What is a temperature class?
In commercial refrigeration, how cold a cabinet runs is expressed not as a single number but as a class. The class defines the range within which the warmest and coldest product points inside the cabinet stay. The reason is practical: not every point in a cabinet is at the same temperature, and what matters is that even the least favourable point stays within a range that is safe for the product.
The classes and their operating ranges
The classes used in Yaşarsan cabinets, with the operating ranges verified in the catalogue, are as follows:
- M1 — -1 / +5 °C. The narrower, colder range used for meat products.
- M2 — -1 / +7 °C. The range commonly used for dairy products and delicatessen goods.
- H1 — +1 / +10 °C. For fruit and vegetables; the upper limit is higher because these products are damaged by excessive cold.
- L1 — -15 / -18 °C or -18 / -20 °C. For frozen products and ice cream.
- L2 — -12 / -18 °C. The class that allows a wider range for frozen products.
Product class and temperature class are not the same thing
In catalogues you will see a product class alongside the temperature class. The two describe different things. The temperature class states the cabinet's technical performance; the product class states which product group that performance corresponds to. The Yaşarsan product classes are: DP dairy products, MT meat products, FV fruit and vegetables. A cabinet in the DP configuration, for example, runs in class M2, while the same cabinet in the MT configuration runs in class M1.
Under what conditions are the values measured?
A temperature class means nothing without the ambient condition it was measured under. The values for Yaşarsan cabinets are given according to EN ISO 23953-2, at an ambient temperature of 25 °C and 60% relative humidity. This is a realistic reference condition for a store interior. When the ambient rises above these values — in a poorly ventilated store in summer, for instance — the cabinet works harder to hold the same class and energy consumption rises.
Choosing the right class
Class selection starts with the product group but does not end there. If you want to display more than one product group along the same cabinet run, the class is set by the most sensitive product and the shelf layout is planned accordingly. Daily product turnover, how often doors are opened, where the cabinet sits in the store and the ambient conditions all affect the choice. When closed display is preferred, the same class can be held with less energy.
A common mistake: colder is not always better
The most frequent error in choosing a temperature class is wanting the coldest possible class for every product. Fruit and vegetables are the clearest example: the high upper limit of class H1 is not a shortcoming but a deliberate choice so the product does not suffer cold damage. A product displayed in the wrong class loses its appearance, texture and weight even if it does not spoil.
Class selection in Yaşarsan cabinets
In Yaşarsan Refrigerating's multideck cabinet, serve-over counter, upright freezer and promotion cabinet groups, the class is configured to your product group at the order stage. Verified technical values appear on each model's product page. Share your sales area and the product groups you will display, and let us determine the suitable class and shelf layout together with our technical team.
