How to arrange goods in cold storage for effective preservation

How does temperature zoning affect the way goods are arranged in a cold store?

Temperature zoning is the core principle of allocating goods to distinct temperature bands so that product integrity is preserved. In large-scale industrial cold storage projects the space is usually divided into three main zones: a deep-freeze zone (-18°C to -25°C), a medium-freeze zone (-5°C to -15°C) and a chilled zone (0°C to 8°C). Understanding the characteristics of each zone is the starting point for a methodical approach to How to arrange goods in cold storage .

Get temperature zoning wrong in your How to arrange goods in cold storage and the business faces a double loss. Items that need deep freezing, if placed in the chilled zone, give bacteria room to multiply and lose shelf life. Conversely, products that only need chilling will, in a deep-freeze zone, suffer intracellular ice crystallisation and moisture loss, which completely alters the cell structure once thawed — irreversible damage.

Below is a temperature-zoning table by common product type in Vietnam, compiled by Tân Long's engineering team:

One important consideration in How to arrange goods in cold storage is the doorway area. This is the point most exposed to heat ingress, because the cold storage door are opened and closed constantly during working hours. Products that are especially temperature-sensitive — vaccines, biologicals or premium seafood — must never be stored near it. Keep a minimum safe distance of 3 to 5 metres between the door and any sensitive stock to limit the effect of external heat flow.

Standard clearance parameters for arranging goods in a cold store

Maintaining technical clearance between goods and the internal surfaces of the store is mandatory if cold air is to circulate continuously. This is not a nice-to-have recommendation but a make-or-break principle in How to arrange goods in cold storage for preventing localised freezing or a break in the cold chain.

Based on practical experience across many cold storage designprojects, Tân Long recommends the following optimal clearances:

During operation industrial cold storage, the most common mistake businesses make is stacking too high and too close to the ceiling. That directly blocks the discharge of the industrial refrigeration, and the actual temperature in the lower zones can end up 2 to 5°C above design. The compressor then has to run continuously at full capacity, driving abnormal power consumption and shortening equipment life. Following the correct How to arrange goods in cold storage on clearances is therefore the single most effective way to optimise a business's operating costs.

How do racking and pallet loads in a cold store affect preservation quality?

Establishing the exact load limit of the racking and pallets is critical to absolute safety in How to arrange goods in cold storage. Exceed the permitted load and the business risks not only a storage collapse but also deformed packaging, split product seals and cross-contamination between batches.

In standard design and cold storage installation projects, galvanised steel racking typically carries 500 kg to 2,000 kg per level depending on the frame construction. Purpose-made low-temperature plastic pallets usually carry 1,000 kg to 1,500 kg on a flat surface, but that figure drops to just 500 kg to 750 kg when handled by forklift. Because plastic becomes brittle and can deform permanently at deep sub-zero temperatures, observing the rated load is a strict technical requirement in How to arrange goods in cold storage.

Distributing the load evenly across the pallet surface is equally mandatory if the system is to stay stable. Goods stacked to one side unbalance the forklift in operation, which is directly dangerous on a store floor already prone to condensation and slipping. For maximum safety, warehouse staff should apply the rule of heavy items below, light items above, and always keep the load's centre of gravity over the middle of the pallet. This also protects the structure of the industrial refrigeration from needless impacts as the forklift moves goods around.

Arranging goods in a cold store by location and turnover frequency

Allocating storage locations by turnover frequency is the key to reducing handling time and limiting heat ingress. This method, commonly called ABC zoning, gives a business a systematic grip on How to arrange goods in cold storage and protects the working life of the machinery.

• Zone A (near the door, daily movements): This holds fast-moving items with 1 to 3 movements a day. Because the area is directly affected by the constant opening and closing of the cold storage door , temperature-sensitive goods and long-dated stock must never be stored here.
• Zone B (mid-store, weekly movements): This zone is for intermediate stock turning over 1 to 5 times a week. With more stable temperature conditions than Zone A, it is the ideal position in How to arrange goods in cold storage for pre-processed and carefully packaged food groups.
• Zone C (deepest area, monthly movements): This is the most thermally stable part of the whole facility, suited to strategic reserves or seasonal stock. Frozen seafood for export, biological pharmaceutical raw materials and anything to be held for more than 3 months should be placed here to guarantee quality.

