Dry Ice vs Regular Ice: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between dry ice and regular ice is that dry ice is frozen CO₂ that sublimates at -78.5°C (-109°F) without leaving any liquid behind, while regular ice is frozen water that melts at 0°C (32°F) into puddles. Dry ice is typically better for long-distance shipments, while regular ice works best for everyday cooling.  

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to decide on dry ice vs regular ice for your use case.

WestAir supplies dry ice across California and Arizona.

Dry Ice vs Regular Ice Overview

Here’s an overview of the differences between dry ice and regular ice:

Which Ice Works Better for Shipping Frozen Products?

Dry ice is better for shipping anything that needs to stay frozen for more than 24 hours, but regular ice is fine for local deliveries if you don’t mind some puddles.

Dry ice keeps your products at -78.5°C (-109°F) while regular ice barely maintains 0°C (32°F). This temperature difference means frozen vaccines stay viable, ice cream stays rock solid, and that wagyu doesn’t turn into expensive mush.

Here are some things to consider to help decide if dry ice or regular ice is the right choice: 

• The weight problem: regular ice needs 2-3 times more weight to match dry ice’s cooling power. That extra weight can significantly increase your shipping costs.
• Water damage is real (and expensive): regular ice melts into water that destroys packaging, labels, and sometimes the product itself. Dry ice sublimates to gas, leaving zero moisture behind.
• Local vs long distance: local deliveries under 6 hours cost less with regular ice and work perfectly. Food trucks use it all day because they’re actively monitoring temperatures and can add more ice anytime. Same with catering events.
• The 48-hour rule: dry ice is generally your best option if you need products to stay frozen for 48+ hours in transit. Regular ice has turned into water after 24 hours in basic coolers. Dry ice keeps sublimating at a steady rate, maintaining that -78.5°C (-109°F) until the last piece disappears.

Is Dry Ice Actually More Expensive Than Regular Ice?

Yes, dry ice is more expensive than regular ice –  it costs $1-3 per pound and regular ice costs $0.20-0.50 per pound. But that’s only part of the story. 

Regular ice works in any cooler, but dry ice needs ventilated containers that cost $150-500 each. Store dry ice in a sealed cooler and you’ve just built a CO₂ bomb that will blow the lid off. Also, shipping with dry ice can require certified training for your team. 

Then there’s the insurance costs. Shipping with dry ice means higher premiums and stricter liability coverage because one improperly ventilated truck cab can knock out your driver.

But dry ice can save you money depending on the situation. Let’s say you’re shipping 50 pounds of frozen products coast-to-coast. You might need 3x more regular ice than dry ice to keep everything frozen, significantly increasing costs due to shipping weight. 

What Safety Equipment Do You Need for Dry Ice and Regular Ice?

Regular ice doesn’t require any safety equipment, while dry ice requires insulated gloves, ventilation, and proper containers at minimum. Even brief contact with dry ice can cause skin damage or frostbite.

The ventilation requirements catch businesses off guard. Store 50 pounds of dry ice in your walk-in cooler and you’ve created a CO₂ death trap. You need CO₂ monitors anywhere you store dry ice indoors, plus ventilation systems that actually work.

WestAir partners with CO2Meter to offer carbon dioxide safety solutions.  

You can store regular ice in an enclosed vehicle, but you can’t store dry ice in an enclosed vehicle because CO₂ would build up.

Styrofoam coolers from the grocery store work fine for regular ice but dry ice needs containers that can handle -78.5°C (-109°F) without cracking.

And training isn’t optional. OSHA requires documented safety training for anyone handling dry ice, while your newest employee can handle regular ice on their first day.

How Long Do Dry Ice and Regular Ice Last in Real-World Conditions?

Dry ice sublimates at 5-10 pounds per 24 hours in a standard cooler, while regular ice can last anywhere from 12 hours to several days depending on your setup.

A cheap foam cooler with regular ice might be slush in 12 to 24 hours. That same cooler with dry ice still maintains -78.5°C (-109°F) until the last piece sublimates. Put regular ice in a high-end rotomolded cooler and you’ll have ice for 5-7 days, but it’s slowly warming the entire time.

Assuming perfect conditions kills a lot of shipping timelines. That “48-hour” dry ice shipment assumes nobody leaves it on a loading dock in Phoenix in July. Your 10 pounds quickly becomes 3 pounds at 115°F.

Consider adding 50% more than you think you need for both types of ice. Need ice for 2 days? Pack for 3. It’s “cheaper” than explaining why the shipment arrived spoiled.

Which Industries Prefer Which Type of Ice (And Why)?

Now let’s look at which industries use which type of ice. Even if your industry isn’t covered, you may notice patterns that help you choose the right type of ice for your use case.

Your Ice Decision Comes Down to Time, Temperature, and Training

The choice between dry ice and regular ice depends on how long you need it cold, how cold it needs to be, and whether you can handle the safety requirements.

Regular ice wins for daily operations, local delivery, and anything where 0°C (32°F) is cold enough. Dry ice wins for shipping, extreme cold storage, and situations where water damage would cost more than the ice premium.

Pick the one that actually solves your problem, not the one that seems cheaper upfront.

Tyler O'Brien

Tyler is a results-driven marketing professional specializing in the industrial gases and equipment industry, bringing his 10 years of technical expertise and digital marketing acumen to the complex industrial gas B2B environment.