IQF & Freezing Systems — cost, specification & RFQ guide
Spiral, tunnel, fluidised bed and plate freezers for fish and shrimp.
Prepare a human-reviewed RFQShort answer
What should a seafood IQF request specify?
- Capacity basis:
- Input kg/hour at stated product and temperatures
- Energy basis:
- Measured kWh ÷ tonnes frozen; declare refrigeration boundary
- Product weight:
- State net product, glazing and packing basis separately
- Operating time:
- Shift hours less cleaning, defrost, loading and stops
Sources checked 18 October 2026. FAO Technical Paper 340 (1994) explains freezing methods, thermal duty and storage. It is not a 2026 price, refrigerant-law or supplier-availability source. Local food-safety and refrigeration requirements need qualified review.
Compare equipment packages with EPC responsibilityFreezing duty and quotation basis
No current price bands are verified. Specify freezer and refrigeration boundaries, installation, freight, duties and taxes in every quotation.
| Scale | Throughput | Quotation | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blast / batch | kg/batch and cycles/day | Scoped quote required | Declare loading, unloading and freezing time; IQF separation is not automatic. |
| Tunnel IQF | Input kg/hour | Scoped quote required | Check product separation, belt loading and temperature duty. |
| Spiral IQF | Input kg/hour | Scoped quote required | Confirm dwell time, belt loading, hygiene access and footprint for the product. |
| Plate freezing | Block kg/batch | Scoped quote required | Block size, packaging and contact conditions; not an individual-piece equivalent. |
What a complete scope must cover
Freezer unit
Belt or plate system sized on product thickness, entry temperature and required core temperature.
Refrigeration plant
State refrigerant, ambient and evaporation conditions, compressor and heat-rejection duty, piping, electrical scope and local safety review. Quote separately; no universal CAPEX percentage is established.
Glazing & hardening
Confirm whether the product needs glazing or further hardening, with declared net product/glaze weights and a validated temperature and packing specification.
Controls & validation
Core temperature logging for HACCP, defrost strategy, alarm and remote monitoring.
Cold store link
Buffer store and pallet handling sized against production and shipment intervals.
Machine, line, turnkey plant or EPC scope?
Compare offers at the same responsibility level. A low machine price is not comparable with a line that includes controls, utilities, installation and performance acceptance.
| Scope | Typically includes | Buyer retains | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single machine | One defined operation and controls | Interfaces, utilities, installation and line balance | The factory and upstream/downstream process already exist |
| Complete line | Connected process equipment, controls and throughput duty | Building, major utilities, cold store and permits unless stated | One product flow needs a measurable output guarantee |
| Turnkey plant | Line, utilities, installation, commissioning and training as contracted | Land, approvals, raw material and items expressly excluded | The buyer wants fewer package interfaces |
| EPC scope | Engineering, procurement and construction coordination under an agreed contract | Owner decisions, financing, permits and operational inputs | Civil works and multiple technical packages must be integrated |
Selection criteria
- •Capacity stated at your entry temperature and product thickness, not at ideal lab conditions
- •Refrigerant choice against local regulation, service skills and F-gas phase-down
- •Belt hygiene and CIP access — seafood belts foul fast
- •Energy per tonne guarantee, backed by a measured acceptance test
- •Define outage response and standby duty with qualified refrigeration engineers
Costly mistakes
- •Comparing a freezer-only quote with a refrigeration-inclusive package
- •Sizing on average day rather than peak harvest day
- •Ignoring defrost time in the daily throughput calculation
- •Selecting a refrigerant with no qualified local service technicians
Put this in your RFQ
- •Specify entry and required core temperature, product thickness and hourly rate
- •Ask for kWh per tonne and require verification at commissioning
- •Include refrigeration plant, glazing, controls and cold store interface in one scope
- •Request a defrost and cleaning schedule with its impact on effective daily capacity
Size it before you tender
IQF & Freezing Systems FAQ
Request iqf & freezing systems quotes
Send the species, product format, peak throughput, labour plan, automation target, hygiene standard, utilities, installation boundary and cold-chain interface. FishMatch reviews the brief and seeks matched responses; timing depends on scope and supplier interest, and identities stay confidential until you approve contact.
Other processing buyer guides
Before you request quotes
Equipment scope
What equipment does a commercial aquaculture project actually need?
A grow-out project typically needs holding infrastructure (tanks, ponds or cages), water movement (pumps, piping, valves), aeration or oxygenation, water treatment appropriate to the system, feeding equipment, grading and handling gear, monitoring and alarms, and backup power. RAS adds mechanical filtration, biofiltration, degassing, disinfection and tighter process control. Hatchery and processing scopes are specified separately.
Which equipment should be specified before requesting quotes?
Specify the items whose sizing changes everything downstream: design biomass and stocking density, water exchange or recirculation rate, oxygen demand at peak temperature, and installed pumping head. With those four fixed, suppliers can quote aeration, filtration, pumps and power on the same basis. FishMatch calculators produce these figures and attach them to the RFQ.
Can equipment be sourced in stages?
Yes, and phased procurement is common. The usual sequence is water supply and holding infrastructure, then aeration and treatment, then automation and monitoring, then processing and cold chain. Staging works when interfaces and capacity headroom are defined at the start; otherwise later phases force replacement rather than addition.