How Long Does Dry Ice Last?

Dry ice lasts 5-10 pounds per 24 hours at room temperature, 18-24 hours per 5-pound block in a quality cooler, and about 24 hours per 5 pounds when properly packaged for shipping.

Those numbers change dramatically based on storage conditions, insulation quality, and how often you’re opening containers.

In this article, we cover: 

• What factors determine how long dry ice lasts
• How long dry ice lasts at room temperature versus proper storage
• How long dry ice lasts in different types of coolers
• How long dry ice lasts when shipping overnight versus ground
• What signs indicate your dry ice supply is running out

WestAir supplies dry ice across California and Arizona.

What Factors Determine How Long Dry Ice Lasts?

Dry ice sublimation rate depends on four main factors: ambient temperature, insulation quality, air circulation, and the amount you started with.

That “5-10 pounds” recommendation from your last supplier? Meaningless without context. A pound of dry ice in a cheap foam cooler at 90°F won’t last through lunch. That same pound in a proper insulated container at 32°F might make it through tomorrow.

Temperature matters a lot. At room temperature (around 70°F), dry ice sublimates at roughly 5-10 pounds per 24 hours when stored properly. Crank up the heat or add some airflow, and it disappears much faster.

Insulation changes everything. A quality rotomolded cooler with 2-inch walls beats that gas station styrofoam box every time. That’s why medical facilities don’t mess around with bargain insulation.

Surface area is another key factor. A 10-pound block lasts significantly longer than 10 pounds of pellets because less surface contacts the air. Use blocks for long-term storage, pellets only for immediate use.

Air circulation accelerates sublimation faster than almost anything else. That’s why your dry ice quickly vanishes in the back of a pickup truck but lasts days in a sealed container.

Control what you can control. You can’t change the weather, but you can upgrade your storage, minimize handling, and actually calculate how much you need instead of guessing.

How Long Does Dry Ice Last at Room Temperature?

At room temperature (70°F), dry ice sublimates at a baseline rate of 5-10 pounds every 24 hours, before factoring in any other variables.

If you store dry ice at room temperature, you’re essentially watching money evaporate at $1-3 per pound. A 20-pound delivery left on your loading dock at noon? You’ll have 15 pounds by tomorrow morning if you’re lucky.

The 5-10 pound range isn’t us hedging our bets. Humidity, air pressure, and exact temperature all matter.

The brutal truth? It’s a bad idea to store dry ice at room temperature for more than a few hours. Even a basic styrofoam cooler cuts your loss rate in half. A quality insulated container? Now you’re properly managing inventory instead of watching it disappear.

How Long Does Dry Ice Last in a Cooler?

In a quality cooler, dry ice typically lasts 18-24 hours per 5-pound block, though this varies dramatically based on cooler quality and how often you’re opening it.

Not all coolers are created equal. A $300 rotomolded cooler holds dry ice much longer than the $30 special from the grocery store. The difference is insulation thickness and seal quality. 

High-end coolers with 2-3 inch walls can stretch 10 pounds of dry ice to 3-4 days. Medical transport companies rely on these for cross-country organ shipments. When failure means someone doesn’t get a kidney, proper equipment isn’t optional.

Standard coolers (the red and blue ones at every job site) manage about 12-18 hours per 5 pounds. Fine for overnight shipping or next-day catering events. Not fine for that three-day festival where you promised frozen inventory through Sunday.

Opening the cooler wastes a lot of dry ice. Regularly taking a peek can cost hours of preservation. Those restaurants checking their frozen dessert samples every hour? They’re burning through dry ice fast. It makes sense to use clear-lid coolers or separate compartments for frequently accessed items.

Pre-cooling your cooler adds hours to your dry ice lifespan. Throw in regular ice or frozen water bottles the night before. Your dry ice shouldn’t waste energy cooling down warm plastic.

How Long Does Dry Ice Last in a Styrofoam Cooler?

Styrofoam coolers keep dry ice viable for 12-24 hours depending on thickness – the thicker the walls, the longer your preservation window.

Those white shipping coolers from medical suppliers are engineered for 18-24 hour windows with 5-10 pounds of dry ice. Pharmaceutical companies trust them for overnight vaccine shipments because they’re predictable. Not amazing, but predictable.

The gas station styrofoam coolers everyone grabs for last-minute needs barely manage 12 hours. The walls are too thin, the lids don’t seal, and they crack if you look at them wrong. But for $5, they’ll get your frozen samples across town.

Thickness is everything with styrofoam. A 1-inch wall gives you 12 hours. Two inches gets you to 24. Three inches (usually custom industrial models) can push 36 hours. Seafood distributors learned this a long time ago – they don’t mess around with thin walls when shipping expensive tuna.

Here’s the thing: styrofoam does work better than most cheap hard coolers for dry ice storage. The foam doesn’t conduct cold like plastic does. A styrofoam box might outperform the more expensive plastic cooler sitting in your warehouse.

How Long Does Dry Ice Last When Shipping?

For shipping, plan on 5-10 pounds of dry ice lasting 24 hours in proper packaging, with 5 pounds being the minimum for overnight delivery.

The shipping industry has this down to a science: 5 pounds for overnight, 10 pounds for two-day, and forget about three-day unless you’re using specialized containers.

Ground shipping in summer is where dry ice goes to die. When your package spends hours in a 110°F truck rolling through Bakersfield, you’re losing product before it arrives. The fix is packing 30% more dry ice in the summer or choosing overnight delivery instead of gambling on ground shipping.

Airlines have their own complications. Dry ice is classified as dangerous goods, and you’re limited to 5.5 pounds per package. That’s barely enough for coast-to-coast if everything goes perfectly. If your flight gets delayed six hours, your frozen samples are ruined.

The variable that kills many shipments is actual transit time versus promised delivery. “Two-day” might mean 48 hours from your dock to theirs, or 48 hours from whenever pickup happens. Build your dry ice calculations on worst-case scenarios.

Gel packs as backup make sense for shipments that absolutely cannot fail. The dry ice keeps everything frozen initially, and if delays happen, the gel packs provide a buffer. Biotech companies shipping irreplaceable specimens don’t gamble on single-point failure.

What Are the Signs Your Dry Ice Is Running Out?

Your dry ice is nearly gone when the container stops producing visible vapor, feels noticeably lighter, and you can hear pieces rattling around instead of solid blocks.

The fog disappearing is your first warning. Active dry ice produces constant vapor, so when that stops, you’ve got hours left.

Weight tells the real story. Instead of guessing based on how heavy the container feels, regularly weigh your containers. 

Temperature creep is the silent killer. Your -78.5°C (-109.3°F) environment starts climbing to -51°C (-60°F), then -40°C (-40°F). By the time someone notices product quality issues, it’s too late. Biotech facilities put temperature loggers on their containers for exactly this reason.

If there are small pellets or snow at the bottom of the container, your blocks have mostly sublimated already. You’re looking at the last 10-15% of your supply. It will disappear faster than the rest because of increased surface area.

If you’re checking for these signs, you’re already behind. It’s better to track consumption rates and reorder at 30% capacity, not when someone notices the fog has stopped. Proactive reordering saves you a lot of money on emergency delivery fees.

Set reorder triggers based on weight or time, not visual inspection.

Properly Manage Your Dry Ice

Dry ice lasts a predictable length of time, and now you can plan accordingly instead of hoping for the best.

Remember: don’t eyeball quantities (and constantly pay for emergency deliveries).

Track your loss rates and order at 30% capacity instead of zero. 

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

Nick Vasco

Nick is an experienced B2B writer who brings his skill for crafting clear, easily digestible content to the industrial gas space.