Types of Ice Explained

Two out of five ice machine rental companies fail to mention what TYPE of ice their machine produces. Believe it or not, we checked 66 websites to find this out.

It's important to know because ice type determines how your drink tastes, how much water/power it uses and how much your rental will cost each month. If you choose the wrong ice type then it costs you money and time for replacement. This guide covers all the common types, how they stack up on melt rate and cooling ability, and what machines the rental industry has available.

The five main types of ice

Crushed ice is a close cousin of cube, so most guides call it a sixth type rather than a main one.

Cube ice

Cube ice is what most people think of when they think of ice. Water is frozen in a grid by a machine, and whole solid cubes pop out either as full dice (about the size of a large sugar cube), or as the smaller half cube that allows more ice to fit in a glass. Because it is so dense, it melts slowly and cools a drink without diluting it. This is why it's the default ice type for restaurants, bars, and self-serve ice machines. Rental companies list full cube on 42% of the websites we looked at, second only to nugget. If you can't decide, then this is what you should get. Brands like Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, and Scotsman build excellent cubers, which we review in our guide to the best ice machine brands.

Nugget ice

Nugget ice is compressed from soft flakes into little nuggets you can chew. It absorbs flavor and chills quickly due to the increased surface area, but for the same reason it also melts more quickly than a cube. Nugget is now the type most rental companies lead with, named on 50% of the sites we surveyed. This is primarily due to demand from healthcare facilities and office water cooler companies. One interesting side effect of this demand: If you're shopping for nugget ice to fill an office building, you are most likely being sold Follett machinery by a water company representative rather than a traditional ice vendor. For reference, nugget ice also rents for more than plain cube machines. Easy Ice, the largest national provider, rents nugget about 50% higher than cube.

Flake ice

Flake ice is soft, wet, and looks like snow. A machine shaves thin sheets and breaks them into flakes that mold around any shape, which is why it sits under fresh fish, packs around meat, and fills salad bars. It cools faster than any other ice and will not bruise soft food, so hospitals use it for ice packs and therapy. It is a poor choice for drinks, since it turns a soda to water fast. One upside that rarely gets mentioned: flake and nugget machines use about a third less water per pound than cube machines, roughly 12 gallons per 100 pounds against 17.5 by ENERGY STAR medians, which shows up on your utility bill.

Gourmet ice

Gourmet ice is clear, dense ice that melts slowly and sometimes slower than a regular ice cube. Its purpose is to appear expensive and dilute a drink as little as possible, which is why high-end bars, steakhouses, and specialty coffee shops use it for whiskey and artisan cocktails. It's one of the least common styles we saw on the market, advertised on only 8% of websites we reviewed, and the most expensive to rent. The specialty cocktail ice from Easy Ice was priced about 60% higher than a basic cube.

Crescent and crushed ice

Crescent ice has a flat side and a curved side, like a small half-moon, and it is Hoshizaki's signature shape. The flat edge packs tight in a glass, so less ice fills more of the cup and you use a bit less per drink over a busy day. It suits restaurants and fountain stations. Crushed ice is just cube ice broken into jagged bits. It cools fast and works for blended drinks, frozen cocktails, and snow cones, but it melts too quickly for anything you sip slowly.

What rental companies actually stock

The vast majority of ice type guides lead with cube ice as the assumed category leader. It isn't, at least not by itself. Across 66 rental companies we surveyed for what ice types they advertise, nugget ice came out on top, being named by 50% of companies. Full cube was second at 42% and flake ice came in third at 38%. Add together all the cube-shaped options (full cube, half cube, crescent, and gourmet) and then cube comes out on top overall at around 52%. But still no ice type is named as frequently as nugget. An even more telling number is located at the bottom of the graphic: 41% of companies did not list a specific ice type. You should always ask before you sign a contract.

Melt speed and cooling speed, compared

Melt speed and cooling speed pull against each other, because ice that chills fast melts fast. The charts below rank the common types on both. They are relative, not stopwatch numbers, but they show the tradeoff you are choosing between.

Flake and nugget top both lists. Gourmet and cube sit at the slow end, which is exactly what you want in a glass. There is no best ice, only the best ice for the job. The table pulls it together.

All six types side by side, and where each one fits.

How to pick the right ice

Filling cups, keeping food cold, or blending each points to a different type. Match yours below.

Ice type determines your operating costs as much as beverage selection. A cube machine using 500 pounds of ice per day will cost about $130 per month for electricity and water, based on our running cost research. Nugget or flake cuts down on water usage. Compare that figure to the monthly price from our rent vs. buy calculator and our cost to rent an ice machine guide. Whatever decision you make, make sure to get the ice type and shape in writing from the dealer. Two in five suppliers won't offer that detail upfront. When you're ready, get free quotes from local dealers.