Hoshizaki KM-301BAK Undercounter Crescent Cube Ice Maker - 285 lb/Day with 100 lb Bin, Air-Cooled

Quick Answer

The Hoshizaki KM-301BAK is a self-contained air-cooled ice machine that makes individual crescent cubes and stores them in a built-in 100 lb bin. Hoshizaki rates it at 285 lb per 24 hours at 70°F air and 50°F water, and 210 lb per 24 hours at the AHRI conditions of 90°F air and 70°F water. Unlike a modular head it needs no separate bin, and it plugs into a standard 115V outlet rather than being hardwired. It suits small bars, cafés, offices and clinics. Its key limitation is the bin: 100 lb of storage against a 210 lb rated day.

Hoshizaki KM-301BAK At a Glance

Who Should Buy the Hoshizaki KM-301BAK?

The KM-301BAK is for operations that want commercial ice without a commercial installation project. Everything that makes a modular head complicated is absent here: there is no separate bin to specify, no bin-top adapter to get wrong, no second freight delivery, and no field hardwiring of the appliance, because the machine arrives with a 6.5 ft cord and a standard NEMA 5-15P plug and draws only 5.7 A. You still need a water line and a gravity drain, but the electrical side is as simple as commercial ice equipment gets.

It fits small bars and cocktail lounges, cafés and coffee shops with a cold-drink program, office break rooms, clinics and dental practices, and small restaurants where the draw is steady rather than spiky. Crescent cube is the general-purpose shape: it displaces liquid well in a glass, is slow to melt, and does not bridge in a bin.

Two details make this model easier to place than most self-contained units. The airflow is front-in and front-out, so there is no rear or left-side air-clearance requirement, although rear space is still needed for water and drain connections. And the bin opening is ADA-compliant, which matters in public-facing locations and in any build subject to accessibility review. If the modular-versus-self-contained question is still open for you, the explainer on self-contained versus modular ice machines sets out what changes in cost, service access and installation.

Who Should Consider Another Model?

Four situations point away from this machine, and the first one is the important one.

• Your peak draw exceeds what a 100 lb bin can cover. This is the real constraint on the KM-301BAK, and it is covered in detail below. Storage is less than half the machine’s rated daily production, so a service that empties the bin faster than it refills will run short even though the machine is keeping up on a 24-hour basis.

• You assumed it slides under a 36-inch counter. Hoshizaki publishes the height as 39 in. with the supplied 6 in. legs; the legs adjust between 6 and 7 in., and the cabinet alone is about 33 in. A standard 36-inch counter will not clear the machine on its supplied legs. Hoshizaki also permits installation without legs when the unit is mounted flat to a counter and sealed according to its installation instructions. This applies across the category — the comparable Scotsman undercounter unit is also 39 in. tall.

• You need more than about 210 lb a day. Above that, a modular head on a separate bin is both cheaper per pound and more efficient to run. The comparison section below puts real numbers on that trade.

• You need a different ice shape. Crescent cube is wrong for a nugget-led healthcare tray line, a flake-ice display, or a cocktail program built on large clear cubes.

One further point worth checking: the machine rejects 5,200 BTU/hr into the room. That is modest, but in a small enclosed bar back or a closed-in office nook it is still heat that has to go somewhere, and a hot, still space will cost you ice production as well as comfort.

Maximum Output vs Real-World Production

Two production figures appear on listings for this machine and they are not interchangeable. The larger is measured under favourable laboratory conditions; the smaller is the AHRI rating, measured much closer to a working room. Sizing a shift against the maximum is the most common mistake buyers make here.

The gap is 75 lb per 24 hours, or about 26 percent of the maximum — a wider proportional drop than on the larger modular machines in the range. These are the two headline catalog values, while Hoshizaki also publishes a detailed performance table for other air and water temperatures. Plan around 210 lb.

What moves production up or down

• Ambient air temperature. An air-cooled condenser rejects heat into the room it stands in, so the warmer that room, the longer each freeze cycle takes. The machine is rated for 45–100°F, and output falls steadily across that range. A machine boxed into a warm bar back sits at the wrong end of it.

• Incoming water temperature. Water arriving at 70°F carries more heat to remove than water at 50°F. A long uninsulated supply run through a warm kitchen raises inlet temperature measurably.

• Front air filter condition. The KM-301BAK has a removable front air filter. Because the whole airflow path is at the front, a loaded filter chokes the machine directly — this is the single most common cause of a self-contained unit quietly losing output.

• Side clearance. Hoshizaki asks for at least 2 in. on the right side. It is a small number and easy to lose when the machine is slotted into a tight cabinet run.

• Water quality and scale. Mineral scale insulates the evaporator, lengthening freeze time and shrinking each harvest.

• Cleaning interval. A machine overdue for descaling makes less ice, and makes it more slowly, well before it shows a fault.

