Quick Answer
An upright commercial freezer is a reach-in cabinet that stores frozen food at –18°C or colder on adjustable shelves. UK prices run from about £520 for a refurbished single-door model to £1,000–£2,400 for new 320–600 litre units, and £1,800–£5,000+ for double-door GN 2/1 and heavy-duty freezers.
Caterzone supplies upright commercial freezers to UK restaurants, takeaways, cafés, pubs, schools, and care homes, and the upright freezer is usually the first piece of frozen storage a kitchen buys. It stores more product per square metre of floor than a chest freezer, every shelf is visible when the door opens, and gastronorm models take the same 2/1 trays your kitchen already uses.
This guide covers how much capacity you need, single versus double doors, gastronorm versus standard shelving, climate class, static versus fan-assisted cooling, energy ratings and refrigerants, UK frozen storage rules, and new versus refurbished. Browse the commercial freezer collection as you read.
Upright or chest freezer: which suits a commercial kitchen?
An upright freezer stands on a footprint of roughly 60cm to 75cm wide and 70cm to 85cm deep, and stacks product vertically on shelves up to around two metres high. A chest freezer of the same capacity takes roughly double the floor area. In a tight UK kitchen, where floor space is the scarcest resource, that usually decides it.
Uprights also win on access. Staff can see and reach every shelf without digging through layers, which speeds service and makes first-in, first-out stock rotation realistic. Gastronorm uprights take GN 2/1 shelves or trays, so prepped and blast-frozen food can go straight in on the pan it was made in.
Chest freezers still have a place. They hold temperature better when opened, because cold air sinks and stays in the well, they generally cost less to run per litre, and they are ideal for bulk stock that is not accessed often — chips, bread, ice cream tubs. Many kitchens run an upright on the line for daily use and a chest freezer in the store for bulk. Our commercial chest freezer guide covers that side in detail.
What size upright freezer do you need?
Single-door upright freezers commonly range from about 320 litres to 650 litres; double-door models run from about 900 litres to 1,400 litres. As examples, the Blizzard upright 320 litre is a compact single-door model; the Combisteel Ecofrost and the refurbished Williams Jade LJ1 both offer around 600 to 620 litres; and double-door GN freezers such as the Koldbox or Atosa MBF8183GR offer around 1,300 litres.
Size on how often you take deliveries and how much you cook ahead, not just on covers. A café taking twice-weekly frozen deliveries for a simple menu may manage with a 320 to 400 litre single door. A 60 to 100 cover restaurant that batch cooks and freezes stocks, sauces, and desserts usually needs a full 600 litre single door, and a busy takeaway holding chips, chicken, and burger stock commonly needs a double door or an upright plus a chest freezer.
Leave room for air. A freezer packed solid with no gaps around the evaporator fan cannot circulate cold air and will struggle to hold –18°C. Plan to fill to about 80% of usable volume, and remember quoted litres are gross — shelving, the evaporator, and door space all reduce what you can actually store.
Gastronorm or standard shelving?
Gastronorm freezers have an internal width designed around GN 2/1 trays, which measure 650 x 530mm. The Koldbox double-door GN freezer, for example, has six adjustable GN 2/1 shelves measuring 535 x 650mm, and the Combisteel Ecofrost 600 litre takes three GN 2/1 shelves. Trays and pans slide straight in on runners, which suits kitchens that cook, blast chill, and freeze in gastronorm.
Standard or "slimline" freezers have narrower shelves — the Atosa YBF9207GR slimline, for instance, is 600mm wide externally with 485 x 525mm shelves. They fit gaps that a GN model cannot and suit boxed and bagged stock. The trade-off is that a full-size GN 2/1 tray will not fit.
If you use a combi oven and a blast chiller, buy gastronorm: the whole point of GN is moving food from cook to chill to freeze to regenerate without decanting. If you mostly store supplier cases, a standard or slimline upright gives more usable storage per pound. Our blast chiller and shock freezer guide explains how freezing hot food fits into that workflow.
Upright commercial freezer comparison
| Freezer | Capacity | Key specs | Best for | Guide price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrolux single door (refurbished) | 175 x 62 x 59cm | Fully refurbished | Tight budgets, back-up storage | £522.95 |
| Williams Jade LJ1 (refurbished) | 620L | –18 to –22°C, 43°C ambient rated | Hot kitchens on a budget | £760.95 |
| Blizzard upright 320L | 320L | 304 stainless, 5 shelves, digital control | Cafés, small kitchens | £1,008 |
| Combisteel Ecofrost GN | 600L | R290, 5.4kWh/24h, 3 x GN 2/1 | Restaurants using gastronorm | £1,263.90 |
| Atosa YBF9207GR slimline | 410L | 600mm wide, top-mounted Embraco | Narrow gaps, busy lines | £1,634.10 |
| Koldbox double-door GN | Double door | 6 x GN 2/1 shelves, LED, castors | Takeaways, high-volume kitchens | £1,825 |
Climate class, cooling type, and where to site the freezer
Climate class tells you the hottest room the freezer is designed to work in. Climate class 4 cabinets, such as the Atosa YBF9207GR, are tested to hold temperature in rooms up to 30°C; climate class 5 cabinets are rated for 40°C; and some heavy-duty units, including the Williams Jade range, are engineered for up to 43°C ambient. The Combisteel Ecofrost states a 32°C maximum ambient. A UK kitchen beside a range and fryers can easily exceed 30°C in summer, so match the class to the real room, not the brochure.
