Home › Commercial Refrigeration Guide › Ice Machine Guide › Commercial Ice Types Compared
Updated October 14, 2026
Quick answer
Commercial ice comes from two machine types. Batch cubers make full cube, half cube, crescent and gourmet ice; continuous auger machines make flake and nugget ice. The right type depends on what you serve and how you dispense it.
Quick comparison
| Ice | Machine | Melt rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full (dice) cube | Batch cuber | Slow | Cocktails, bars, bagged ice |
| Half (half-dice) cube | Batch cuber | Medium | Soft drinks, dispensers, restaurants |
| Crescent | Batch cuber (mostly Hoshizaki) | Medium | General foodservice, dispensers |
| Gourmet / top hat / octagon | Specialty cuber | Very slow | Upscale bars, spirits, banquets |
| Nugget | Auger machine with extruding head | Medium-fast | Healthcare, fast casual, soda |
| Flake | Auger machine | Fast | Seafood and produce displays, cold packs |
Cube ice
Cube ice is the default for most restaurants and bars. Full cubes melt slowest and look best in a glass. Half cubes pack tighter, so a cup holds more ice and cools faster. Crescent cubes resist bridging in dispensers. See cube ice machines.
Nugget and flake ice
Both come from an auger. Flake ice is soft and wet, ideal for packing around fish or produce. Nugget ice is compressed flake: chewable, popular in hospitals and with soda customers. See flaker ice machines.
How ice type affects service and repair
- Cubers have more cycling parts (harvest valve, sensors, water pump). Flakers have more mechanical wear (auger, gear motor, bearings).
- Nugget and flake machines are more sensitive to hard water. See scale and hard water.
- Production ratings are tested under standard conditions; real output drops in a hot room. See ice machine sizing.
Ice is food
Whatever the shape, the FDA Food Code defines ice as food, and ice used to cool product or equipment cannot later be served (Food Code 2022, §3-303.11). Ice for food or cooling must be made from drinking water (§3-202.16). See cleaning, sanitizing and the health code.
Brand names for the same ice
| Ice | Brand terms you will see |
|---|---|
| Nugget | Chewblet (Follett), Cubelet (Hoshizaki), Nugget (Scotsman), Pearl (Ice-O-Matic GEM) |
| Crescent | Hoshizaki KM series |
| Half cube | Half dice (Manitowoc), medium cube (Scotsman), half cube (Ice-O-Matic) |
| Flake | Hoshizaki F series, Ice-O-Matic MFI, Scotsman and Manitowoc flakers |
Which ice for which business
| Business | Usual first choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cocktail bar | Full or gourmet cube | Slow melt, presentation |
| Restaurant soft drinks | Half cube or crescent | Packs well, dispenses well |
| Fast casual / soda program | Nugget | Customer preference, chewable |
| Hospital and care home | Nugget from dispensers | Easy to chew, less hand contact |
| Seafood and produce display | Flake | Molds around product |
| Hotel guest floors | Cube or crescent | Holds up in ice buckets |
| Bagged ice sales | Full cube | Least clumping in bags |
How ice type affects water and maintenance
- Cube machines rinse some minerals away each cycle; flake and nugget machines freeze nearly all their water and scale faster.
- Nugget and flake machines have an auger, gear motor and bearings that wear with use.
- Cube machines have more cycling parts: harvest valve, water pump, sensors.
- On hard water (Zone 7 groundwater averaged 318 mg/L in 2025), plan shorter descale intervals for flakers. See hard water by area.
Melt rate and drink quality
Smaller and softer ice cools a drink faster but dilutes it sooner. Large, dense cubes keep spirits colder with less dilution. Nugget ice absorbs flavor, which soda customers like. Choosing ice is choosing how your drinks taste ten minutes after serving.
Changing ice type
Switching from cube to nugget means a different machine, often a different bin or dispenser, and different maintenance. Size the new machine for the new ice; see sizing.
Gourmet and specialty cubes
Gourmet (top hat or octagonal) cubes and large-format cubes are made by specialty cubers. They are prized in craft cocktail programs because they melt slowly and look clear. Machines for them typically produce less ice per day than standard cubers, so many bars pair one with a standard machine for general use.
Storage and dispensing by type
| Ice | Bin | Dispenser |
|---|---|---|
| Full cube | Good | Can bridge in some dispensers |
| Half cube, crescent | Good | Very good |
| Nugget | Good, can fuse if warm | Very good |
| Flake | Short-term; melts fast | Rare |
See dispensers vs bins.
Ice and the health code
Every type is food under the FDA Food Code. Flake ice used to chill fish or produce on display is a cooling medium and may not later be served in drinks (§3-303.11). Keep display ice and drink ice separate, with separate scoops and storage.
Bay Area buying tip
If your water is hard, factor in that nugget and flake machines will need more frequent descaling than a cuber. On softer SFPUC or EBMUD water, the difference is smaller. See hard water by area.
Before you change ice type
Ask staff and customers first: a switch from cube to nugget changes drink fill levels, dispenser behavior and cleaning routines. Trial the new ice where possible, then size the machine for it.
Quick rule
Pick the ice your customers and staff need first, then the machine and bin that make it, then size it.
When to call a technician
If your ice has changed shape, size or clarity, that is usually a machine problem, not a water quirk. A technician can find whether it is scale, a sensor or the water supply.
Open 7 days, 8 AM to 5 PM, with emergency service until 9 PM. CA Lic. #776244.
Frequently asked questions
What ice melts slowest?
Large full or gourmet cubes, because they have the least surface area for their volume.
What ice do hospitals use?
Mostly nugget ice from dispensers, because it is easy to chew and portion.
Which ice is best for a soda fountain?
Half cube or nugget. Both pack well and cool drinks quickly.
Can one machine make two ice types?
Generally no. Cube shape is set by the evaporator design, and nugget and flake come from auger machines.
What is Chewblet ice?
Follett's name for its nugget ice: compressed flake ice that is soft and chewable.
What is crescent ice?
A curved cube made by Hoshizaki's KM cube machines; it resists clumping in dispensers.
Related guides
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022 (§1-201.10 "Food" includes ice; §3-202.16; §3-303.11; §4-602.11(E)(4))
- Hoshizaki product catalog
- Ice-O-Matic: Cleaning and sanitizing an IOM machine
- Zone 7 Water Agency 2025 Consumer Confidence Report
- SFPUC 2025 Water Quality Report (San Francisco)
- EBMUD water quality data (plant hardness samples)
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