The article on how hot kitchens affect commercial ice machine production covers the ambient relationship in more depth. Daily production varies with operating conditions and may differ from the published test-condition figures.

Understanding the Built-In Storage Capacity

The KM-301BAK stores 100 lb of ice. That is the number that will decide whether this machine works for you, and it is not the same thing as the production figure.

What the 100 lb figure actually means

Hoshizaki rates the bin at 3.3 cu. ft. and 100 lb under AHRI Standard 820, which calculates capacity as the full bin volume multiplied by an average ice density of 30 lb per cubic foot. It is a volumetric rating, not a measurement of how much ice you will scoop out in practice. Real usable capacity is lower, because ice mounds unevenly under the drop point, staff rarely dig to the corners, and the bin control stops production once the sensing point is covered. Treat 100 lb as the ceiling and plan against something below it.

Storage against demand: the arithmetic

Production tells you how much ice arrives across a full day. Storage tells you how much is available at one moment. On this machine the two are unusually far apart, and in the direction that matters.

At the AHRI-rated 210 lb per 24 hours, average replenishment works out to 210 ÷ 24 = about 8.75 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 opening supports 100 lb of draw immediately, plus roughly 8.75 lb for each hour the peak lasts — about 135 lb across a four-hour rush and about 152 lb across six hours.

The practical conclusion: on the KM-301BAK the bin, not the machine, is the bottleneck during a busy service. Storage is under half the rated daily production. If your peak period draws more than roughly 135 lb in four hours, the machine will keep producing but the bin will run dry — and no amount of daily capacity fixes that. Operations with a spiky draw should either step up to a modular head on a larger bin, or plan to hold ice in an insulated transport bin during peaks.

For a steady all-day draw — an office, a clinic, a hotel guest floor, a café serving iced drinks through the day — the 100 lb bin is entirely adequate, because consumption and replenishment stay roughly in step. The mismatch only bites when demand arrives in a block.

Installation Requirements

These are the manufacturer-published requirements for the KM-301BAK. The electrical side is genuinely simple; the plumbing side is where projects stall.

Electrical

• 115V, 60 Hz, single phase; operating voltage range 108–122V.

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

• A 6.5 ft cord with a NEMA 5-15P three-prong grounding plug is supplied. No hardwiring is required — a meaningful cost saving against modular heads in the same catalog, which arrive with no cord at all.

• Hoshizaki calls for an independent power supply. Plan a dedicated receptacle rather than sharing a circuit with other equipment.

• The appliance must be grounded.

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.

• Supply pressure between 10 and 113 PSIG.

• Gravity drain only, 3/4 in. FPT, minimum 3/4 in. nominal ID hard pipe. There is no drain pump on this model.

• Horizontal drain runs need a fall of 1/4 in. per foot, with a minimum 2 in. vertical air gap above the floor drain.

• The KM-301BAK uses a single icemaker gravity drain; separate condenser water and drain lines apply only to water-cooled models.

• External filters, strainers or softeners may be required depending on local water quality.

Location and clearance

• At least 2 in. of clearance on the right side, and at least 5/8 in. at the top for service access.

• Because airflow is front-in and front-out, there is no air-circulation clearance requirement at the rear or on the left side, although enough rear space is still needed for the water supply and drain connections.

• Operating ambient temperature 45–100°F; incoming water temperature 45–90°F.

• Legs adjust between 6 and 7 in.; the machine may be leveled with or without legs according to Hoshizaki installation instructions.

• R290 requirement: a minimum room floor area of 69.5 sq. ft. (6.5 m²). Hoshizaki’s 20 ft open-flame separation rule applies to charges above 152 g; at 135 g this model falls below that threshold, so the separation requirement does not apply to the KM-301BAK.

Plumbing, electrical, health-department and building-code rules vary by state and municipality, and some jurisdictions require permitted work or an approved backflow arrangement for commercial ice equipment.

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 KM-301BAK, both measured at 90°F air and 70°F water: 6.0 kWh per 100 lb of ice, and 31.0 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 5,200 BTU/hr of condenser heat rejected into a cooled room.

The efficiency cost of buying self-contained

Self-contained convenience is not free to run, and the size of the gap is rarely published. Because Hoshizaki reports consumption for every model at the same 90°F/70°F conditions, the comparison can be made directly. The KM-301BAK uses 6.0 kWh and 31.0 gal per 100 lb of ice. The larger modular Hoshizaki KM-622MAK uses 5.25 kWh and 17.0 gal per 100 lb. That is about 14 percent more electricity and about 82 percent more water for every pound of ice the KM-301BAK makes.

