How Much Does a Walk-In Freezer Cost? Sizes, Prices and Running Costs
- Lisa Craven
Last reviewed: November 2026 · Lisa Craven, Managing Director, FridgeSmart
A plug-in walk-in freezer costs from around £3,500 ex. VAT for a small 1.2m × 1.2m room to around £8,500 ex. VAT for a 3m × 3m room, on Tefcold’s CRNF range. That price is the complete room: insulated panels, floor, door and freezing unit. Running it costs about £2,200 a year in electricity for the smaller rooms, at 27p/kWh. A walk-in freezer costs around £500 to £2,000 more than the same size walk-in fridge, because the panels are thicker and the refrigeration works harder.
- Smallest: the CRNF1212, 1.2m × 1.2m outside, around £3,500 ex. VAT, with 1.81m³ inside
- Largest in the range: the CRNF3030, 3m × 3m, around £8,500 ex. VAT, with 14.93m³ inside
- How cold: the rooms are set between −20°C and −10°C; −18°C is the standard for frozen storage
- Running cost: 22.49 kWh a day on the smaller rooms, about £2,200 per year at 27p/kWh
- Power: a 13 amp supply, on Tefcold’s datasheets
- Inside is smaller than outside: the panels are 120mm thick, so a 1.5m room is 1.26m inside
For restaurant, pub, hotel, farm shop and food production owners pricing a walk-in freezer, or deciding between a small walk-in and a row of upright freezers.
1. How much does a walk-in freezer cost, by size?
These are complete Tefcold CRNF freezer rooms. The model number is the outside footprint: a CRNF1518 is 1.5m by 1.8m. Every room is 2.2m tall outside and 1.96m inside.
| Freezer room | Outside (W × D) | Inside (W × D) | Volume inside | Price (ex. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2m × 1.2m | 0.96m × 0.96m | 1.81m³ | £3,550 | |
| 1.2m × 1.5m | 0.96m × 1.26m | 2.37m³ | £3,846 | |
| 1.5m × 1.5m | 1.26m × 1.26m | 3.11m³ | £4,073 | |
| 1.8m × 1.8m | 1.56m × 1.56m | 4.77m³ | £4,520 | |
| 2.1m × 2.1m | 1.86m × 1.86m | 6.78m³ | £5,275 | |
| 2.4m × 2.4m | 2.16m × 2.16m | 9.14m³ | £6,618 | |
| 3.0m × 3.0m | 2.76m × 2.76m | 14.93m³ | £8,502 |
There are 29 sizes in the range, in 300mm steps, so if your space is 1.5m by 2.4m there is a room for it. The table shows the square ones; the rest are in the freezer rooms category. Cost per cubic metre falls as the room gets bigger: the smallest works out at nearly £2,000 for each cubic metre inside, the largest at under £600.
2. What do you get for the money?
The price is for a complete, working freezer room. Tefcold describes the CRNF rooms as plug-in and ready after assembly. Four things are in the box:
Not in the price: shelving, an alarm kit and an access ramp, which are accessories. A shelf rack kit for the CRNF1515 is around £300 ex. VAT (see the kit). The rooms are supplied as panels for assembly on site, so ask us about assembly when you ring.
3. Why does a walk-in freezer cost more than a walk-in fridge?
Two reasons, both to do with holding a much lower temperature. The freezer panels are 120mm thick where the chiller room panels are 80mm, and the refrigeration unit has to work harder. Here are the same sizes in both versions:
| Size | Chiller room (CRPF) | Freezer room (CRNF) | Freezer costs more by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2m × 1.2m | around £3,000 | around £3,500 | around £500 |
| 1.5m × 1.5m | around £3,300 | around £4,100 | around £800 |
| 1.8m × 1.8m | around £3,700 | around £4,500 | around £800 |
| 2.4m × 2.4m | around £5,000 | around £6,600 | around £1,600 |
| 3.0m × 3.0m | around £6,500 | around £8,500 | around £2,000 |
All figures ex. VAT, rounded, at November 2026 prices. The thicker panels also take space: a 1.5m chiller room is 1.34m wide inside, and a 1.5m freezer room is 1.26m. If you are weighing up the two, read walk-in fridge vs walk-in freezer.
4. How small can a walk-in freezer be?
The smallest in the range is the CRNF1212: 1.2m square outside and 0.96m square inside, with 1.81m³ of space and a door opening 580mm wide. That is enough for shelving on two walls and room to step in and turn round.
At that size it is worth comparing the alternative. A walk-in pays for itself in access and capacity: you can see everything, take a whole delivery at once and store full boxes. A row of upright or chest freezers costs less to buy and can be added one at a time. Price both before you decide. Our guide to a cold room or a bank of fridges works through the sum.
5. How cold is a walk-in freezer?
The Tefcold CRNF rooms are set between −20°C and −10°C. For frozen storage you set it to −18°C or colder: that is the standard the food industry works to. It is not a legal figure for your own store; the statutory −18°C applies to quick-frozen food as it is sold (Quick-frozen Foodstuffs (England) Regulations 2007, Schedule 2).
A room that cold needs care for the people who work in it. The Health and Safety Executive says walk-in units need a means of escape, with doors that can be opened from the inside, and that your risk assessment may show a trapped-person alarm is appropriate. Staff need suitable thermal clothing and breaks to warm up.
6. How much does a walk-in freezer cost to run?
Tefcold’s datasheets give energy use per 24 hours. Multiply by 365, then by your unit rate. We use 27p/kWh, which is our assumption, not your tariff.
The datasheets give the same 22.49 kWh a day for the 1.2m, 1.5m and 1.8m rooms, which share the same 1,100 watt rating. Those are test figures. A room in a hot kitchen, a door left open during deliveries, or warm stock loaded in bulk will all push the bill up. Over five years, electricity for a CRNF1515 comes to around £11,100, which is more than twice the price of the room. Where you put it and how you use it matter as much as what you pay for it; our guide to running a cold room well covers the habits that keep the bill down.
7. Six checks before you order
The room itself is from around £3,500 to around £8,500 ex. VAT. Add shelving, and remember the running cost is the bigger number over the life of the room.
ex. VAT
- 1.2m × 1.2m outside, 1.81m³ inside
- −20 to −10°C, 120mm panels
The smallest walk-in freezer in the range.
ex. VAT
- 1.5m × 1.5m outside, 3.11m³ inside
- 22.49 kWh a day
Room for shelving on two or three walls.
ex. VAT
- 3m × 3m outside, 14.93m³ inside
- 31.78 kWh a day
The largest plug-in freezer room in the range.
A plug-in walk-in freezer from Tefcold’s CRNF range costs from around £3,500 ex. VAT for the 1.2m × 1.2m room to around £8,500 ex. VAT for the 3m × 3m room, with a 1.5m × 1.5m room at around £4,100. The price covers the complete room: 120mm insulated panels, an anti-slip stainless steel floor, a hinged door and a plug-in freezing unit. Shelving, an alarm kit and a ramp are extra. A freezer room costs around £500 to £2,000 more than the same size chiller room. The rooms are set between −20°C and −10°C, and −18°C is the standard for frozen storage. Running cost is 22.49 kWh a day on the smaller rooms, about £2,200 a year at 27p/kWh, so five years of electricity costs more than the room. The inside is 240mm smaller than the outside in each direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
▼
▼
▼
▼
▼
▼
