Ice Calculator
How much ice does your party need? Cube ice for the drinks, crushed for the cocktails, and the freezer count nobody remembers to order.
Ice
How much ice does an event really need?
Ice is what most event orders get wrong. The rule below is the one real bar crews buy by, and it is what the calculator runs on:
For a 6-hour event, plan one 2 kg bag (4.4 lb) of cube ice per guest, which covers the drinks and the bottle chilling, plus 0.3 bags of crushed (0.6 kg / 1.3 lb) for the cocktails. Shorter events have a floor: a 3-hour party still takes about 60%, because the bottles need chilling whatever time the party ends. Longer ones grow to ×1.1 at 8 hours, ×1.8 at 10, ×1.9 at 12, and stop around ×2.2. Heat and outdoor service add a little on top.
Storage is the other half, and it rarely makes the list. From about 100 guests you want a large freezer on site, roughly one per 100–120 guests. Without one, a good share of your ice is water by the time the party peaks. The calculator names the freezers next to the bags and rounds every quantity up to whole bags, so what you read is what you can order.
Frequently asked questions
How much ice do I need per person?
For a 6-hour event, plan one 2 kg bag (4.4 lb) of cube ice per guest plus about 0.6 kg (1.3 lb) of crushed, so roughly 2.6 kg (5.7 lb) each. Shorter events have a floor at about 60%, because the bottles need chilling whatever time the party ends. Longer ones grow: ×1.8 at 10 hours, ×1.9 at 12, stopping around ×2.2.
How much ice for 100 guests?
About 260 kg (574 lb) for a 6-hour event: 130 bags of 2 kg (30 of 20 lb), of which 100 are cube ice (23 of 20 lb) and 30 crushed (7 of 20 lb). A 3-hour party still takes about 60%. At 8 hours plan around 110 cube bags (25 of 20 lb), and a 10-hour party almost doubles the base.
Do I need a freezer at my event?
From about 100 guests, yes: one large freezer per 100–120 guests. Two hundred kilos (441 lb) of ice left in the sun goes fast, and it goes before the hour you need it most.
Should I buy extra ice as a buffer?
The quantities already carry a working margin, and each ice type rounds up to whole bags, so every line is a number you can actually buy. Hot weather and outdoor service add a little more on top.
Know your ice. Now calculate every bottle.
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