Reference guide

Cold-chain temperature guide

The temperature band your product needs in transit, and the standard that sets it.

This free guide from Safe & Secure Logistics lists the transport temperature band for each product class: deep frozen, frozen at −18 °C, chilled, 2 to 8 °C pharma, chocolate and controlled room temperature. Each band names the standard behind it, so you can brief a reefer truck correctly.

Class	Typical range	Examples	Basis
Deep frozen	−25 °C or colder	Some ice creams and seafood held colder for quality	Codex CXC 8-1976 sets −18 °C as the floor; many brands specify colder
Frozen	−18 °C or colder	Ice cream, frozen desserts, frozen vegetables, meat, fish	Codex quick-frozen code: −18 °C or colder, brief rises only in distribution
Chilled	0 °C to +5 °C	Milk, curd, paneer, fresh meat, ready meals	Follow the product’s FSSAI label and the maker’s specification
Pharma cold	+2 °C to +8 °C	Vaccines, insulin, biologics	CDSCO GDP and WHO guidance: qualified vehicles, calibrated loggers
Cool	+8 °C to +15 °C	Some fruit, cheeses, beverages	Product-specific
Chocolate & confectionery	about +12 °C to +18 °C	Chocolate, coated confectionery	Avoids bloom from heat and condensation from cold; follow the maker’s spec
Controlled room temperature	+15 °C to +25 °C	Many tablets and ambient medicines	Pharmacopoeial CRT definitions; excursions defined by the product

Your product’s own specification always overrides a general band.

How it works

The method, and its limits

Four habits that protect the cold chain

Pre-cool the empty reefer to set point before loading.
Load product at temperature. The unit maintains temperature; it does not rescue it.
Leave airflow paths: do not block the return air or stack above the load line.
Record it: a logger or live telemetry turns “we think it held” into proof.

What SSL does: long-haul 32 ft multi-axle reefers, and a live control tower that reads temperature and GPS per truck for a leading ice-cream maker’s network. Pharmaceutical 2 to 8 °C GDP lanes are not an SSL service today. See cold chain & reefer.

Sources

Where the figures come from

Figures are general information, checked on 29 Sep 2026. Rules change; follow the source before acting.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature is frozen food transported at?

At −18 °C or colder. The Codex code of practice for quick-frozen foods sets −18 °C as the product temperature to hold through distribution, with only brief, limited rises.

What temperature should ice cream travel at?

At −18 °C or colder, and many manufacturers specify colder. Safe & Secure Logistics runs frozen −18 °C networks for a leading ice-cream maker, with live temperature per truck.

What is the 2 to 8 °C range?

The refrigerated range for most vaccines and many biologics. In India, CDSCO’s Good Distribution Practices expect qualified vehicles, calibrated monitoring and written procedures for such products.

Does Safe & Secure Logistics carry 2 to 8 °C pharma?

Not today. SSL does not run GDP-qualified pharmaceutical lanes and says so plainly.

Why pre-cool a reefer?

A reefer is built to hold temperature, not to pull hot cargo down. Pre-cooling the empty box to set point before loading keeps warm air from reaching the product.

What temperature is chocolate transported at?

Typically in a cool band of roughly 12 to 18 °C, per the manufacturer’s specification, to avoid heat bloom and condensation.

What is a temperature excursion?

Any time the product or the air around it leaves its specified range. Loggers record it; the product owner decides whether the goods remain fit.

Should the reefer be set to the product temperature?

Yes. Set the unit to the product’s specified temperature, and load product that is already at that temperature; the reefer maintains it.

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