First of all, no two businesses are alike and ice usage is rarely consistent even within the same industry. Please use this information as a guideline. You know your business better than anyone. One piece of advice is better to err on the side of caution so you will always have ice on hand...

1. GUIDE TO SIZING YOUR ICE MACHINE
First of all, no two businesses are alike and ice usage is rarely consistent even within the same industry.
Please use this information as a guideline. You know your business better than anyone. One piece of advice is
better to err on the side of caution so you will always have ice on hand.
You should determine your ice production requirements based upon your peak needs. For example, a
restaurant may have greater needs Thursday through Saturday evening during dinner, while a convenience
store may have consistent requirements during rush hour Monday through Friday and more moderate needs on
Saturday and Sunday.
ICE USAGE CHART
(This is a guide only. Your actual usage may vary.)
Type of Operation Approximate Ice Usage Per Day
Food Service
Restaurant: 1.5 lbs. per person served
Cocktail Bar: 3 lbs per seat
Salad Bar: 35 lbs. per cubic foot
Water Glass: 4 oz. per 10 oz. water glass
Fast Food/ Self
Service:
5 oz. per 7-10 oz. drink
8oz. per 12-16 oz. drink
12oz. per 18-24 oz. drink

2. Bar: 3-5 lbs per seat
Lodging
Guest Ice: 5 lbs. per room
Restaurant: 1.5 lbs. per person served
Cocktail Bar: 3 lbs. per seat
Catering / Room
service:
1.5 lbs. per person
Health Care
Hospital Patient: 10 lbs. per bed
Nursing Home Patient: 6 lbs. per bed
Cafeteria: 1.5 lbs. per person
Supermarket/
Convenience Store:
Beverage Self-serve: 6 oz. per 12 oz. drink
10 oz. per 20 oz. drink
16 oz. per 32 oz. drink
Product Display/
Packing:
35 lbs. per cubic foot
Cold Plate Display:
take 50% of your daily usage & ad it to you daily
total(e.g. 200 lbs. per day + 100 lbs. for Cold Plate
Display= 300 lbs. daliy requirement)
Packed Bagged Ice:
No of bags sold daily × lbs. per bag( e.g. 6 five-
pound bags sold daily: 6 × 5 lbs. = 30 lbs.)
Schools
Cafeteria: 1.5 lbs. per student

3. SALAD BAR / PRODUCT DISPLAY / ICE PACKING Usage Calculation
Ice usage for packing or for a product display, such as for a salad bar or fresh fish display case, is calculated
by cubic feet needed during a 24-hour period. This would be length of the display multiplied by the width of the
display multiplied by the depth of the ice pack (L x W x D).
Note that since ice depth is often less than 12 inches, depth in inches will need to be converted to feet by
dividing by 12 (e.g. ice pack depth of 6 inches is 6 divided by 12 = 0.5 ft.).
DAILY USAGE CALCULATION
Calculate your daily usage based upon your operation and each type of usage: For example, a restaurant has
100 table seats each with 4 guests per day, a bar with 15 seats, and a salad bar 8 ft. by 3 ft with ice pack depth
of 6 inches.
100 table seats x 4 guests = 400 meals x 1.5 = 600 lbs. ice.
15 bar seats x 3 = 30 lbs. ice.
Salad bar 8 ft. x 3 ft. x 0.5 ft = 12 cubic feet x 35 lbs = 420 lbs. ice.
Average Usage/Production Requirement Example:
Daily Usage
Monday: 400 lbs.
Tuesday: 300 lbs.
Wednesday: 300 lbs.
Thusday: 600 lbs.
friday: 700 lbs.
Saturday: 800 lbs.
Sunday: 400 lbs.
Weekly Total: 3500 lbs.
Weekly Usage: 3500 lbs.
3500 lbs. / 7 days = 500 lbs. average daily usage + 20% (100 lbs) extra as suggested =
600 lbs Average Daily Production Requirement
in this example. (Your needs and usage will vary.)