Applying the same illustrative rates, the KM-301BAK costs roughly $1.37 in utilities per 100 lb of ice against roughly $1.04 for the KM-622MAK — about 31 percent more per pound. That is the price of putting a condenser, an evaporator and a bin into one small cabinet, and it is a real number to weigh against the simpler installation. At 210 lb a day the absolute difference is modest; at sustained higher volumes it compounds, which is part of why the modular route wins above this size class.

Two further points. R290 is a hydrocarbon refrigerant with very low global warming potential, which matters where refrigerant regulations are tightening; at 4.8 oz. the charge here is small. And the guide to commercial ice machine operating cost treats filters, chemicals and service as separate line items.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Hoshizaki recommends cleaning and sanitizing the KM-301BAK at least once a year, and notes that more frequent service may be required depending on water quality. Treat that as a floor rather than a target — water hardness, dust load and operating hours all shorten it, and health departments and insurers often set their own schedules.

• Cleaning and sanitizing are separate steps. Descaling removes mineral build-up from the water side; sanitizing addresses biological growth. Both need to be completed at each service.

• The front air filter is the priority item. Because the machine breathes entirely through the front, the filter is both easy to reach and easy to forget. Hoshizaki specifies bi-weekly inspection of the air filter and cleaning whenever it shows dust loading.

• Bin hygiene. A built-in bin is handled by staff with scoops all day. Include the bin interior, the door and the scoop in your cleaning routine, not just the water system.

• Water quality. Scale is the main enemy of a cuber. Where water is hard, an ice machine filter with scale inhibition extends the descaling interval and protects the evaporator. Cartridges are a recurring consumable.

• EverCheck. Hoshizaki’s EverCheck alert system flags conditions that need attention, but it does not replace a scheduled clean.

• 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’s specification sheet for this model (item 13550, revised 10/28/25) states three years parts and labor on the entire machine, five years parts and labor on the evaporator, and five years parts on the compressor and air-cooled condenser coil.

Five warranty considerations:

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

• Registration. Product registration is available through Hoshizaki after commissioning; warranty coverage follows the current Hoshizaki warranty terms.

• What labor actually covers. Parts-only coverage on the compressor and condenser coil in years four and five means you pay the technician even when the part is supplied free.

• Excluded maintenance. Cleaning, descaling, sanitizing and filter replacement are routine maintenance and are typically not warranty items. Neglecting them can also void coverage on components they damage.

• 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 self-contained units with built-in bins, so they compare like for like. The fourth is a modular package — a head plus a separate bin — included deliberately, because for buyers at this price point the real question is often not which self-contained unit to buy but whether to buy self-contained at all.

Price checked on September 18, 2026. Prices and availability may change. Combined modular pricing assumes the width-matched Hoshizaki B-300SF bin and excludes freight, installation and any accessories.

Which one fits depends on how your demand arrives. If it is spread across the day, the KM-301BAK is the strongest of the three self-contained units here — it makes the most ice, holds the most of it, and installs with a plug. If 24 inches is your hard width limit, the Scotsman UC2024SAX-1 saves $1,728 and fits where the Hoshizaki will not, at the cost of about 44 lb a day of rated output and 20 lb of storage. The ICETRO IU-0220-AH is priced between them and offers half-dice ice, but has the lowest rated output of the four.

The fourth column is the one worth sitting with. A KM-622MAK head on a B-300SF bin costs $2,515 more than the KM-301BAK and needs an electrician, a taller alcove and two deliveries. In exchange it delivers 540 lb of rated production against 210 lb, three times the storage, and roughly 24 percent lower utility cost per pound of ice. If your peak draw is already pushing a 100 lb bin, that package is not a luxury upgrade — it is the correct machine, and buying the self-contained unit first usually means buying twice. If your draw is genuinely modest and steady, the KM-301BAK is the cheaper, simpler and entirely sufficient answer.

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

• Daily ice volume. Calculate your peak-day requirement, then compare it against 210 lb, not 285 lb.

• Peak-hour draw. Work out how much ice leaves the bin in your busiest four hours and compare it against roughly 135 lb. This is the number that decides whether this machine works.

• Ice type. The KM-301BAK produces individual crescent cubes measuring approximately 1-1/2 in. x 1/2 in. x 1-1/8 in.

• Machine dimensions. 30 in. W x 28 in. D x 39 in. H on the supplied legs.

• Counter or alcove height. The machine is 39 in. high with the supplied 6 in. legs; the cabinet is about 33 in. high without legs, and Hoshizaki permits flat-to-counter installation without legs when sealed according to its instructions.

• Doorway and delivery access. Shipping weight is 206 lb; Hoshizaki lists shipping dimensions of 34 in. x 33 in. x 39 in.

• Clearance. At least 2 in. on the right side and 5/8 in. at the top. No rear or left air clearance is required.

• Power. 115V, dedicated 15 A circuit, standard NEMA 5-15 receptacle within reach of a 6.5 ft cord.