For cold storage installation projects of 500 m² or more, Tân Long recommends integrating a WMS to track the position of every pallet in real time. For smaller facilities, a physical store map posted at the entrance combined with a detailed stock list solves around 80% of inventory management problems. Fitting a modern PLC control cabinet system also makes a significant difference, allowing temperature to be monitored zone by zone and making operations more accurate and safer.

Common mistakes and their solutions when arranging goods in a cold store

Across operating and maintaining systems for thousands of clients, Tân Long has recorded the same mistakes recurring in How to arrange goods in cold storage. These are not simply housekeeping issues — they lead to serious technical consequences and directly shorten equipment life.

• Mistake 1: Stacking too close to the walls and ceiling: The most visible symptom is abnormal frost forming on the panel surfaces and uneven temperature between areas. To correct it, pull all racking at least 15 cm away from the walls and drop the top level to at least 30 cm below the ceiling, freeing the space the airflow from the industrial refrigeration needs to circulate.
• Mistake 2: Mixing goods with different storage temperature ranges: Placing vegetables next to frozen seafood, or tropical fruit in a deep-freeze environment, damages the product structure. The right answer is expert advice on cold storage design clear zoning, colour-coded labelling for each temperature zone, and a mandatory temperature-label check before goods go onto the racking.
• Mistake 3: Skipping FIFO when goods arrive in a hurry: Staff tend to stack new stock on top of old to save time, which leaves inventory to expire. Businesses should invest in gravity roller racking or push-back racking as part of the cold storage installation so that FIFO is enforced automatically without manual intervention.
• Mistake 4: Not checking product temperature before goods enter the store: Goods arriving warmer than specified (seafood at only -10°C instead of -18°C, for example) cause a sudden spike in heat load. That forces the refrigeration compressor to run beyond capacity continuously. The effective fix is a temperature control point at the receiving door using dedicated infrared measuring instruments.
• Mistake 5: Using wooden pallets in deep sub-zero environments: Wooden pallets absorb moisture readily, crack at temperatures between -18°C and -25°C, and do not meet HACCP hygiene standards. In How to arrange goods in cold storage modern, Tân Long recommends replacing them entirely with HDPE plastic pallets, which withstand -40°C to 80°C, for durability and food safety.

Recognising and correcting these mistakes promptly in your How to arrange goods in cold storage lets a business optimise its operating process and save considerably on maintenance cost over the long run.

Air circulation in a cold store and its relationship to goods arrangement

Air circulation is the core mechanism that keeps temperature uniform throughout a storage facility. The equipment does not cool the product directly — it cools the surrounding air mass, and that cool air then absorbs heat from the goods and returns through the industrial refrigeration. When How to arrange goods in cold storage is done imprecisely, the airflow is blocked, the whole heat-transfer cycle is interrupted and cooling performance drops sharply.

In the projects industrial cold storage in Vietnam, ceiling-mounted evaporators generally have three main discharge directions: along the length of the store, across its width, or multi-directional dispersion. An important technical principle in How to arrange goods in cold storage is that the racking must run parallel to the direction of airflow. Operators must never place racking perpendicular to, or across, the air discharge — doing so obstructs circulation and stops the cold air reaching the areas behind the racks.

Uneven distribution of thermal load inside the store is another direct cause of local temperature differences between zones. An area with little stock receives too much cold air and wastes energy, while an over-stacked area does not receive enough cooling and its product spoils quickly. Distributing goods evenly by volume across the whole floor area is therefore a mandatory operating rule for getting the best out of the refrigeration compressor and protecting equipment life.

For optimum energy efficiency, a How to arrange goods in cold storage should hold an ideal fill ratio of 75% to 85% of usable volume. Below 60%, the system runs unloaded, burning power without delivering better preservation. Stack beyond 90% of the volume and the cold airflow is completely choked, producing uneven temperatures and abnormal power consumption as the system runs continuously to make up the heat.

