Gloved hand holding an orange infrared thermometer aiming at Cold Ice refrigerant gel packs inside an insulated cardboard box packed with glass sample vials.
A person wearing a white lab coat and black nitrile gloves opens a shiny, textured silver foil insulated pouch to insert a blue Cold Ice gel pack. In the background, two clear medical diagnostic vials with white caps rest on top of another silver foil liner on a lab counter.
A close-up of a white insulated foam mailer sleeve holding a blue Cold Ice gel pack inside its main compartment. In the foreground, four glass medical diagnostic vials filled with colorful blue, amber, and red liquids stand upright.

GEL PACKS FOR SHIPPING PHARMACEUTICALS

Built for Precise, Dependable Cold Chain Performance

Pharmaceutical shipping leaves no room for error. Temperature deviations risk product loss, compliance issues, and costly delays. Cold Ice® helps life science companies protect what matters with high-performance gel refrigerants manufactured in the U.S. since 1982.

Our approach goes beyond the gel pack. Cold Ice® pairs refrigerants with insulated shipping containers and temperature monitoring, giving you a complete system for validated, documented transit from dock to delivery.

Refrigerants designed to protect temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals in transit and maintain stable conditions so medications, vaccines, and biologics arrive with their quality and integrity preserved.

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Our Insulated Containers protect product integrity from pack-out to arrival. Multiple formats and performance levels support shipments across domestic routes, extended transit, and demanding cold chain conditions.

Temperature Logging Devices offer you a timeline you can review, compare, and act on.

Cold Ice® manufactures the refrigerant and supplies the rest of the system, so you don’t have to manage three vendors to keep one shipment cold.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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How to eliminate hotspots inside an insulated shipping container?

Place refrigerant packs on multiple sides of the product, not just on top, and avoid air gaps. Fill space with appropriate dunnage to reduce air movement and keep the product centered away from the container, using enough refrigerant for the shipment duration and expected ambient temperatures. For critical shipments, verify performance with temperature indicators or data loggers.

How long does it take gel refrigerant to freeze?

Freezing time depends on pack size, freezer temperature, airflow, and the quantity being frozen. An individual 24-ounce gel pack may freeze in approximately 8 to 12 hours. For faster freezing, separate gel packs or cases; this will allow airflow around each pack or case, resulting in a faster freeze time. Full pallets can take weeks to freeze depending on freezer capacity and airflow. The center of the load freezes last.

How do I stop gel ice pack from leaking and damaging my container?

This issue can be eliminated by using a leak- proof semi solid gel refrigerant such as Coldice that is designed not to leak if the wrapper is punctured or torn unlike fee flowing gels that will leak.

Can I reuse gel refrigerant packs?

Yes high quality Gel refrigerant packs are designed for multiple use. Coldice gel refrigerants can be refrozen and reused multiple times.

How do I prove my shipment and stays within it’s required temperature range?

Use temperature monitoring tools to verify cold chain performance throughout transit. Cold Ice provides temperature indicators and monitors that help track shipping conditions and document that the products arrive at the required temperature range.

Are gel ice packs leak-proof?

No. Most gel packs will leak. Cold Ice gel packs are designed with cross-linked semi-solid hydrogel technology, where the gel will not leak if the wrapper is punctured or torn.

Guaranteed Temperature Integrity for Every Mile.

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