Modular & Containerised Cold Storage: Cold storage installers

Modular and containerised cold storage is refrigerated storage you can deploy in days rather than months. The unit is factory-built, delivered to site complete, and commissioned by connecting it to power, so it fills a gap that a fixed cold store cannot: speed, relocatability and temporary capacity. This page explains what modular and containerised cold storage is, who uses it and why, how it is sized and sited, what it costs to buy or hire, and how it fits alongside fixed cold storage as either a permanent asset or a stopgap.

What modular and containerised cold storage is, and who needs it

A containerised cold store is built into, or in the format of, a shipping container: typically a 20ft or 40ft unit with an insulated envelope, a self-contained refrigeration system, and a selectable setpoint anywhere from -25°C frozen to +25°C. Modular cold storage extends the same idea into panelised units that can be banked together into larger arrays. The defining feature is that the refrigeration and the envelope arrive together, factory-built and tested, so installation is largely a matter of a level base, a power connection and commissioning.

The buyers reach for modular storage when speed or flexibility matters more than the lowest possible lifetime cost. Growers and packers use it to absorb a seasonal produce peak without building permanent capacity that stands empty for half the year. Event and festival caterers deploy it for temporary high-volume storage. Food producers and 3PLs use it as emergency cover when fixed plant fails, holding stock while the permanent store is repaired. Expanding operations use it as interim capacity while a permanent cold store is designed and built, and pop-up or short-term operations use it because a relocatable asset suits a business that may move. The decision-maker is often weighing a fast, certain deployment against a slower, cheaper-per-cubic-metre permanent build.

How modular cold storage is sized

Modular and containerised units are sized on internal volume and setpoint, and scaled by adding units rather than by enlarging one chamber.

• Volume per unit. A 20ft unit gives roughly 28 m³ of internal storage; a 40ft unit around 67 m³. Larger requirements are met by banking multiple units, so capacity scales in blocks.
• Setpoint and temperature lift. Each unit runs a selectable setpoint from frozen to ambient. A unit run as a freezer draws more power than the same unit run as a chiller because the compressor works across a larger temperature lift at a lower COP, so the running cost of an array depends on how the units are set.
• Product and door traffic. As with any cold store, the load is driven by incoming product, holding heat, envelope gains and door openings. A unit used for frequent access on a busy site needs more effective duty than one holding sealed, already-cold stock.
• Self-contained plant. Because each unit carries its own refrigeration, sizing is per unit and the array’s total duty is simply the sum. This modularity is what makes deployment fast and replacement easy, at the cost of the economies of scale a single central plant would give.

We match the number and setpoint of units to your throughput, product and duration of need, and advise on whether hire or purchase is the better fit for how long you will use them.

How modular cold storage is installed

Installation is deliberately light, which is the point of the format:

• The base. The unit needs a level, load-bearing base: a concrete pad, hardstanding or engineered surface that will carry the loaded weight without settling. A poor base causes door misalignment and drainage problems.
• Power. Containerised cold stores are refrigeration-intensive and usually run on a three-phase supply. We confirm the available supply and the connection early, because inadequate power is the most common cause of a delayed deployment.
• Drainage. Condensate and defrost water need somewhere to go, so drainage is arranged at siting, with trace heating on freezer drains to stop them icing.
• Condenser airflow and noise. The self-contained condenser needs free airflow to reject heat efficiently, and where a unit sits near a boundary the noise is assessed so it stays within limits.
• Commissioning. Once connected, the unit is commissioned to setpoint, the controls and defrost are set, and for food storage the temperature is verified and monitoring and alarms are configured. Because the unit is factory-built and tested, this is fast compared with a site-built store.

For food-grade use the same standards apply as to fixed plant: hygienic internal finishes, validated temperature and, where the store is audited, mapping and alarms.

What modular cold storage costs to buy, hire and run

Real UK costs, 2025-26, run from £8,000 to £45,000 per unit to buy and commission, with the range driven by size (20ft versus 40ft), setpoint capability and specification. Hire is available for seasonal, temporary or emergency use, spreading the cost over the period of need rather than as capital, which is often the right choice when the requirement is short or uncertain.

On running cost, each unit carries its own refrigeration, so the bill scales with the number of units and their setpoint. A frozen unit costs more to run than a chilled one at the same size because of the lower COP across the larger lift. Modular storage does not achieve the plant efficiency of a single large central system, so for permanent, high-throughput needs a fixed store is usually cheaper to run per cubic metre. The trade-off is speed and flexibility, and for the right use case that is worth paying for. Our cold storage cost guide sets modular costs against fixed cold stores so the comparison is explicit, and purchased units qualify as plant and machinery under the reliefs covered on the grants and funding page. Simple payback on a purchased unit in continuous use is typically around seven years, though for hire the calculation is a straightforward cost-per-week of cover.

