day?

Hoshizaki publishes 92 lb per 24 hours at 70°F air and 50°F water, and 65 lb per 24 hours at 90°F air and 70°F water. Plan around 65 lb. Most retail listings quote only the 92 lb figure, so it is easy to over-estimate by nearly a third.

What is cubelet ice, and how is it different from nugget ice?

Cubelet is Hoshizaki’s name for its soft, chewable, nugget-style ice. It is made by an auger extruding ice from a chilled cylinder rather than by freezing a batch on a plate, which is why it is soft enough to chew and absorbs the flavour of the drink around it. In practice it serves the same purpose as nugget ice from other brands.

Does the C-80BAK include an ice storage bin?

Yes. Storage is built in — 27 lb behind the stainless steel door. There is no separate bin to buy.

How much ice can I actually draw at once?

The bin holds up to 27 lb — roughly two ice buckets — and the machine replenishes at about 2.7 lb per hour at its 90/70 rating. A bin full at the start of a session therefore covers about 38 lb across four hours.

Will the C-80BAK fit under a standard counter?

Yes. At 33-1/2 in. tall excluding the handle it is genuinely under 34 in., and Hoshizaki approves both built-in and undercounter installation, at floor level on a finished floor. No side or top clearance is required, though 15 in. of front access is needed for service.

Can the C-80BAK be installed outdoors?

It is UL approved for outdoor use. The listing does not relax the operating limits: ambient must stay between 45°F and 100°F, water between 45°F and 90°F, and the machine still needs proper utility connections and protection from freezing. Confirm local requirements for weather protection and GFCI provision.

Does the C-80BAK have a drain pump?

Not as standard. It drains by gravity through a 1/2 in. FPT connection. Hoshizaki offers an optional HS-5061 drain pump assembly for sites without a gravity drain; it is a separate purchase and carries a one-year warranty rather than the machine’s two years.

Is the C-80BAK ADA compliant?

The standard C-80BAK at 33-1/2 in. is not. Hoshizaki makes the C-80BAK-AD at 31-1/2 in. for ADA-compliant installations. If your project is subject to accessibility review, specify the -AD variant.

How often does Hoshizaki say the C-80BAK should be cleaned?

At least twice a year for cleaning and sanitizing, more often in some conditions. That is double the minimum interval Hoshizaki sets for its KM cube machines, because an auger machine has more wetted moving parts. The water circuit disassembles for cleaning.

How does the C-80BAK compare with the ICETRO IU-0090-ANP?

They are closely matched on output — 65 lb against 67 lb at 90/70 — in almost the same footprint. The ICETRO costs $316 less, carries a three-year parts and labor warranty against two, and includes a drain pump. The Hoshizaki holds 5 lb more ice, is half an inch shorter, and is UL approved for outdoor use, which the ICETRO listing does not claim.

Final Buying Recommendation

The Hoshizaki C-80BAK is a specialist machine and should be bought as one. It suits an operation that specifically wants soft, chewable cubelet ice, in a space where almost nothing else fits, and possibly outdoors. Its strengths are genuinely distinctive: a 14-7/8 in. width and a 33-1/2 in. height that actually clear a standard undercounter opening, no side or top clearance requirement, a UL outdoor listing, the lowest water consumption and the lowest heat rejection of any machine in this catalog, a field-reversible door, and a water circuit that comes apart for cleaning.

Its limitations are just as specific. The 27 lb bin is small in absolute terms and covers 42 percent of a rated day. It costs roughly $71 per pound of rated daily capacity, around four times what a conventional cube machine costs on the same basis. It uses more electricity per pound than anything else reviewed here. The warranty is two years, not the three-plus-five you get on Hoshizaki’s cube machines. The drain pump is an optional extra where both close competitors include one. And the standard model is not ADA compliant. Before ordering, confirm four things: that chewable ice is a requirement rather than a preference, your peak draw against 27 lb, the drain arrangement and whether you need the HS-5061 pump, and whether an ADA-compliant height is required.

Check current price and availability on the Hoshizaki C-80BAK product page, request a quote or ask about the drain pump assembly, matched water filtration and the ADA-height variant through the Ice Maker Supply team, and confirm your installation requirements and freight delivery terms before you order. If you are still weighing formats, the full range of commercial ice machines is a useful next step.