Platform

Ice Science

The engine calibrates 29 ice profiles; the 23 most common bar and artisan profiles are featured below, each with a measured melt rate. The difference between a cocktail holding up and being destroyed.

Why This Matters

When a bar says “we have a Hoshizaki,” the system can't assume crescent. They might have a KM crescent, an IM square, or a cubelet machine. The difference between a Hoshizaki IM 2x2 (0.7 oz/min) and a Hoshizaki cubelet (4.5 oz/min) is a 6.4x melt rate difference — the difference between a cocktail holding its structure and being destroyed.

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Hoshizaki Sphere

IM-50BAA-Q

0.6

oz/min

90g

mass

0°F

start

Sphere1.8" dia

Machine-made sphere. Premium whiskey/spirit-forward service.

2" sphere

Ice press / mold

0.6

oz/min

110g

mass

0°F

start

Sphere2" dia

Minimum surface area. Whiskey service.

Hoshizaki IM 2x2 square

IM-50BAA-LM

0.7

oz/min

120g

mass

0°F

start

Square cube1.9"x1.9"x2.3"

Large format machine-made. Closest to hand-cut 2" without manual labor.

Collins spear

Silicone mold

0.7

oz/min

85g

mass

0°F

start

Spear1"x1"x5"

Fills tall glasses. Slow melt.

Hand-cut 2" cube

Manual

0.8

oz/min

120g

mass

0°F

start

Cube2"x2"x2"

Craft cocktail bars. Slowest melt for cube shapes.

Kold-Draft Full cube

GB series

oz/min

55g

mass

0°F

start

Square cube1.25"x1.25"x1.25"

Industry gold standard. "Upside-down" evaporator. Purest, hardest, slowest.

Hoshizaki IM 1x1 square

IM-200/IM-500

1.3

oz/min

45g

mass

0°F

start

Square cube1"x1"x1.8"

Individual clear cubes. Premium cocktail bars.

Kold-Draft Cocktail cube

KD-50/70/110

1.3

oz/min

40g

mass

0°F

start

Square cube1"x1"x1.25"

Smaller than full cube, sized for rocks glasses.

Manitowoc Regular

IRT series

1.7

oz/min

35g

mass

5°F

start

RhomboidN/A

Larger than dice. Less common in bars.

Hoshizaki Top hat

DCM dispensers

1.8

oz/min

30g

mass

5°F

start

Top hat~1" cylindrical

Hotel/hospitality common. Hollow center = faster melt.

Hoshizaki KM crescent

KM Edge

oz/min

28g

mass

10°F

start

Crescent~1" curved

Most common bar ice in the US. Doesn't clump in bins.

Scotsman Medium cube

Prodigy Elite MC

oz/min

22g

mass

5°F

start

Cube7/8"x7/8"x7/8"

Most common Scotsman bar ice.

Manitowoc Dice

IDT (Indigo NXT)

2.2

oz/min

25g

mass

5°F

start

Rhomboid7/8"x1-1/8"x7/8"

Full dice. Classic rhomboid shape. High-volume bars.

Kold-Draft Half cube

GB561

2.5

oz/min

15g

mass

0°F

start

Half cube1.25"x1.25"x0.375"

Thin slab. Fast chill, faster melt. Packing/highball use.

Scotsman Small cube

Prodigy Elite small

2.8

oz/min

12g

mass

5°F

start

Cube~5/8"x5/8"x5/8"

Convenience stores, fast food. Faster melt.

Manitowoc Half dice

IYT series

oz/min

12g

mass

5°F

start

Rhomboid3/8"x1-1/8"x7/8"

Most popular Manitowoc shape. 96 cubes/lb.

Manitowoc Nugget

RNS series

oz/min

mass

15°F

start

Nugget~0.5"

Chewable. Similar to Hoshizaki cubelet. Not for cocktails.

Pebble ice

Nugget machines

oz/min

mass

15°F

start

Pebble~0.5"

"Sonic ice." Tiki, frozen, casual.

Scotsman Nugget

N-series

4.2

oz/min

mass

15°F

start

Nugget~0.5"

Sonic-style chewable. Coffee shops, healthcare.

Hoshizaki Cubelet

F-series

4.5

oz/min

mass

15°F

start

Nugget~0.4"

Soft, chewable. Healthcare/coffee. Not for cocktails.

Crushed ice

Any

oz/min

mass

20°F

start

Crushed0.25-0.5"

Juleps, swizzles, tiki. High surface area.

Scotsman Flake

F-series

5.5

oz/min

mass

25°F

start

FlakeN/A

Display, blended drinks.

Hoshizaki Flake

F-series flakers

oz/min

mass

25°F

start

FlakeN/A

Seafood display, blended drinks. Fastest melt.

Melt Rate Legend

Slow (≤1.0 oz/min) Moderate (1.0–2.0) Fast (2.0–3.5) Very Fast (>3.5)

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