• Water connection. Potable cold water, 1/2 in. FPT, minimum 1/4 in. ID supply line, 10–113 PSIG.

• Drain. Gravity drain within reach, 3/4 in. hard pipe, 1/4 in. per foot fall, vented tee, and 2 in. air gap. No drain pump is fitted.

• Room size. Minimum 69.5 sq. ft. floor area for the R290 charge.

• Ventilation and ambient. 45–100°F operating range; avoid enclosed, unventilated spaces.

• Water filtration. Budget for an ice machine filter and replacement cartridges if your water is hard.

• Installation. The installation includes the water connection, gravity drain connection and leveling of the machine.

• Warranty service. Sealed-system service on the R290 circuit requires a technician trained and equipped for flammable refrigerants.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much ice does the Hoshizaki KM-301BAK make in a day?

Hoshizaki publishes 285 lb per 24 hours at 70°F air and 50°F water, and 210 lb per 24 hours at the AHRI conditions of 90°F air and 70°F water. Plan around 210 lb, since most commercial rooms run nearer the AHRI conditions.

Does the KM-301BAK include an ice storage bin?

Yes. Storage is built in — 100 lb, or 3.3 cu. ft. There is no separate bin to buy, and the bin opening is ADA-compliant.

How much ice can I actually draw at once?

The bin holds up to 100 lb, and the machine replenishes at roughly 8.75 lb per hour at its AHRI rating. A bin full at opening therefore covers about 135 lb across a four-hour peak. The 210 lb daily figure is not available in one sitting.

Will the KM-301BAK fit under a standard counter?

Not on its supplied legs. Hoshizaki publishes the height as 39 in. with the supplied 6 in. legs; the legs adjust between 6 and 7 in., and the cabinet alone is about 33 in. A standard 36-in. counter will not clear the machine on its supplied legs. Hoshizaki also permits installation without legs when mounted flat to a counter and sealed according to its installation instructions.

Does the KM-301BAK plug in, or does it need to be hardwired?

It plugs in. A 6.5 ft cord with a NEMA 5-15P three-prong grounding plug is supplied. It needs 115V, 60 Hz single-phase power on a dedicated 15 A circuit and draws 5.7 A.

How much clearance does the KM-301BAK need?

At least 2 in. on the right side and 5/8 in. at the top. Because airflow is front-in and front-out, no air-circulation clearance is required at the rear or on the left side, although rear space is still needed for water and drain connections.

Does the KM-301BAK need a drain pump?

No pump is fitted. It drains by gravity through a 3/4 in. FPT connection into a minimum 3/4 in. hard pipe, with a 1/4 in. per foot fall, a vented tee, and a 2 in. air gap. A separate condenser drain is not required on this air-cooled model.

What refrigerant does the KM-301BAK use, and does it restrict where it can go?

R290 hydrocarbon, 4.8 oz. (135 g). Hoshizaki specifies a minimum room floor area of 69.5 sq. ft. The 20 ft open-flame separation rule applies to charges above 152 g, so it does not apply to this model.

How often does Hoshizaki say the KM-301BAK should be cleaned?

At least once a year for cleaning and sanitizing, more often depending on water quality. Hoshizaki specifies bi-weekly inspection of the front air filter and cleaning when dirty.

Is the KM-301BAK the same as the older KM-301BAJ?

No. The KM-301BAJ is discontinued and was replaced by the KM-301BAK. The older model used R-404A refrigerant with a 13.4 oz. charge and was rated at 290 lb per day; the KM-301BAK uses R290 with a 4.8 oz. charge and is rated at 285 lb. The final model letter distinguishes current and older listings.

Final Buying Recommendation

The Hoshizaki KM-301BAK suits an operation that needs dependable commercial cube ice with the least possible installation complexity, and whose demand arrives steadily rather than in a block. Its strengths are specific: the most production and the most storage of the comparable self-contained units, a cord and plug instead of a hardwired connection, front-in and front-out airflow with no rear air-clearance requirement, an ADA-compliant bin opening, a low-GWP R290 charge, and a warranty running to five years parts and labor on the evaporator.

Its limitations are equally specific. The 100 lb bin is under half the rated daily production, so a spiky peak will empty it. At 39 in. with the supplied 6 in. legs it will not slide under a standard 36-in. counter despite being widely listed as undercounter. It costs more than a modular head of similar output, and it runs about 31 percent more expensively per pound of ice than the larger modular machine in the same brand. Key fit points are the peak-hour draw against roughly 135 lb, the installed height, the 3/4 in. gravity drain route, and a dedicated 15 A receptacle within reach of a 6.5 ft cord.

Current price and availability are shown on the Hoshizaki KM-301BAK product page, with quotes and water filtration or installation accessories available through the Ice Maker Supply team. If you are still weighing configurations, the full range of commercial ice machines is a useful next step.