Temperature Controlled Packaging
IPC manufactures temperature controlled packaging for food, pharma, and industrial shipments. We combine advanced insulating materials, expert packout consultation, and low MOQs—perfect for mid‑sized teams scaling reliable cold chain operations.
What is Temperature Controlled Packaging?
Temperature controlled packaging refers to shipping materials and accessories- box liners, pouches, insulated delivery bags- and thermal packs that help companies shipping temperature sensitive products maintain a specific temperature range during transit, storage, and last‑mile delivery.
From shipping frozen seafood crossing the country to temperature‑sensitive pharmaceuticals shipping overnight, the right packaging preserves quality, prevents spoilage, and supports compliance.
IPC (Insulated Products Corporation) helps you build the next‑generation of temperature controlled packaging systems with:
- Advanced insulating materials for superior thermal performance and sustainability goals
- Packaging experts who tune packouts to your hold time and ambient profile
- Lower minimums ideal for growing mid‑market operations
Cold Chain vs. Temperature Controlled Packaging
In logistics, cold chain refers to the full network of equipment, processes, and storage environments needed to keep products at a cold or refrigerated temperature from origin to destination. Cold chain packaging is a subset of that system—packaging specifically designed to protect products that must remain chilled or frozen during transport.
Temperature controlled packaging is a broader term. It describes any packaging engineered to maintain a target temperature range—whether cold, ambient, or even warm—throughout shipment. This makes it the more accurate descriptor in scenarios where the ideal product temperature isn’t necessarily cold, such as room-temperature stability for certain pharmaceuticals or elevated heat for specialty food items.
| Cold Chain Packaging | Temperature Controlled Packaging |
|---|---|
| Packaging engineered to keep products refrigerated or frozen during transit. | Packaging engineered to maintain a specific target temperature—cold, ambient, or warm—throughout shipment. |
| Uses high‑performance insulation and refrigerants (e.g., gel packs, dry ice, PCM) tuned for chilled/frozen hold times. | May use the same insulation and thermal media (coolants or heat sources), but optimized for a wider range of profiles including room‑temperature stability or heated shipments. |
| Typical applications: frozen seafood, ice cream, vaccines at 2–8 °C. | Typical applications: chocolate and cosmetics (heat shielding), ambient‑stable pharma, as well as chilled and frozen goods. |
Examples: Frozen, Refrigerated, and Room‑Temp Protection
Frozen < 0°F / −18°C
When shipping frozen you’ll be using dry ice and a high performance liner like our PopupLiner with 1.5″ wall thickness for anything beyond 24 hour shipping. We don’t recommend you use ice packs as you’ll just be adding thermal mass rather than actively cooling the product. Check out our guide to shipping frozen products or one of industry specific write ups below:
Chilled/ Refrigerated 35–46°F / 2–8°C
Shipping chilled/ refrigerated is the most common temperature range, but there are plenty of niche cases. Here you’ll certainly need cold ice packs for shipping. Check out our guides below:
Room‑Temp Stability
Other items need room temp stability to maintain shape, consistency or effectiveness like when shipping cosmetics in high heats. Other times like in electronics, you’re just trying to prevent fast temperature increases, spikes.
IPC Temperature Controlled Packaging Products
Box Liners
- CelluLiner — Recyclable paper insulation
- PopupLiner — Patented vacuum‑compressed mylar liner
- CooLiner — Foil‑bubble insulation
Pouches & Mailers
- PopupLiner Pouches
- CooLiner Pouches
- Thermal Insulated Paper Delivery Bags
- Foil Bubble Insulated Delivery Bags
Refrigerants
- Drain‑friendly, non‑toxic gel packs
- Large‑format gel packs (e.g., 96 oz)
- Foam bricks & phase‑change options
Pallet & Cargo
- Insulated pallet covers
- Bulk and LTL protection
- Insulated Box Liners: CelluLiner, PopupLiner, CooLiner
- Mailers, Insulated Pouches, Bags & Shippers: Recyclable paper, foil bubble, PopupLiner-mylar and foam insulation
- Coolants: Gel packs, refrigerants, dry ice, heat packs
- Last‑Mile Delivery Bags: Single‑use & reusable
- Pallet & Cargo: Insulated pallet covers and bulk protection
Packout Design & Validation
We collaborate with your team to dial in the right packout—not guess it. Together we iterate on insulation thickness, shipper size, and thermal pack type/quantity, providing samples so you can validate in your lanes. Upon request, we run temperature testing to check performance against ISTA Summer and Winter profiles.
Industries & Applications
- Meat & Seafood — Frozen & fresh protein shipments
- Pharma & Biotech — GLP‑1 therapies, clinical logistics
- Food & Beverage — Meal kits, gourmet confections
- Cosmetics & Personal Care — Heat‑sensitive formulas
- Specialty Goods — Chemicals, reagents, electronics
- All Other Industries — Custom solutions on request
Why Focus on Temperature Controlled Packaging?
FDA & Regulatory Compliance
Support FDA/USDA and relevant regulatory requirements with effective temperature controlled packaging solutions.
Avoid Shrinkage
Reduce spoilage, chargebacks, and returns with proven insulation and coolant strategies.
Protect Brand Experience
A product that arrives in perfect condition is part of the brand experience. Make sure it’s part of your brand experience.