Refrigerant choice and the F-gas phase-down

Modular units are subject to the same GB F-gas rules as any fixed plant, and the same phase-down toward an 80 per cent HFC cut by 2036 applies. New units should be specified on refrigerants outside the phase-down, with R290 (propane) common in the packaged plant that suits containerised formats, and CO2 (R744) available where the duty and specification favour it. Buying a unit on a legacy HFC now risks owning an asset that becomes expensive to service as the gas is squeezed out of supply; the timetable is set out in the government’s gov.uk F-gas guidance. We specify to keep a purchased unit serviceable for its full working life.

Compliance and siting

Modular and containerised cold storage carries the same compliance obligations as fixed plant, plus some siting-specific considerations:

• GB F-gas Regulation. The refrigerant circuit must be installed and serviced by an F-gas certified (REFCOM registered) company, the standards for which are maintained by REFCOM.
• HACCP and food hygiene. For food storage, hygienic finishes, validated temperature and, where audited, mapping and alarms.
• Planning and noise. A unit sited near a boundary may need planning consent and a BS 4142 noise assessment, particularly for the condenser. We flag this early so it does not delay a deployment.
• PUWER and PSSR. The plant is work equipment and, above the relevant charge, the pressure system falls under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations.

Because units are factory-built, much of the compliance is designed in, and the site work is largely siting, connection and commissioning.

Redundancy through modularity

Modular storage handles resilience differently from a fixed store. Rather than N+1 redundancy within a single plant, an array of self-contained units is inherently distributed: if one unit’s plant fails, only that unit is affected and its stock can be moved to another, while a replacement unit can be delivered quickly. This is precisely why modular cold storage is so often used as emergency cover for a fixed store: a hire unit on site within a day or two protects the stock while the permanent plant is repaired. For operations that cannot risk any loss of cold capacity, keeping a modular fallback arranged is a low-cost insurance against a fixed-plant failure.

Cutting the running cost with solar

Where modular units are deployed as long-term or permanent capacity on a site with roof or ground space, the around-the-clock refrigeration load pairs well with on-site solar, which offsets a slice of the electricity the units draw. The match is strongest where the units run continuously rather than seasonally, since self-consumption depends on the load being present when the sun is up. Sizing an array against the site’s load, including any modular capacity, is handled by our sister service for solar across cold storage sites.

Frequently asked questions

Should I hire or buy a modular cold store?

Hire suits short, seasonal, uncertain or emergency needs, spreading the cost over the period of use as an operating cost. Buying suits a continuous, long-term requirement where the unit will earn its keep for years, and a purchased unit qualifies as plant and machinery for capital allowances. The break-even depends on how long and how continuously you need the capacity.

How fast can a containerised cold store be deployed?

Where a level base and adequate three-phase power are ready, a unit can be delivered and commissioned in days. The most common cause of delay is power: confirming the available supply and connection early is the single biggest factor in a fast deployment.

Can modular units be banked together for more capacity?

Yes. Multiple units can be sited together and, for panelised modular systems, banked into larger arrays, so capacity scales in blocks by adding units. Each unit keeps its own refrigeration, which makes expansion and replacement straightforward.

Is a modular store as efficient as a fixed cold store?

Not usually. A single large central plant achieves better efficiency per cubic metre than several self-contained units, so for permanent high-throughput storage a fixed store is generally cheaper to run. Modular wins on speed, flexibility and relocatability, which is what it is chosen for.

Modular versus a fixed cold store: how to choose

The honest comparison between modular and fixed cold storage comes down to what you are optimising for. A fixed cold store, built once from a large-span envelope and central plant, achieves the best efficiency and the lowest cost per cubic metre over a long life, but it takes months to design and build and it cannot move. Modular and containerised units cost more per cubic metre to run, because each carries its own packaged refrigeration rather than sharing one efficient central plant, but they deploy in days, relocate when the business does, and scale in blocks by adding units.

That trade-off maps cleanly onto the use case. If you need permanent, high-throughput storage on a site you will occupy for years, a fixed store almost always wins on lifetime cost, and modular is the wrong tool. If the need is seasonal, temporary, uncertain or urgent, a peak that lasts three months, cover while a fixed store is built, or emergency capacity after a plant failure, modular wins decisively, because a fixed store you cannot deploy in time, or that stands empty half the year, is no bargain however efficient it is.

A common and sensible pattern is to use both: a fixed store as the permanent backbone, with a modular unit or two hired in to absorb the annual peak and kept on standby as failure cover. That gives the efficiency of a fixed store for the base load and the flexibility of modular for the variable and emergency demand, without over-building permanent capacity that sits idle.

Related cold storage services

Modular storage often bridges to, or backs up, fixed capacity. When a permanent solution is right, move to a refrigerated warehouse or cold store, or start small with a walk-in cold room for a fixed footprint. To scope units for a seasonal peak, an expansion or emergency cover, request a quote and we will advise on hire versus purchase.