Fan-assisted (ventilated) cooling circulates cold air around the cabinet, which pulls the temperature back quickly after door openings and gives an even temperature on every shelf. Static cooling, with fixed refrigerated shelves, is simpler and often cheaper but recovers more slowly. For a freezer opened constantly during service, fan-assisted is worth paying for.
Siting matters as much as specification. Keep the freezer away from ovens, fryers, and direct sun, and leave the clearance the manual specifies — Williams, for example, asks for at least 500mm above top-mounted refrigeration for ventilation and service access. A freezer starved of air works harder, costs more to run, and wears its compressor out early.
What does an upright freezer cost to run?
Commercial storage freezers sold in the UK carry an energy label rated A to G, with a declared annual or daily energy use. The Combisteel Ecofrost 600 litre, for example, is rated at 5.4kWh per 24 hours. At around 25p per kWh, that is roughly £1.35 a day or about £490 a year. A less efficient or older cabinet of the same size can easily cost double that.
Refrigerant matters for the long term. Under GB F-gas rules, new hermetically sealed commercial fridges and freezers can no longer use HFC refrigerants with a global warming potential of 150 or more, so most new cabinets now use natural hydrocarbons such as R290 (propane), which has a GWP of 3 and good efficiency. Older refurbished units may use legacy refrigerants; they remain legal to use and repair, but ask what gas a refurbished freezer contains.
Cut running costs with habits: keep door openings short, check and replace split door gaskets, clean the condenser coil every three months, defrost manual-defrost models before ice builds beyond a few millimetres, and never load hot food — blast chill it first.
What are the UK rules for commercial frozen storage?
Frozen food should be stored at –18°C or colder. That is the standard for quick-frozen foodstuffs in the UK and the benchmark your environmental health officer will expect, and most commercial freezers are designed to hold between –18°C and –22°C. Food that has partially defrosted must not simply be refrozen; follow your HACCP plan.
Record freezer temperatures at least daily with a calibrated thermometer or a data-logging probe, and keep the log with your food safety paperwork. A digital controller display shows the air temperature near the sensor; for due diligence, periodically check product temperature too.
Label and date everything you freeze yourself, rotate stock first-in, first-out, and keep raw meat on the lowest shelves below ready-to-eat items. Electrically, a standard single-door upright usually runs on a 13A plug, but check the data plate, and PAT test the unit annually. Refrigeration repairs involving the gas circuit must be carried out by an F-gas certified engineer.
Should you buy a new or refurbished upright freezer?
A refurbished freezer from a premium brand can be excellent value. Caterzone's refurbished Williams Jade LJ1 620 litre, Polar U-Series 650 litre, and Foster G2 uprights sell at around £761 — a fraction of their new price — and these brands were built for decades of heavy use. Refurbished models are tested and honestly graded, and B-grade units may carry cosmetic marks that do not affect performance.
New freezers make sense when you want the latest efficiency, a natural refrigerant, a full manufacturer warranty, or a specific gastronorm configuration. On a freezer running 24 hours a day for ten years, the energy saving of a modern A or B rated cabinet can outweigh a lower purchase price, so compare the declared kWh figures, not just the sticker.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a commercial upright freezer cost in the UK?
Refurbished single-door uprights start at around £520 to £760. New single-door models typically cost £1,000 to £2,400 depending on capacity, brand, and GN shelving. Double-door gastronorm and heavy-duty uprights run from around £1,800 to over £5,000, with glass-door versions at the top of the range.
What temperature should a commercial freezer be?
Set a commercial freezer to hold –18°C or colder; most run between –18°C and –22°C. Check and record the temperature at least daily, and periodically probe product as well as reading the display. Never load hot food — blast chill it first.
Can an upright freezer go in a hot kitchen?
Only if its climate class suits the room. Climate class 4 freezers are rated for rooms up to 30°C, class 5 up to 40°C, and some heavy-duty units up to 43°C. Leave the ventilation clearance in the manual, and site the freezer away from ovens and fryers.
Is an upright freezer more expensive to run than a chest freezer?
Usually slightly, per litre, because cold air falls out when an upright door opens. A modern upright such as the Combisteel Ecofrost 600 litre uses about 5.4kWh a day — roughly £490 a year at 25p per kWh. The upright saves floor space and makes stock rotation much easier.
What is a gastronorm freezer?
A gastronorm freezer has internal shelving sized for GN 2/1 trays (650 x 530mm), so food can move from oven to blast chiller to freezer on the same pan. Choose gastronorm if you batch cook in GN; choose standard or slimline shelving if you mainly store boxed supplier stock.
Do commercial freezers need servicing?
Yes. Clean the condenser every three months, check door gaskets regularly, and book an annual service with a refrigeration engineer. Any work on the refrigerant circuit must be done by an F-gas certified engineer, and the freezer should be PAT tested annually.
Where to buy an upright commercial freezer in the UK
Caterzone stocks new and refurbished upright freezers from Combisteel, Atosa, Tefcold, Interlevin, Williams, Foster, and Polar. Browse the commercial freezer collection, or go straight to the Combisteel Ecofrost 600 litre GN upright freezer at £1,263.90, the Blizzard 320 litre upright at £1,008 for a smaller kitchen, or the refurbished Williams Jade LJ1 620 litre at £760.95. For high volume, the Koldbox double-door gastronorm freezer is £1,825.
Planning the rest of your cold chain? Read our chest freezer guide and our blast chiller guide. For help sizing a freezer against your deliveries and menu, call Caterzone on +44 7787 069044 or email info@thecaterzone.co.uk.
