Ice Calculator — How Much Ice for a Party

Plan for roughly 0.5–1.5kg of ice per guest depending on whether you are also chilling bottles and cans in ice bins. As a rule of thumb, allow about 0.5kg per guest for drinks alone and around 1kg per guest when ice is also used to keep bottles cold (about half a 2kg bag each). For a typical 4-hour indoor party with bottle chilling this works out near 1.1kg per guest, and an outdoor event in hot weather can reach 1.5–1.7kg per guest, since ice melts much faster in the heat.

Store ice in cool boxes or insulated containers. Do not open the lid unnecessarily. Pre-chill drinks in the fridge so the ice does not have to work as hard. Buy ice as close to the event as possible.

Large bags of ice are available from supermarkets (usually 2kg bags), petrol stations, off-licences, and catering suppliers. For large events, consider ordering from a dedicated ice delivery service which sells 10kg or 20kg bags.

A home freezer produces about 1-2kg of ice per day, which is not enough for a party. It is more practical to buy bags of ice. If you do make ice, start at least a week before and store in freezer bags.