Also known as minus eighty freezers, a specialized category of laboratory freezer to maintain temperatures from –20°C to –80°C.

How Are Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers Used?
Ultra-low temperature (ULT) conditions can be critical for safe sample and reagent storage. ULT freezers typically cool to temperatures between −50°C and −80°C, which are significantly lower than standard freezer temperatures.

ULT freezers are essential items of equipment in many laboratories, especially those that require the safe and secure short- or long-term storage of materials such as vaccines or temperature-sensitive biological samples, including DNA, RNA, viruses, sera, and proteins.

ULT freezers are offered as vertical units, horizontal chest units, or under-bench units in a range of sizes and capacities up to 900 L or more. Small, compact portable benchtop models, typically 25 L, are also available and are a good option for personal use.

Most ULT freezers are built from robust and durable materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, or powder-coated sheet steel. Customizable internal storage layouts or compartments are also available. For example, they may have combinations of adjustable and exchangeable doors, shelves, baskets, and trays. Special racking systems, designed for storing cryogenic boxes, vial storage systems, or cryotubes, can also be purchased as accessories.

Available Features
• Energy-efficient, microprocessor-controlled systems
• Digital, user-friendly touchscreen displays
• Lockable, card-entry or self-closing doors for sample security
• Over-temperature alarms
• Remote temperature monitoring with USB download
• Inner doors and high-efficiency foam insulation to minimize temperature losses
• High-efficiency pump systems for faster cool-down times
• Back-up systems for power or mechanical failures
• Refrigerants that comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, European Union F-gas regulations, or other regulatory program requirements