Global refrigerated warehouse capacity in 2020.

According to the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), the total capacity of refrigerated warehouses worldwide was 719 million cubic metres in 2020. There has been a 16.7% increase in reported capacity since 2018, largely driven by figures from North America and China.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated gross refrigerated storage capacity in the US to be around 103.4  million cubic metres (3.65 billion cubic feet) in 2019. Usable refrigerated storage capacity, defined as actual area used for storing commodities, represented 81% of the gross space. The total number of refrigerated warehouses was 912.

There was about 16.5 million cubic metres (0.58 billion cubic feet)   of usable cooler capacity, defined as spaces that maintain temperatures between 0 and 10°C (0 and 50°F). There was about 67.5 million cubic metres (2.38 billion cubic feet) of usable freezer capacity, defined as spaces that maintain temperatures at about –17.8°C (0°F) or lower.
The authors of the USDA survey indicate that their figures should be considered as minimum figures. Indeed, the USDA survey only included warehouses that stored food products for 30 days or more at a temperature of 10° C (50° F) or lower. Facilities where the entire inventory was turned over more than once a month were excluded.

In 2020, the GCCA report estimated US warehouse capacity at 156 million cubic metres. The US reported the largest capacity, followed by India with 150 million cubic metres and China with 131 million cubic metres.

 

 

Sources

[1] https://www.gcca.org/resources/2020-global-cold-chain-capacity-report

[2] USDA. NASS. Capacity of refrigerated warehouses 2019 summary. https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/x059c7329