Standards for arranging goods in a cold store under HACCP and Vietnamese regulations

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a mandatory food safety management system for cold stores handling export goods and supplying modern retail chains. Within that framework, How to arrange goods in cold storage is identified as an important critical control point (CCP), directly affecting the prevention of biological and chemical hazards to the product.

Domestically, Circular 05/2012/TT-BNNPTNT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sets out clear requirements on food safety conditions in cold storage. When carrying out How to arrange goods in cold storage, a business must observe mandatory requirements: food must never be in direct contact with the store floor, and raw food must be kept completely separate from heat-treated food. Every pallet must also carry a full label showing receipt date, expiry date and batch number, so that goods can be traced within industrial cold storage systems.

Cross-contamination is one of the classic HACCP violations, and it typically occurs when goods with different biological risk profiles are stored in the same zone without separation. Placing live seafood next to ready-to-eat produce, or stacking raw meat above packaged food, are serious errors in How to arrange goods in cold storage. The most effective way to eliminate the problem is to design separate cold rooms or use insulated panel partitions to divide the space internally. This not only gives accurate temperature control for each product group but also guarantees the safety of the business's food supply chain.

Technically correct cold storage solutions from Tân Long

Planning How to arrange goods in cold storage to the correct technical standard should be a priority from the concept design stage, not something tackled once the facility is built. Every factor — evaporator positions, airflow direction, aisle widths and the racking system — must be worked out together, in line with the type of goods to be stored and the business's actual receiving and dispatch processes.

Tân Long specialises in the design consultancy and construction of industrial cold storage across a wide capacity range, from 10 m³ to over 10,000 MT. Our project portfolio covers deep-freeze stores, chilled produce rooms, pharmaceutical cold stores and integrated multi-temperature cold storage systems. What sets Tân Long's process apart is that the goods layout map is built in from the start, so technical clearances, floor loadings and cold-air circulation all perform at their best.

You are welcome to explore our solutions further or contact our engineering team directly for advice on cold storage design tailored to your specific goods and operating scale. As a refrigeration and electromechanical joint stock company with more than 20 years in the industry, Tân Long has delivered over 500 projects and supplied high-quality refrigeration system equipment throughout Vietnam, from small rooms to industrial freezer stores holding thousands of tonnes.

We not only provide quality storage equipment and solutions, but also ensure efficiency and safety during use. With a team of experienced and professional technicians, Tan Long is committed to bringing absolute satisfaction and trust to all of our customers' cold storage installation projects.

• Head office: 86 Dong Den Street, Ward 14, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Factory: Lot MM3-2, Road No. 04, Duc Hoa 1 Industrial Park, Duc Hoa Dong Commune, Duc Hoa District, Tay Ninh (formerly Long An)
• Contact email: info@tanlongvn.co.
• Telephone: (+84) 933357058

Frequently asked questions about arranging goods in a cold store

What are the consequences of arranging goods incorrectly in a cold store?

Poor arrangement causes three main consequences: localised spoilage from thermal dead zones, a 15-30% rise in electricity cost as the system continuously makes up heat, and the risk of breaching HACCP if the store serves exports or an audited retail chain.

What clearance should there be between goods and the cold store wall?

The minimum clearance between goods and the cold store panel wall is 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). That gap keeps air circulating behind the racking and prevents thermal bridging through the insulated wall.

How do FIFO and FEFO differ in cold store management?

FIFO (First In, First Out) dispatches stock in order of receipt — first in, first out. FEFO (First Expired, First Out) dispatches by expiry date, with the shortest-dated stock going first regardless of when it arrived. FEFO is the mandatory standard for pharmaceutical cold stores and for foods held in many different production batches.

What percentage of a cold store's volume should be filled?

A cold store performs best at a fill ratio of 75-85% of usable volume. Below 60% the refrigeration system runs unloaded and wastes power. Above 90% the airflow is choked, temperature becomes uneven and operating costs rise.

Should you use wooden pallets in a freezer store?

No. Wooden pallets absorb moisture and crack at -18°C to -25°C, and they fail HACCP standards because they are hard to clean. Freezer stores use HDPE plastic pallets rated for -40°C to 80°C (-40°F to 176°F) as a mandatory technical standard.