Packaged Meat & Poultry
Freezes 15 to 30 kg master cartons of boxed beef, pork, and poultry cuts to −18°C core temperature with flat, stackable box geometry.
Carton Freezer
Square’s automated carton freezer chills and freezes boxed beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and dairy in master cartons or plastic totes from 2 to 15 tons/h.
With automatic conveyor loading, multiple tiers, fast horizontal airflow, and barcode tracking, the system freezes mixed box sizes at once and replaces manual blast room handling.
Simultaneous multi SKU carton retention times
PLC/SCADA control with servo monitoring and remote diagnostics
Uniform horizontal crossflow airflow across all conveyor tiers
Automated infeed, tier loading, and discharge eliminate manual blast room handling
Full barcode batch and dwell time traceability integrated with plant WMS
Product Features
Why Choose Square's Carton Freezer
Automated box handling, horizontal airflow, and barcode tracking for boxed foods.
Efficient Horizontal Airflow Freezing
Fast horizontal airflow keeps air temperature and speed even across every tier, cutting freeze time and bringing every box to the same core temperature.
Low Labor Intensity
Automated infeed conveyors, vertical lifts, and pushers replace manual forklift work inside cold blast rooms.
Product Traceability
Barcode scanners log the batch ID, entry time, tier number, and freeze time for every box, connecting directly with your warehouse software (WMS).
Flexibility
Separate conveyor tiers let you freeze boxes of different sizes and dwell times at the same time inside one enclosure.
Smart Control
PLC and SCADA controls manage box loading, defrost timing, and remote diagnostics without operators entering the cold room.
Technical Specifications
Parameters
Standard specifications are listed below. We size box holding capacity, tier count, dwell time, and conveyor links for your plant.
| Configuration | Multiple level conveyorized carton freezer: straight through or U-shape |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 2 to 15 tons/h (product and carton size dependent) |
| Carton sizes | 300×200×100 mm to 600×400×200 mm (standard); custom sizes accommodated |
| Conveyor levels | 2 to 6 levels for extended dwell time |
| Operating temperature | −35°C to −40°C (air); −40°C to −45°C (evaporating) |
| Refrigerant | NH₃ (Ammonia) / CO₂ (pump recirculated) |
| Evaporator | Industrial finned tube, stainless steel or aluminum, multiple bank |
| Defrost | Hot gas / Water, automated sequential defrost across multiple bank coils |
| Typical freeze time | 4 to 24 hours (carton size and product dependent) |
| Infeed / Outfeed | Automated conveyor with barcode scanning and palletizing interface |
| Control system | PLC with SCADA, WMS integration, batch traceability, automated reporting |
| Typical lead time | 18 to 24 weeks |
| Design life | 20+ years (structure); 15+ years (refrigeration); 8 to 12 years (conveyors) |
Design Details
How Each Subsystem Is Engineered
Open each section below to see how key parts of the freezer work.
Carton vs. Individual Piece Freezing
Carton freezers provide distinct operational advantages for boxed products:
- Single handling: Product is packed fresh, frozen in the master carton, and conveyed directly to palletizing without an unpack repack cycle
- Dwell time: Longer than spiral or tunnel freezers (4 to 24 hours vs minutes) because heat must conduct through both the corrugated carton walls and the internal product mass
- Carton design: Carton height, vent holes, and tier spacing are engineered for optimal horizontal airflow and heat transfer
- Application scope: Designed for boxed or tote packed products; loose IQF items are processed in a spiral or fluidized bed freezer prior to cartoning
Automated Material Handling Design
Automated material handling coordinates carton flow from packing to palletizing:
- Infeed & Identification: Master cartons arrive from case packing; barcode/RFID scanners log SKU, batch ID, infeed timestamp, and weight
- Multiple Tier Loading: Servo driven vertical elevators and pushers index cartons onto the assigned freezing tier
- Retention Tracking: The PLC tracks the exact position and elapsed dwell time of every carton row inside the tunnel
- Automated Discharge: Fully frozen cartons are discharged by retention schedule directly to automated palletizers or high bay AS/RS storage
Freezing Time & Heat Transfer
Freezing time for cartoned product is governed by:
- Carton thickness (doubling carton height roughly quadruples conduction freezing time)
- Product composition, fat content, and initial entry temperature
- Packaging material (corrugated board vs solid plastic totes)
- Air temperature and horizontal velocity through the tier channels
A standard 25 kg meat carton entering at +5°C typically reaches a −18°C core temperature in 10 to 16 hours at −38°C air temperature.
Refrigeration & Defrost Strategy
Carton freezers are engineered for high continuous thermal duties:
- Pump recirculated NH₃ (R717) or NH₃/CO₂ cascade systems for large industrial capacities (> 500 kW)
- High velocity horizontal airflow directed through dedicated air channels above and below each carton tier
- Multiple bank finned tube evaporators (3 to 4 independent banks) sized for continuous sequential operation
- Sequential hot gas or water defrost allows individual coil banks to defrost while adjacent banks maintain chamber temperature
Integration with Cold Storage & Logistics
The carton freezer forms an automated bridge between packaging halls and cold storage warehouses:
- Upstream Interface: Direct conveyor connection from case packers, checkweighers, and metal detectors
- Downstream Interface: Direct discharge to robotic palletizers, stretch wrappers, and −25°C high bay cold storage
- WMS / ERP Integration: Live exchange of carton barcode IDs, dwell times, and core temperature records with plant warehouse management software
- Air Lock Vestibules: High speed insulated doors and dehumidified air curtains prevent warm air infiltration at conveyor penetrations
Proven in These Food Applications
Packaged Dairy & Fruit
Chills and freezes boxed butter, cheese blocks, dairy ingredients, and bulk fruit cartons on variable retention multiple tier conveyors.
Case Studies
Carton Freezer in Operation Worldwide
Proven installations running in food plants around the world.
Automated Carton Freezer Installation: Henan Muyuan
A multiple level automated carton tunnel freezer with conveyorized loading and discharge installed for boxed
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Boxes ride flat on dedicated carriers with smooth pusher transfers and even airflow, preventing box crushing, bulging, or wet cardboard.
Yes. Our carton freezers connect directly with case packers, barcode scanners, checkweighers, robotic palletizers, and automated cold storage (AS/RS).
Square holds ISO 9001, ISO 45001, CE, PED, ASME (U and U2 stamps), EAC, CSA, CRN, and CNAS laboratory accreditation, supported by 300+ patents, 300+ R&D engineers, and 300+ installation and service engineers.
We customize tunnel length, tier count, airflow layout, loading height, cooling circuit, defrost, and WMS links to match your box sizes and hourly output.
The PLC assigns different box sizes to separate tiers and tracks each row’s exact dwell time, discharging each SKU only when its core reaches target temperature.
Engineering Inquiry
Discuss Your Carton Freezer Project
Share your box dimensions and cooling load for a carton freezer quote.
Our engineers reply within 24 hours. All project details are kept confidential.
