Compare commercial freeze dryers
Four configurations on three chamber sizes, all with a commercial vacuum pump. The specifications that decide fit are tray area, the space between shelves, how much ice the cold trap holds, and the circuit you have to plug into.
Drawn to scale
5-Shelf Commercial
$3,360
- Per batch
- 12–18 lb
- Tray area
- 800 sq in
- Shelf spacing
- 1.6 in
- Power
- 110 V, 15/20 A outlet
7-Shelf Commercial
$3,734
- Per batch
- 12–18 lb
- Tray area
- 1,120 sq in
- Shelf spacing
- 1.2 in
- Power
- 110 V, 15/20 A outlet
Full specifications
From the published specifications and the live catalog, checked November 12, 2026. Every price includes the vacuum pump.
| Specification | 5-Shelf Commercial | 7-Shelf Commercial | Large | Mega |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price, pump included | $3,360 | $3,734 | $4,335 | $5,355 |
| Fresh food per batch | 12–18 lb | 12–18 lb | 20–35 lb | up to 50 lb |
| Rated per year | up to 3,600 lb | up to 3,600 lb | up to 7,000 lb | Not rated |
| Ice capacity | 14 lb | 14 lb | 25 lb | 40 lb |
| Trays | 5 × 8 × 20 in | 7 × 8 × 20 in | 6 × 9.5 × 22.5 in | 6 × 10.5 × 27.5 in |
| Total tray area | 800 sq in | 1,120 sq in | 1,283 sq in | 1,733 sq in |
| Shelf spacing | 1.6 in | 1.2 in | 1.6 in | 2 in |
| Main drying time | 16–30 hours for 8 lb | 16–30 hours for 8 lb | 20–40 hours for 20 lb | 20–40 hours for 20 lb |
| Shelf temperature | −50 to 180 °F | −50 to 180 °F | −50 to 180 °F | −50 to 180 °F |
| Cold trap | −40 °F | −40 °F | −40 °F | −35 °F |
| Vacuum pump | 7.2 CFM, Commercial | 7.2 CFM, Commercial | 7.2 CFM, Commercial | 10.2 CFM, Mega Commercial |
| Zoned heating and shelf fans | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Power, 110 V | Dedicated 15/20 A outlet | Dedicated 15/20 A outlet | Dedicated 110 V 20 A circuit with a NEMA 5-20 outlet | Dedicated 110 V 20 A circuit with a NEMA 5-20 outlet |
| Power, 220 V version | Dedicated 10 A outlet | Dedicated 10 A outlet | Dedicated 15 A circuit | Dedicated 15 A circuit |
| Average draw while drying | 950 W | 950 W | 1,200 W | 1,400 W |
| Cabinet, W × D × H | 20 × 26 × 31 in | 20 × 26 × 31 in | 22 × 29 × 34.5 in | 25.25 × 33.5 × 37.5 in |
| Weight without pump | 165 lb | 170 lb | 224 lb | 268 lb |
| Model number | 4H11560US | 4H11560US | 8H11560US | 12H11560US |
The 5-Shelf and 7-Shelf are the same Standard chamber with a different shelf insert, so they share ice capacity and weight per batch; the 7-Shelf spreads it across more, thinner layers. The yearly ratings assume roughly 200 full batches a year.
How to choose
Four questions settle it for almost every buyer. Work through them in order.
1. What are you drying?
Wet food such as fruit, vegetables, meals and meat is limited by the cold trap. Every pound of water in the load has to freeze onto it, so the most fresh food you can load is the ice capacity divided by the food’s water content. For strawberries, which are about 91% water, that’s roughly 15 lb on the Standard, 27 lb on the Large and 44 lb on the Mega.
Candy carries almost no water, so ice capacity doesn’t matter. It is limited by tray area and by headroom: gummies, taffy and marshmallows can double or triple in height. The 7-Shelf’s 1.2 in spacing suits only low-expansion candy such as Skittles; the Mega’s 2 in is the most generous we build. See freeze dryers for candy.
2. How much a week?
Cycle time, not batch size, usually sets output. A full load of wet food is a two- to four-day cycle, so plan on about two and a half batches a week from a Standard or Large running around the clock, and just under two from a Mega. The table below uses the middle of the published drying range.
| Full load of strawberries | Fresh per batch | Cycle | Fresh per week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5- or 7-Shelf | 15 lb | 51–65 h | about 38 lb |
| Large | 27 lb | 50–65 h | about 68 lb |
| Mega | 43.5 lb | 70–93 h | about 77 lb |
Loading food already frozen cuts each cycle by 5 to 9 hours. Run your own product through the business calculator.
3. What power do you have?
The 5- and 7-Shelf want a dedicated 15 or 20 A outlet. The Large and Mega need a dedicated 110 V, 20 A circuit with a NEMA 5-20 outlet, the kind with a T-shaped slot. That’s an ordinary job for an electrician, and it’s still a 120-volt circuit: nothing here needs 220 V or three-phase power in North America. The 220 V versions need a dedicated 10 A outlet (5- and 7-Shelf) or a dedicated 15 A circuit (Large and Mega).
4. Where will it stand?
The cabinets take in air on the left and exhaust on the right, so they need 12 in clear on both sides and no heat source on the left. The vacuum port and drain each stand about 2 in proud of the cabinet. Allow a bench or floor space about 48 in wide for a Standard, 50 in for a Large and 53 in for a Mega, plus room for the pump. It goes as far from the machine as the hose allows, or 6 to 8 in below it, in clean air between 50 and 75 °F.
One bigger machine, or two smaller ones?
On wet food the Large and Mega are close on output per dollar: about $64 of machine per pound of weekly fruit capacity for the Large and $70 for the Mega in the table above. Two Larges cost $4,335 each and together make roughly 136 lb of fresh fruit a week, against about 77 lb from one Mega.
The Mega earns its place where loads are bulky and dry rather than wet: candy, herbs and greens, vials and anything tall. Two machines also give you two independent cycles, and when one is down for maintenance you’re at half capacity rather than none.
Buying
Single machines can be bought online at stayfreshfreezedry.com, with shipping to the lower 48 states included. For two or more machines, export, a purchase order or a dealer inquiry, request a written quote.
Running a few batches a month rather than a business? The same chambers with the lighter Premier pump, and the countertop Small, are sold for home use at stayfreshfreezedry.com.
Need a written quote?
Buying two or more machines, shipping outside the US, or need a quote for a purchase order? Send the details and we’ll reply with a written quote.