Freezer Buying Guide
Posted on July 17, 2025 By Mike M.Sometimes the freezer that comes along with your standard refrigerator just doesn't offer the storage space you need. If you're in need of additional freezer space for storing bulk-buy groceries, fish and game, make-ahead meals or beyond, a standalone freezer is just what you need. Read on to find out about each different type of freezer, and which might be the best freezer for you.
What is an Upright Freezer?
One type of freezer you'll often see in people's kitchens rather than their garages is the upright freezer. These units, as their name implies, stand tall in an upright position and feature shelving with organization in mind. Though you may often see freezers of a similar build as part of a side-by-side refrigerator, as a standalone appliance these units tend to be used in tandem with a freezerless refrigerator to maximize storage space in your kitchen. When it comes to sizing options, what is a large size for an upright freezer? You can typically break upright freezers down into a few sizing categories. Smaller upright freezers might have an internal size of 5 to 9 cubic feet, while medium size models might be 10 to 16 cubic feet, and larger units tend to be 17 cubic feet or more. For external sizing, you can find a wide range of sizes including 56” right down to an ultra-slim 18” model. You can also find compact upright freezers that are as small as 16” wide, but those are much closer in size to a mini fridge.
What is a Chest Freezer?
Now that we've covered upright freezers, we can discuss other types. Chest freezers are built, well, like chests. They lay down horizontally and offer tons of storage space. Instead of being placed in a kitchen, these kinds of freezers are often used as an extra unit to be used for secondary storage in a garage or basement. You can find these units in a variety of sizes as well. If you need a whole bunch of cold storage ahead of a big party, or you're just big on freezing meats, then you can get your hands on units as large as 91” with 26.7 cubic feet of storage space, though chest freezers of this massive size tend to mainly be used commercially. For personal use, you're more likely to find a unit between 30” and 60”. To find out more about the many benefits that come with having an extra freezer, check out our blog, “How An Additional Freezer Can Save You Money and Time.”
What is a Deep Freezer?
Deep freezers are built for extra-long term frozen storage and they can come in either the upright or the chest configuration. The main benefit to note about deep freezers is their ability to reach extremely low temperatures, even when compared to other freezers. Most models can reach 0 °F or less, offering you superior cooling for meats or anything else you might be storing away. If you decide to go for a chest deep freezer, you'll likely have more storage capacity but less organizational options, while an upright deep freezer will likely offer you more organization options, like shelving with slightly less storage space.
What are Freezer Drawers?
Freezer drawers are completely different from any other type of freezer. As their name implies, these units are built like drawers and are installed directly into kitchens within cabinetry. Usually coming in pairs, they slide out similarly to freezers built into a bottom freezer refrigerator. These drawers offer a sleek way to give you plenty of cold storage in your kitchen in a compact build, with a built-in design that looks good and saves kitchen space.
What is the Most Energy-Efficient Freezer?
Amongst the freezers we've mentioned above, chest freezers actually tend to be the most energy efficient. As you may remember from science class, cold air is denser than warm air and tends to sink. Due to a chest freezer's horizontal design, they retain more cold air when opened than an upright freezer, which means it requires less energy to cool than other freezers. If you're particularly concerned about energy efficiency, you can always keep an eye out for Energy Star certified freezers. These freezers are built from the ground up with energy efficiency in mind and are sure to save you money on your monthly bills when compared to a non-certified model.
Getting yourself a good freezer is a necessity when you have lots of frozen food to store. We hope this blog has helped you learn about the different types of freezers and has given a few tips for handling them. Best of luck with your search, and enjoy your new freezer!