Insulated boxes carry stock the last mile: from cold room to counter, from shop to cart, from mandi to shop. Nilkamal, Seaplast and Consta Cool all make them in food-grade plastic with PUF insulation. The differences that matter are size, wall thickness and lid style.
Start with the load, not the litre figure
The litre rating is the box's gross volume. A 100 L box does not take 100 litres of ice cream tubs — the walls, the lid recess and the gaps between packs eat 20–30%. Plan on 70–80% usable.
Sizes and who buys them
| Size | Typical buyer | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| 50 L | Single milk booth, scooter vendor | A morning's pouches, small ice cream load |
| 70 L | Small shop, one cart | Milk plus curd, or a day of ice cream |
| 100 L | Ice cream counter, fish seller | A full selling day at the counter |
| 120 L | Parlour, caterer, distributor | Tubs, frozen snacks, mixed stock |
| 150 L | Distributors, bulk transfer | Movement between cold rooms |
Plain lid or vending lid
A plain lid is for transport: sealed, loaded, moved. A vending lid opens in sections so a seller can serve from the box without exposing the whole load. If the box lives on a counter being opened all day, buy vending. If it travels, buy plain and keep it shut.
Nilkamal, Seaplast or Consta Cool?
- Nilkamal — widest size availability, quickest to replace in Patna, familiar to every vendor.
- Seaplast — good value in the 50–120 L range, popular for fleets where boxes are bought in sets.
- Consta Cool — thicker walls on the larger sizes, which matters if the box sits loaded in a vehicle all day.
Five things that make a box last
- Pre-chill the box with a little ice before loading — it starts cold instead of cooling the walls.
- Fill it. Air is the enemy; gaps melt ice faster.
- Keep it out of direct sun and off hot metal floors.
- Do not drag a loaded box — lift it, or use a trolley with a strap.
- Dry it fully before storage, or the insulation smells by the second week.
When a box is the wrong answer
If stock must hold −18 °C for more than a day, or you need a steady temperature rather than "cold for hours", you need a freezer or a cold room. A box buys time; it does not refrigerate.
We keep 50–150 L Nilkamal, Seaplast and Consta boxes in the Patna showroom. Bring your pack sizes and we will tell you which box actually holds them.