Chilled & Refrigerated Storage in Sydney
Chilled storage means holding stock in the refrigerated band — around 2-6°C — rather than frozen or ambient. OPS 3PL holds chilled stock at that range in Rosebery, Sydney, and picks, packs and despatches it from the same building.
Chilled is not frozen, and the difference is not cosmetic
The three bands do genuinely different jobs, and providers use the words loosely enough that it causes real problems:
- Chilled / refrigerated — roughly 2-6°C. Product stays liquid, emulsions hold, live cultures survive.
- Frozen — around minus 18°C or below. Water crystallises. For most non-food products this is destructive, not protective.
- Ambient — uncontrolled warehouse temperature, which in a Sydney summer is nowhere near 25°C.
A warehouse advertising “cold storage” very often means frozen bulk pallets. If your product needs 2-6°C and unit-level picking, ask which band and which handling model before anything else.
Why 2-6°C specifically
It is the standard refrigerated range used across pharmaceutical, cosmetic, diagnostic and beverage supply chains. Above freezing, so water-based formulations do not crystallise and separate. Below roughly 8°C, where microbial growth accelerates and many actives begin to degrade.
Our room runs at 2-6°C, which sits entirely within the 2-8°C band most specifications are written to, with headroom at the top end.
What we hold chilled
- Medical products and diagnostics
- Cold beverages and drink ranges
- Beauty and skincare with active ingredients
- Probiotics and temperature-sensitive supplements
- Veterinary products
Unit-level picking out of chilled
There is no minimum term and no lock-in on chilled storage. You pay for the pallet or bin positions in use, per week — not for a reserved block of cool room you may not fill.
We hold around 100 chilled pallet spaces in a purpose-built cool room, with capacity to expand, plus bin locations. Four clients currently store chilled stock with us — one is an at-home testing brand shipping roughly 300 orders a month, picked at unit level out of refrigeration.
Most refrigerated storage in Australia is pallet-in, pallet-out. That works for bulk distribution and not at all for ecommerce, where you need one unit pulled from a pallet and packed into a parcel.
We hold chilled stock as pallets or bins and pick individual units from it. Orders received before 12pm are despatched the same day.
Holding temperature through despatch
Storage is the straightforward half. The exposure sits between the cool room and the customer.
Chilled orders are packed with insulation and coolant supplied by the client and matched to their product, then staged so they leave the cool room close to courier collection rather than standing at ambient on a despatch bench.
Monitoring
Temperature is logged continuously rather than spot-checked. Primary sensors report to a threshold-and-notification system and are cross-checked against independent sensors and standalone data loggers in the same space, so a drifting sensor is caught when it stops agreeing with the others.
Frequently asked questions
What is chilled storage?
Chilled storage holds stock in the refrigerated band, around 2-6°C. It sits between frozen storage, which is minus 18°C or below, and ambient storage, which is uncontrolled warehouse temperature.
What is the difference between chilled and frozen storage?
Chilled is roughly 2-6°C and keeps product refrigerated but unfrozen. Frozen is around minus 18°C or below. For most non-food products freezing is damaging rather than protective, so the distinction matters when comparing providers.
Can you pick individual units from chilled storage?
Yes. We hold chilled stock as pallets or bins and pick at unit level, rather than pallet-in, pallet-out only. Orders received before 12pm are despatched the same day.
Is 2-6°C the same as 2-8°C?
Our room runs at 2-6°C, which sits entirely within the 2-8°C range most pharmaceutical and diagnostic specifications are written to. If your specification calls for 2-8°C, a 2-6°C room satisfies it.
Is there a minimum storage term?
No. There is no minimum term and no lock-in on chilled storage. You pay for the pallet or bin positions in use, per week, rather than for a reserved block of cool room you may not fill.
Related
See our cold storage warehouse, cold storage 3PL services and what 3PL cold storage means.
Enquire
Tell us your product, the temperature range on its label and your order profile. Get in touch.
Where we are not the right fit
We do not handle products requiring a permit or licence, we are not a licensed pharmaceutical wholesaler, and we do not process returns on chilled stock.