How much ice for a 120 quart cooler?
A 120 quart cooler packed at YETI’s 2:1 ratio takes about 80 qt of ice — roughly 90 lb of cubes, or 5 bags of 20 lb — leaving 40 qt for drinks and food.
How to work it out
- 120 qt × ⅔ for ice = 80 qt
- 80 qt × 60% ice × 0.9 kg per litre (solid ice) = 90 lb ÷ 20 lb bags = 5 bags
A 120 quart cooler is the big chest for a tailgate, a weekend camp or the drinks at a backyard wedding. It holds more ice than most people buy for it, which is why the drinks end up warm by afternoon.
Adjust for your project
More options: Packing
- Bags
- 5 bags · 20 lb bag
- Cooler space for ice
- 80 qt
- Room left for drinks and food
- 40 qt
- About how many 12 oz cans that room holds
- 80 cans
- Pre-chill the cooler and the drinks if you can — warm cans melt the first bag of ice. Keep the drain shut: cold meltwater helps, but drain it before it covers food packages.
- The pounds of ice depend on how tightly cubes pack, which the calculator estimates. The volume of ice is the firmer number.
Ice by number of guests (per-guest amount as above)
| Guests | Ice to buy | Bags |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
| 25 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
| 50 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
| 75 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
| 100 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
| 150 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
| 200 | 90 lb | 5 bags |
Volume first, then pounds
YETI recommends two parts ice to one part contents. In a 120 qt cooler that is 80 qt of ice and 40 qt of drinks — about 80 cans. Solid ice is about 90% as dense as water, so 80 qt of solid ice would weigh around 150 lb. Bagged cubes leave air gaps; at the calculator’s assumption that about 60% of the space is ice, 80 qt of cubes is roughly 90 lb — four or five 20 lb bags. Weigh one bag into a bucket of known size once and you will know your own ice.
| Cooler | Ice space at 2:1 | Ice (approx., 60% packing) | 20 lb bags | 7 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 qt | 32 qt | about 36 lb | 2 | 6 |
| 70 qt | about 47 qt | about 53 lb | 3 | 8 |
| 120 qt | 80 qt | about 90 lb | 5 | 13 |
| 150 qt | 100 qt | about 113 lb | 6 | 17 |
Making the ice last
- Pre-chill. A cooler that sat in a hot garage melts the first bag just cooling itself down; put a sacrificial bag in the night before.
- Cold contents. Load drinks already chilled from the fridge.
- Big pieces last longer. Block ice or frozen jugs of water melt slower than cubes; mix them in.
- Keep it shut and shaded. Every opening lets cold air out.
For a party, ice is planned per guest instead — see how much ice for 50 people. A keg needs its own ice: see how many beers in a keg.
Different size? Use the full Party Ice Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Large coolerPremium price
A big cooler for drinks and ice. A drain plug matters when you are melting 40 lb of ice over an afternoon.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Galvanized beverage tubBudget price
An open tub of ice and cans by the door keeps guests out of the kitchen. Layer ice, cans, ice.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
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Frequently asked questions
How much ice for a 48 quart cooler?
About 32 qt of ice space — roughly 36 lb of cubes, 6 bags of 7 lb.
How much ice for a 70 quart cooler?
About 53 lb of cubes at 2:1 — 3 bags of 20 lb.
How much ice for a 150 quart cooler?
About 113 lb of cubes — 6 bags of 20 lb.
Other common sizes
- How much ice for 50 people — 75 lb
Sources
- Reddy Ice — How much ice you need for a party (opens in a new tab) — One to two pounds of ice per person attending; outdoor and pool parties need more.
- Reddy Ice — Ice calculator (opens in a new tab) — 1 to 2 lb per person; at least two 7 lb bags for a cooler.
- Home City Ice — Ice calculator (opens in a new tab) — Regular 7 lb and big 20 lb bags.
- YETI — Pack your cooler like a pro (opens in a new tab) — A 2:1 ratio of ice to chilled contents.
- USGS Water Science School — Water density (opens in a new tab) — Ice is about 90% as dense as liquid water.