How Can I Tell if a Warehouse Has Cold Storage Space?

As supply chains evolve and temperature-sensitive industries expand, demand for cold storage warehouse space has surged across North America and globally. Whether you’re distributing food, pharmaceuticals, or other perishable goods, understanding how to evaluate and verify true cold storage capability is critical before signing a lease or purchase agreement.

At Keyser, a global, AI-enabled, and conflict-free occupier advisory firm, we help clients assess industrial and logistics properties to ensure that every facility—whether office, warehouse, manufacturing, medical, or retail related—meets operational and infrastructure standards.

What Defines a Cold Storage Warehouse

A cold storage warehouse is specifically designed to maintain controlled temperatures for perishable goods. It differs significantly from a standard dry warehouse. Typical configurations include:

• Refrigerated zones (33°F–40°F) for perishables like produce or dairy.
• Freezer areas (-10°F to -20°F) for frozen food and pharmaceuticals.
• Temperature-controlled docksthat reduce thermal shock during loading and unloading.
• Specialized insulation, vapor barriers, and floor systems to prevent condensation or frost heave.

These facilities also rely on robust power systems, emergency backup generators, and advanced HVAC and monitoring systems to maintain consistent temperature and humidity.

How to Identify True Cold Storage Capability

When evaluating a warehouse, tenants should look for more than marketing terms like “temperature-controlled.” Here’s what to confirm:

1. Existing Refrigeration Infrastructure

   Inspect whether the cooling systems are installed and operational—not just “cold-ready.” Confirm compressor type, maintenance status, and redundancy.

2. Temperature Zoning and Controls

   Ask for documentation on temperature mapping, sensors, and monitoring systems to ensure zones meet your product’s specific requirements.

3. Power Capacity and Backup

   Cold storage requires reliable and redundant power. Verify the amperage, phase, and presence of backup generators—especially in older facilities.

4. Compliance and Certification

   Review whether the space meets relevant health, safety, and industry standards such as FDA, USDA, or GMP compliance for food or pharmaceutical use.

5. Structural and Insulation Integrity

   Look for insulated metal panels, sealed dock doors, and vapor barrier systems that minimize temperature loss and operational costs.

A qualified tenant advisor can help coordinate site assessments, utility reviews, and engineering inspections before you commit.

AI-Enabled Infrastructure Analytics

Keyser is AI-enabled, integrating artificial intelligence and market analytics to evaluate infrastructure readiness, energy efficiency, and upgrade potential across industrial properties.

For cold storage warehouse evaluations, Keyser’s technology can analyze:

• Utility usage data and grid reliability.
• Comparable rental rates and retrofit costs.
• Regional energy prices and infrastructure incentives.
• Building automation system performance trends.

This insight helps occupiers compare facilities across multiple markets and make informed, data-backed decisions.

Global Reach and Industry Expertise

With over 600 professionals and international partners worldwide, Keyser supports occupiers in locating and negotiating cold storage facilities across every major market. The firm combines global resources with local market expertise to ensure clients find spaces that meet precise temperature, logistics, and compliance requirements.

Keyser’s advisors work across office, warehouse, manufacturing, medical, and retail environments—offering a holistic view of how each facility fits into a company’s broader operational network.

Conflict-Free Representation

Unlike traditional brokerages that may represent landlords, Keyser is entirely conflict-free, representing only tenants and owner-occupiers. This guarantees objective guidance when assessing cold storage warehouse assets, negotiating rent, or planning retrofits.

Whether securing a new facility or upgrading an existing one, Keyser ensures your cold storage solution is technically sound, economically viable, and strategically located.

The Right Temperature for Success

Selecting the right cold storage warehouse requires a blend of technical analysis, market expertise, and unbiased representation. With AI-driven insights, global reach, and selfless service, Keyser helps clients make cold storage decisions that protect product integrity, reduce cost, and enhance supply chain efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Q: What signs should I look for to determine if a warehouse offers cold-storage space?

A: Key indicators include specialized exterior features like insulated wall panels, visible refrigeration units or exhaust stacks, dock doors with thermal seals or air-curtain systems, and tenants referencing temperature-controlled (“chilled” or “frozen”) zones in the building. Additionally, ask the operator about declared temperature ranges (e.g., 2°C-8°C for chilled, -18°C or colder for frozen) and whether they maintain separate zones with independent controls.

Q: What infrastructure requirements distinguish a warehouse with cold-storage from a standard ambient warehouse?

A: A cold-storage warehouse will typically include robust insulation (walls, ceilings, floors), a dedicated refrigeration system (compressors, condensers, evaporators) to maintain target temps, backup power or redundancy for cooling, and internal zoning to separate chilled/frozen from ambient space. Energy usage and operational cost patterns (e.g., much higher utility bills) can also signal a built-out cold-storage facility.

Q: How should business leaders evaluate whether the cold-storage space meets their product’s requirements?

A: They should verify the maintained temperature range (e.g., chilled vs frozen vs ultra-low), ask about monitoring and alarm systems, inspect the loading/unloading process (are there refrigerated docks or air-lock vestibules?), understand zoning (mixed-use vs dedicated cold rooms), clarify how the facility handles power failures and defrost cycles, and review whether the space is certified for their particular product requirements (food, pharma, etc.). The match between the product’s needs and the warehouse’s actual capability is critical.