Commercial Freezer Buying Guide
Chest or upright, display or storage — how to choose a commercial freezer, for a venue or the garage at home.
Not sure which suits you? Call us on 03 9783 6325.
Compare the size, capacity and configuration that fit your space.
Use Borrelli product data rather than generic buying advice.
Ask our local team to check your choice before buying.
A commercial freezer is bought for one of two jobs: store as much as possible (bulk back-of-house), or display frozen product to sell (ice creams, frozen goods). Which job you’re doing decides chest or upright, and glass or solid — get that right and the rest is capacity.
This is also our most home-friendly range: a chest freezer in the garage is the classic way to store a side of beef, a season’s fishing, or a bulk shop. The choice below works the same at home.
Every figure here is from our own range.
Chest or upright?
- Chest freezer — top-opening, holds the most per dollar, and loses the least cold air when opened (cold air sinks and stays put). The best value for bulk storage — back-of-house, or a garage at home. Trade-off: you dig for things at the bottom.
- Upright display freezer — full-height glass doors, shelves, everything at eye level. Built to display and sell frozen product front-of-house, or for easy-access organised storage. Uses a bit more energy for the convenience and the glass.
Simple: bulk storage, best value → chest. Display and sell, or easy access → upright.
Display or storage? (glass vs solid lids/doors)
- Glass-top chest — sliding lockable glass lid, so customers see the product (ice creams, frozen treats) — a display freezer that still holds bulk. 545L and 600L.
- Stainless-lid chest — hinged solid lid, better insulated, for pure back-of-house or garage storage. 439L and 537L.
- Upright glass-door — for merchandising frozen goods at eye level, 1 to 3 doors, 459L to 1560L.
Size and temperature
Chest freezers (−18 to −22°C)
| Model | Capacity | Lid | External L×D×H | Baskets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF-550SS | 439 L | Hinged stainless, lockable | 1540 × 770 × 850mm | 2 |
| CF-650SS | 537 L | Hinged stainless, lockable | 1820 × 770 × 850mm | 2 |
| CF-620 | 545 L | Sliding glass, lockable | 1820 × 670 × 850mm | 6 |
| CF-720 | 600 L | Sliding glass, lockable | 2000 × 670 × 850mm | 7 |
Upright display freezers (−15 to −20°C)
| Model | Doors | Capacity | External W×D×H |
|---|---|---|---|
| UF-580H | 1 | 459 L | 700 × 750 × 2050mm |
| UF-1180H | 2 | 1012 L | 1370 × 740 × 2107mm |
| UF-1780H | 3 | 1560 L | 2060 × 750 × 2050mm |
Tap any model for live pricing, full specs and stock.
What to look for
- Lockable lid/doors — standard on the chests; matters for a garage or an unattended display.
- Baskets — the glass-top chests come with more baskets (6–7) to organise frozen stock; the stainless-lid bulk units fewer (2).
- Energy — a chest uses less than an upright for the same volume; a solid lid less than glass. For pure storage, a stainless-lid chest is the cheapest to run.
- Fit and weight — the big uprights are tall (2050mm+) and heavy; check the doorway and plan the lift, same as any upright refrigeration.
- Ventilation — give it air, and in a hot garage remember it works harder over summer.