Refrigerated transport thermal boxes

Thermal boxes for refrigerated transport of food, vaccines and medications are packaging solutions with thermal insulation sufficient to maintain temperature within specific ranges (frozen −18°C, refrigerated 2-8°C, controlled ambient 15-25°C) for periods of hours to days. They vary in scale: from small express mail boxes (for biological samples, vaccines, gourmet foods via delivery) to thermal containers for road and sea transport. Rigid PU foam is the dominant technology due to its unique combination: low thermal conductivity (lambda 0.020-0.024 W/m·K), reduced weight, ease of molding in customized geometries, competitive cost. Premium applications use combination with Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIP) — vacuum panels with ultra-low lambda (0.004-0.006 W/m·K) — wrapped in PU for mechanical protection. Market in strong growth driven by: e-commerce of fresh foods, large-scale vaccination (pandemic lessons), high-complexity medications requiring strict cold chain.