Freezer Space Calculator: Box Fill, Freezer Capacity and How Much to Freeze a Day

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Opens on the book's Freezer Month. Change any number to your own and press Calculate.

Freezer cu ft

Freeze per day, low lb per cu ft (NCHFP: 2–3)

and high lb per cu ft

Food density g per mL; about 1

The boxes

Recipe 1

Portion g

Box

Or its mL optional

Boxes

Recipe 2

Portion g

Box

Or its mL optional

Boxes

Recipe 3

Portion g

Box

Or its mL optional

Boxes

Recipe 4

Portion g

Box

Or its mL optional

Boxes

Recipe 5

Portion g

Box

Or its mL optional

Boxes

Recipe 6

Portion g

Box

Or its mL optional

Boxes

The cook sessions: kilos into the freezer on one day

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

Frozen on

Quality window

Enter the freezer and the boxes, then press Calculate.

The formula

Fill % = portion (g) ÷ density (g per mL) ÷ the box's mL × 100; frozen, water grows about 9 %, so leave headspace
The freezer in liters = cu ft × 28.32; the boxes take Σ boxes × each box's mL
Freeze in a day = cu ft × 2 to 3 lb (NCHFP) × 0.4536 kg; compare each cook session's kilos
Quality window = frozen on + FSIS's months at 0 °F (quality, not safety: food kept at 0 °F stays safe)

The book's worked example, Chapter 9. The chili's 507 g fills a 32 oz box 54 %; the dal's 604 g fills its 30 oz box 68 %. Forty boxes take 36.9 L, about 19 % of the 7 cu ft (198 L) chest. It freezes 6.35–9.53 kg a day; the first Saturday's chili and burritos are 7.64 kg: over the 2 lb figure, so freeze in two lots or chill first.

Check it. Fill one box with water to the level of a portion and weigh it: the grams are the mL, and you see the headspace left.

Honest limits. NCHFP: freeze no more than 2–3 lb of unfrozen food per cubic foot of freezer in a day, and leave headspace (about ½ in in a pint, 1 in in a quart) because food grows as it freezes. FSIS: food kept at 0 °F (−18 °C) stays safe; its storage times are for quality. Spread new boxes in one layer until frozen, then stack. Label every box with the name, the date and the weight, and eat the oldest first. Prices are illustrative US prices from November 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.

These calculators go with Vegan Meal Prep Math (Craft & Studio, Book 4), where every number on this page is worked by hand.