Ice cream through the summer, game through the autumn, a wholesaler’s pallets of frozen product all year round — at some point the arithmetic tips and it makes more sense to own the cold than to keep hiring it. On the UK market a working used freezer container is observed at £4,500 to £7,500 ex VAT, and a new one-trip machine at £18,995 to £22,500 ex VAT. Every figure here is an indicative market observation rather than a quote, stated ex VAT, with VAT at 20% on top.
A freezer container is a reefer, set colder
There is no separate machine for frozen duty. A standard refrigerated container operates across -25 °C to +25 °C, so the same unit holds +2 °C for fresh produce or -18 °C for frozen goods depending on the set point you choose — and the four makes you will meet second-hand, Carrier, Thermo King, Daikin and Star Cool, all cover the full range.
The consequence for a buyer is worth stating plainly: a freezer container is priced on the ordinary reefer market. There is no premium for the colder set point, so the purchase decision turns on size, grade and the state of the refrigeration unit, exactly as it would for a chiller. What frozen duty changes comes after the invoice.
Purchase prices in the UK
| What you are buying | Indicative UK price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|
| Used unit, working order | £4,500 – £7,500 |
| New one-trip unit | £18,995 – £22,500 |
| Delivery | quoted separately, on distance and site access |
A new one-trip machine costs roughly three to four times a typical used one, and what you buy for that is an as-new box with a refrigeration unit at the very start of its working life — relevant if the container will run frozen for a decade, less so if it covers a seasonal peak.
Used stock is graded A to C on age and condition, and our page on used refrigerated containers explains what each grade covers. One thing not to mistake for a bargain: an insulated box with no working refrigeration unit sells for 30 to 50% less than a working Grade B machine of the same size, but it freezes nothing — it only slows the rise of a temperature something else created.
The real difference: what frozen duty costs to run
Holding -18 °C costs more electricity than holding +2 °C on the identical box, because the machine works against a larger temperature difference every hour of every day.
| Size | Chilled duty (+2 °C) | Frozen duty (-18 °C) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | 85 – 95 kWh a day | 95 – 110 kWh a day |
| 40 ft high cube | 170 – 190 kWh a day | 190 – 215 kWh a day |
Apply your own unit rate rather than a national average. Power comes from three-phase 380/400 V through a five-pin 32 A CEE plug, though some small formats run single-phase 230 V; when you own the container that supply is your cost, not a line on a hire invoice, so confirm what the site can deliver before you commit. Our guides work through the electricity question in detail.
Pull-down and wear: what an owner notices
Three things behave differently in negative, and all three matter more to an owner than to a hirer.
- Pull-down takes longer. Getting an empty box from ambient to -18 °C is not the work of an hour. Run the machine down before you load, and load product that is already frozen: a standard reefer holds frozen goods, it is not built to freeze warm ones. Pulling product temperature down rapidly is blast freezing, typically around -40 °C, and a specialist job.
- Door seals work harder. Every opening pulls humid air onto cold surfaces, where it turns to frost. Gaskets carry the consequences, and a leaking seal loads the compressor for as long as you own the container.
- Servicing is on you. Budget an annual service of the refrigeration unit from year one. It is the single item that most affects both remaining life and resale.
Buy or hire: where the line falls
The threshold worth pricing is around 18 to 24 months of continuous use. Long-term refrigerated container hire starts at around £12 a day ex VAT in the UK, so an uninterrupted year sits in the region of £4,400 — the same order of magnitude as a used unit’s purchase price. That is why the line lands where it does, and why a seasonal or one-off need rarely justifies buying. Hire carries its own constraint in this market: minimum terms of around 90 days are common, though not universal. If capital rather than duration is the obstacle, lease and hire-purchase terms on this equipment typically run 24 to 60 months.
Resale: the part hire cannot give you
A sound used reefer typically has 10 to 15 years of service ahead of it, so a container bought for a five-year need is sold on, not written off. Two things protect that value: a documented service history for the refrigeration unit, and the format. The 20 ft is the most widely traded size in the UK, which makes it the easiest to sell on.
Who ends up buying rather than hiring? Frozen wholesalers with steady year-round volume, ice-cream makers who work the -20 to -25 °C end of the range every season, fishmongers and merchants around the landings, butchers whose freezer demand builds towards Christmas and never quite empties afterwards. The common thread is continuity: if the box would run frozen most months of the year, ownership is usually the cheaper answer.
Checks before you commit
Ask for a PTI (Pre-Trip Inspection) report less than three months old, and — because your set point is the whole point — ask for a documented cold run at -18 °C rather than a generic test. Check gaskets, hinges, interior panels and floor, the running hours and service history of the unit, and exactly what the price includes: delivery and crane offload are normally quoted separately.
Compare offers before you buy
EuroReefer is an editorial comparison site specialising in refrigerated containers: we hold no stock and sell nothing ourselves. Describe what you need — size, set temperature, grade, timescale, postcode — through our quote form, and we pass your request to specialist suppliers, who contact you directly if they can meet your requirement. On a purchase meant to last years, comparing offers is the cheapest due diligence there is.
Frequently asked questions
Does a freezer container cost more to buy than a chilled one?
No. A freezer container is a standard refrigerated container with its set point placed at -18 °C or lower, and the same machine covers -25 °C to +25 °C either way. Purchase price follows size, age, grade and the condition of the refrigeration unit, not the temperature you intend to hold. On the UK market, working used units are observed at £4,500 to £7,500 ex VAT, with VAT at 20% on top.
What does a freezer container cost to run at -18 °C?
Frozen duty draws more electricity than chilled duty on the same box, because the machine works against a larger temperature difference every hour. A 20 ft unit uses roughly 95 to 110 kWh a day at -18 °C, against 85 to 95 kWh at +2 °C. A 40 ft high cube uses 190 to 215 kWh a day frozen, against 170 to 190 kWh chilled. Multiply by your own unit rate, and budget separately for an annual service.
How long will a used freezer container last?
A sound used reefer typically has a further 10 to 15 years of service in it, and Grade A units are generally under 12 years old. Remaining life depends far more on how the refrigeration unit has been maintained than on the year stamped on the data plate, which is why a PTI report less than three months old carries more weight with a buyer than age alone.
Is it better to buy or hire a freezer container?
The line worth pricing is around 18 to 24 months of continuous use. Below it, hire usually wins and keeps the capital in the business; beyond it, buying tends to pay for itself and leaves you an asset that still has a resale value. UK hire terms frequently carry a minimum of around 90 days, so a genuinely short-lived need is worth checking supplier by supplier.