How much ice do you need?
From the first cup to the last cold can. Build your drink and cooler plan, then turn it into a bag-by-bag shopping list.
Ice for drinks
Fresh ice for every drink served over ice.
Ice for coolers
First the contents. Then the ice that fits.
Add coolers for cans, bottles, or food. Don’t add a storage cooler holding the same serving ice counted above. For each cooler, the initial load fills its remaining usable space with loose ice.
Check your assumptions
Loose-ice packing density
Different cubes, crushed ice, and packing styles can change the result substantially. The calculator is designed for loose water ice—not dry ice, ice packs, or a compressed block.
All assumptions, physical constants, and the uncalibrated refill model are published in How it works.
What makes this calculator different?
Volume is not weight.
Set cup size and ice fill. The model includes air gaps between cubes, or uses the weight of your actual ice-filled cup.
Count what goes inside.
Cans, glass bottles, and sealed food containers take up different space. The calculator subtracts them before estimating ice.
One practical shopping list.
Separate serving, initial cooler, and refill ice. Choose your bag size, subtract what you already have, and round up once.
Common ice-planning questions
How much ice fits in an 18 fl oz party cup?
At the default 60% solid-ice packing assumption, a cup full of loose cubes holds about 10.3 ounces of ice by weight, or 0.65 pounds. That is a model estimate—not a measured SOLO specification. Adjust the packing assumption or weigh your actual ice to calibrate it.
Does this count bottled drinks twice?
A can or bottle in the cooler only contributes to the cooler load. The drinks section adds ice put into serving cups. Set the share served over ice to 0%, or turn that section off, when people drink directly from cans and bottles.
Why does adding food sometimes reduce the initial ice amount?
Food takes space away from loose ice. The initial estimate answers how much ice fits—not whether that amount is enough. Very crowded coolers receive a warning; an overfilled cooler blocks the shopping total.
Can I use a cooler’s model number as its capacity?
No. Enter its actual rated or measured internal capacity. Choose liters, US gallons, or US quarts. Changing units preserves the same physical volume.
Is the refill estimate a food-safety guarantee?
No. It uses disclosed assumptions for duration, temperatures, insulation, sun, and openings, not lab data for your cooler. Start with cold food, use a thermometer, and replenish as needed. Do not use this tool to decide whether warm or improperly stored food is safe.
Good ice deserves a good location.
Where would a self-service machine make your routine easier? Suggest the route, intersection, or neighborhood you actually use.