How to measure a cold room for PUF panels

What do I need before measuring?

A steel tape or laser measure, a sketch of the room from above, and the room temperature you need. The temperature decides the thickness (see thickness by temperature), and the thickness changes the outside size of the room.

Step by step

1. 01

   Decide inside or outside size

   Panels add their thickness on every side. Outside length = inside length + 2 × panel thickness. If you need a certain inside space for racks or pallets, give the inside size; if the room must fit a fixed shed or plot, give the outside size, and say which one you gave.

2. 02

   Measure length, width and height

   Measure in metres, or in feet and convert (1 ft = 0.3048 m). Measure the clear height under any beam, and note columns, beams or pipes inside the footprint.

3. 03

   Work out the wall area

   Wall area = 2 × (L + W) × H. Deduct nothing for doors at this stage; the door frame panels are cut around the opening.

4. 04

   Work out the ceiling area

   Ceiling area = L × W. Note the shorter side: ceiling panels usually span across it. Wide rooms need suspension from the roof steel.

5. 05

   Count the wall panels

   For each wall, divide its length by the cover width (for example 1.0 m) and round up. Add the four walls. The exact corner detail depends on the brand’s system.

6. 06

   List doors and openings

   Number and size of doors (hinged or sliding), strip curtains, pressure relief ports for sub-zero rooms, and openings for pipes and drains.

7. 07

   Decide the floor

   Rooms below 0 °C need an insulated floor and usually floor heating or ventilation underneath to stop frost heave. Chillers often sit on an existing floor with a floor channel; tell us which you have.

Worked example: a 6 × 4 × 3 m chiller

A +2 °C chiller with an inside size of 6 m × 4 m × 3 m high, using 100 mm cam-lock panels (U ≈ 0.21 W/m²K) with a 1.0 m cover width.

Perimeter

2 × (6 + 4) = 20 m

Wall area

20 m × 3 m = 60 m² (645.8 sq ft)

Ceiling area

6 m × 4 m = 24 m² (258.3 sq ft)

Wall panels

2 × ⌈6 / 1.0⌉ + 2 × ⌈4 / 1.0⌉ = 12 + 8 = 20 panels, 3 m long

Ceiling panels

⌈6 / 1.0⌉ = 6 panels spanning about 4 m

Outside size

(6 + 0.2) × (4 + 0.2) = 6.2 m × 4.2 m footprint

Typical accessories for such a room: cam locks (built into the panels, roughly one per 800 mm of joint), sealant for every joint and junction, L-angles or coving at the floor and ceiling, a door, and flashing made as per your requirement. The panel calculator does this maths for any size and lists the accessories.

What are the common measuring mistakes?

• Not saying whether the size is inside or outside. With 100 mm panels the difference is 200 mm on every length.
• Measuring the height to the roof sheet instead of the clear height under beams, pipes or trusses.
• Forgetting the door: its size decides the cut around the opening and the frame trims.
• Mixing feet and metres in one sketch. Convert everything to one unit first (1 ft = 0.3048 m).
• Leaving out the floor. A freezer floor is a separate decision with its own panels or insulation.
• Ignoring site access: very long panels need a long vehicle and space to unload.

What should I send for a quote?

• Inside or outside size, and which it is.
• Room temperature (or the product you will store).
• Number and size of doors.
• Floor: insulated panels needed or not.
• Your city or pincode for the transport quote (transport extra).