A cold room for fresh fish and seafood in Singapore should hold product at about 0°C to 2°C, with high humidity and gentle airflow, while frozen seafood belongs at -18°C or colder. SFA’s Good Warehousing Practices recommend chillers at 4°C and below and freezers at -18°C or below, but fresh fish is far more perishable than most chilled food, so many operators run a dedicated, colder room for it instead of sharing a general chiller.
Why seafood needs different treatment from other chilled food
Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food, according to SFA’s Singapore Food Statistics 2025, so most seafood reaches a local cold room after hours or days in transit. Every temperature excursion along the way has already used up part of the product’s shelf life. Your cold room is the last place where that clock can be slowed down.
Local production is growing but is still a small part of supply. SFA reports that seafood farm productivity rose about 27 per cent in 2025, from 40.7 to 51.5 tonnes per hectare per year. Even so, importers, wholesalers, restaurants and fishmongers all depend on well-run cold storage to keep fish safe between delivery and sale.
Fish spoils faster than red meat because its flesh is softer, its natural bacteria are adapted to cold water, and its enzymes stay active at low temperatures. A fish held at 4°C is not in the same condition after two days as one held at 0°C to 2°C. That is why the 4°C chiller figure is a ceiling, not a target, for fresh seafood.
Setting up the room: temperature, humidity and airflow
Three design choices matter most for a seafood room.
- Temperature: aim for a setpoint near 0°C to 1°C for fresh fish, with a narrow swing. Frozen seafood should sit at -18°C or below, and premium frozen products such as sashimi-grade tuna are often held much colder, so confirm the supplier’s specification before sizing the room.
- Humidity: fish dries out and discolours in dry air. A refrigeration system with a large evaporator coil and a small temperature difference between coil and room removes less moisture from the air, which helps keep humidity high. Keep unpackaged product covered or on ice.
- Airflow: strong air blowing directly onto open product causes surface drying. Position evaporators so air moves across the room rather than onto the stacks, and leave gaps between crates so cold air can circulate.
Because the room runs close to freezing, the evaporator coil is prone to frost. Choose a defrost method that does not push room temperature up, and check that defrost drainage cannot freeze. Our article on defrost systems covers the trade-offs in detail.
Hygiene, drainage and materials
Seafood rooms are wet, salty and strongly scented, so the build should be washable. Stainless steel or coated panel surfaces, coved floor-to-wall junctions, a sloped floor with a floor drain, and a floor finish that resists salt and ice all help. Keep raw seafood physically separate from ready-to-eat items, and store crates off the floor on racks.
Temperature records matter as much as the room itself. SFA’s Good Warehousing Practices call for either temperature recording equipment with suitable alarms or a system of manual temperature checks that are recorded. For a seafood room, an alarm is the safer choice, since a compressor fault overnight can spoil a full delivery before anyone notices.
Finally, plan for peak loads. Seafood deliveries often arrive in large batches early in the morning. Loading warm product into an undersized room raises the temperature for hours, so size the compressor for pull-down capacity as well as steady-state load, and keep the door open as briefly as possible.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should fresh fish be stored at in a cold room?
Fresh fish is best held at about 0°C to 2°C. SFA’s Good Warehousing Practices set 4°C and below as the general recommendation for chillers, but fresh seafood keeps noticeably longer at the colder end of that range.
Can I store seafood in the same cold room as meat and vegetables?
It is possible if raw seafood is kept separate, but it is not ideal. Vegetables prefer warmer, more humid conditions, and raw seafood can drip onto other products. A dedicated seafood room or a clearly separated zone with its own racking is the better arrangement.
What temperature should frozen seafood be kept at?
Frozen seafood should be kept at -18°C or below, in line with SFA’s freezer recommendation. Some premium products require colder storage, so follow the supplier’s specification.
Do I need a temperature alarm for a seafood cold room?
SFA’s guidance accepts recorded manual checks as an alternative to recording equipment with alarms. In practice, an alarm that reaches your phone is the more reliable protection for a high-value, fast-spoiling product.
How do I stop frost building up in a room held near 0°C?
Choose an evaporator suited to low-temperature differences, keep door openings short, and make sure the defrost cycle and drain are set up correctly. Persistent heavy frost usually points to an airflow, door-seal or defrost fault that a technician should check.
If you are planning a seafood cold room or upgrading an existing one, contact Resource SY Engineering on +65 6762 6651 or WhatsApp +65 8282 6894 for a site assessment.