How this calculator works
The cold storage capacity planner converts a target tonnage of fresh produce into required room volume (m³) and approximate floor footprint. Commodity-specific stacking densities and pallet-layer heights for 24 Pakistan crops (mango, kinnow, apple, potato, onion, banana, tomato, dates, and others) are sourced from USDA Agriculture Handbook 66 — The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks and supplemented with ASHRAE Refrigeration Handbook 2022, Chapters 21–22. The planner applies: (1) entered commodity bulk density (kg/m³); (2) a practical space-utilisation factor of 0.65 (35 % for aisles, pallet gaps, clearances — ASHRAE Ch. 22 recommendation); (3) entered clear stacking height. The 3D visualiser scales the resulting volume into a rectangular room and overlays heat-flow arrows from the thermal calculation. Outputs are advisory; structural load limits, fire code clearances, and evaporator placement may further constrain usable volume on site.
References: USDA Agriculture Handbook 66 (2016 edition); ASHRAE Refrigeration Handbook 2022 Chs. 21–22; FAO post-harvest loss studies for South Asia.