How to Cool a Warehouse

Sizing your warehouse cooling load

Warehouse cooling sizing starts with the cubic feet of conditioned space and the heat load inside it. The industrial baseline is approximately 25 BTU/hr per square foot of floor space for a moderate cooling load with standard 8-foot ceilings. Three adjustments matter:

• Ceiling height. Most warehouses have ceilings well above 8 feet. Add roughly 10% to required cooling capacity for every 2 feet above the 8-foot baseline. A 16-foot warehouse ceiling adds about 50% to required capacity.
• Heat load from operations. Forklift activity, dock door open-and-close, refrigerated zones, packaging machinery, and human occupancy all add load. Adjust upward 30-60% for heavy equipment activity.
• Sun exposure. Warehouses with significant south-facing or west-facing roof and wall exposure absorb solar load all afternoon. Adjust upward 10-25% for direct sun exposure on roof and high walls.

Evaporative vs refrigerant: which cooling type for your warehouse

The single biggest decision in warehouse cooling is evaporative cooling versus refrigerant portable air conditioning. The right answer depends on humidity, ventilation, and the temperature precision your operation requires.

Evaporative cooling: dry-climate warehouses with ventilation

Evaporative cooling pulls air through water-soaked pads, dropping the air temperature 15—25°F through the physics of evaporation. It uses 50-75% less electricity than refrigerant AC. It works best in dry climates and well-ventilated warehouses — the cooled air needs somewhere to exhaust through, and the cooling effect depends on dry intake air.

For a Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or Alberta interior warehouse with rolltop doors or man doors open during operations, evaporative is often the right answer. The Portacool APEX 4000 and Portacool APEX 6500 are Cantherm-distributed evaporative coolers built for industrial bays, shop floors, and warehouse spaces. The Vector Climate Spartan brings British patented evaporative engineering to premium industrial warehouses where aesthetics and smart controls matter.

Refrigerant portable AC: sealed warehouses and tight tolerances

Refrigerant portable air conditioning works in any humidity and delivers tight temperature control independent of outside air conditions. It’s the right answer for sealed warehouses, humid climates, or spaces with tight temperature tolerances — pharmaceutical storage, electronics warehousing, or controlled environments.

MovinCool Climate Pro 12, 18, and 26 portable spot coolers (built by Denso since 1982) handle smaller zones and mission-critical applications. OceanAire OWC water-cooled portable air conditioning scales up to 30 tons single-unit — enough to cool a 20,000 sq ft warehouse at office-grade temperatures.

Warehouse cooling brand portfolio — what Cantherm distributes

Cantherm Distributors is the Canadian distributor for the cooling brands warehouse facility managers actually buy:

• Portacool APEX 4000 & 6500 — industrial-grade evaporative cooling, patented Kuul Pad technology, runs on standard 120V breakers. Built for shop floors, industrial bays, loading docks, and large open warehouses.
• Vector Climate Spartan & Vector Premium — British patented evaporative engineering with smart controls and integrated water management. Industrial Spartan for shop floors; premium Vector for venue-quality interior spaces.
• MovinCool Climate Pro 12, 18, 26 — refrigerant portable spot coolers built by Denso since 1982. The right answer for tight-tolerance spaces, server rooms, and 24-hour mission-critical applications.
• OceanAire OWC water-cooled commercial portable AC — scales up to 30 tons single-unit for full-warehouse refrigerant cooling.

Warehouse cooling application examples

Open warehouse with rolltop doors

For warehouses where doors open frequently for forklift traffic and ventilation is constant, evaporative cooling is the right answer. The Portacool APEX 6500 delivers 6,500 CFM of cooled air at low operating cost. Vector Climate Spartan brings premium engineering to the same use case with smart controls. Both pull in dry warehouse air, drop the temperature 15-25°F through evaporation, and deliver cooled air across the bay.

Sealed distribution center

For sealed distribution centers handling temperature-sensitive product (electronics, pharmaceuticals, refrigerated zones adjacent to ambient zones), refrigerant cooling is required. OceanAire OWC water-cooled portable AC delivers commercial-scale cooling up to 30 tons single-unit — enough for a 20,000 sq ft warehouse at office-grade temperatures during peak summer load.

High-bay warehouse (20+ ft ceilings)

High-bay warehouses require cooling sized for the cubic feet (not just floor area) of the conditioned envelope. A 50,000 sq ft warehouse with 24-foot ceilings is effectively cooling a much larger volume than its floor area suggests. Often the right answer is multiple Portacool APEX units distributed across the bay for evaporative cooling, or a single OceanAire OWC unit with ductwork distribution for refrigerant cooling.

Office trailer or site office attached to warehouse

Office trailers and on-site management spaces inside or attached to warehouses typically need refrigerant cooling to office-grade temperature precision. MovinCool Climate Pro 12 or 18 portable spot coolers handle these spaces and run on standard 120V or 208/230V power.

Next steps

Frequently asked questions about warehouse cooling