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Morgue Cooler Design and Hospital Morgue Layout Guide
Morgue cooler design and hospital morgue layout: vault vs. walk-in, capacity per bed, temperatures, clearances, lab vault cooler drawings and morgue freezers.
Morgue Cooler Design and Hospital Morgue Layout Guide
A good morgue cooler design starts with three numbers: peak census, how long bodies are held, and the room the cooler sits in. This guide covers hospital morgue cooler layouts, lab vault cooler design, morgue freezers and the drawings you need before you order, with real equipment from our line.
Three morgue cooler layouts
| Layout | Access | Best for | Our equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vault bank | One chamber and door per body | Hospitals, medical examiners and labs that need individual access and chain of custody | Vault morgue coolers |
| Walk-in with racks | Walk-in box, multi-tier racks and trays | High census, surge capacity and mixed body sizes | Walk-in mortuary coolers |
| Upright or roll-in | Front, side or cot-height roll-in loading | Funeral homes and smaller facilities with 2 to 12 bodies | Upright mortuary coolers |
Vault-style morgue coolers
Vault coolers store each body in its own refrigerated chamber with slide-out tray rails, so staff open one door at a time and the rest of the bank stays closed. They are a common choice for hospital morgues and lab vault cooler designs where identification, security and individual access matter.
9-Body Vault Morgue CoolerFrom $37,282.99
12-Body Vault Morgue CoolerFrom $55,903.99
15-Body Vault Morgue CoolerFrom $79,102.99
3-Body Vertical Vault Morgue CoolerFrom $19,479.99
Hospital morgue cooler layout
- Size from beds and census. Guidelines range from 1 refrigerated cabinet per 25 beds (bodies held up to 48 hours) to 4 bodies per 100 beds, excluding isolation storage.
- Plan isolation and bariatric spaces. Provide separate cabinets for isolation cases and at least one wide chamber or bariatric cooler.
- Keep the body route private. Locate the morgue with direct access to an outside entrance so bodies are not moved through public areas.
- Leave room to work. Keep open floor in front of cabinets to withdraw trays with a lift. In a cool room, plan about 3 m² (roughly 32 sq ft) per body on a loose tray or trolley.
- Monitor and alarm. Refrigerated body holding should have temperature monitoring and alarms.
For full room planning, see the hospital morgue design guide and vault-style vs. roller-rack storage.
Walk-in morgue coolers and morgue freezers
A walk-in gives the most layout flexibility. Our walk-ins use painted 26-gauge steel panels with 4″ R-25 insulation for coolers and 4.75″ R-32 for freezers, a 36″ × 76″ self-closing door and a remote two-piece refrigeration system that is DOE-compliant and designed for A2L refrigerant. Coolers hold 34–40°F, and walk-in morgue freezers are built for 0°F to −10°F for long-term holding.
10x12 Walk-In Mortuary CoolerFrom $15,476.14
10x20 Walk-In Mortuary CoolerFrom $19,199.30
12 Body Triple-Door Mortuary Cooler – Model 12B-3DFrom $17,988.00
10 Body Dual-Door Mortuary CoolerFrom $15,670.89
Temperature design targets
| Storage type | Typical target | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Positive temperature | +2 to +4°C (about 36–39°F) | Short-term holding before release or autopsy |
| Negative temperature | −15 to −25°C (about 5 to −13°F) | Long-term holding and unidentified remains |
| AMC mortuary coolers | 34–40°F | Body holding |
| AMC walk-in morgue freezers | 0°F to −10°F | Long-term holding |
Compare both in mortuary cooler vs. morgue freezer.
Drawings and specifications
Most vault cooler pages include a dimensioned sign-off drawing with front, side and plan views, an order checklist and RFQ specification language, so architects and facility engineers can place the unit before ordering. Pair coolers with racks and lifts and body trays sized to the chamber or rack.
Request a custom morgue cooler layout
Send your room dimensions, body count and door locations. We will return a written quote for a vault bank, walk-in or combined cooler and freezer layout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best morgue cooler design for a hospital?
Most hospitals use either a bank of vault-style refrigerated cabinets or a walk-in cool room with multi-tier racks. Vault banks give each body its own chamber and door. Walk-ins are more flexible for surge, mixed body sizes and future expansion. Health-facility guidelines ask planners to weigh security, whole-of-life cost, expansion in a disaster and what happens if the system fails.
How many refrigerated body spaces does a hospital morgue need?
Plan from peak census and your operational policy. Published guidelines range from 1 refrigerated cabinet per 25 beds for bodies held up to 48 hours, to 4 bodies per 100 beds excluding isolation storage. Add dedicated isolation and bariatric spaces. Use our capacity planning guide to size the room.
What temperature should a morgue cooler and a morgue freezer hold?
Positive-temperature body holding is commonly specified at +2 to +4°C (about 36–39°F). Negative-temperature storage at −15 to −25°C is used for long-term holding and for remains not yet identified. Our mortuary coolers hold 34–40°F, and our walk-in morgue freezers are built for 0°F to −10°F.
What goes into a lab vault cooler design?
Confirm the chamber count, chamber opening, tray width, bottom tray height, hinge side and the room temperature at the vault. Our 9-body vault, for example, has 32″ W × 21″ H chamber openings, a bottom tray 11¾″ from the floor and tray rails for 23″, 27″ or 30″ trays. Most vault cooler pages include a dimensioned sign-off drawing with front, side and plan views.
Do you provide morgue cooler drawings or blueprints?
Yes. Most vault cooler product pages include a downloadable sign-off drawing with dimensioned front, side and plan views, an order configuration checklist, site requirements and RFQ specification language. For walk-ins and custom layouts, send your room dimensions and we will return a written quote.
How much clearance does a morgue cooler layout need?
Leave enough open floor in front of cabinets to withdraw trays with a lift or trolley. Guidelines call for ample manoeuvring space in front of refrigerated cabinets and, for cool rooms, about 3 m² (roughly 32 sq ft) per body on a loose tray or trolley. Walk-in boxes also need at least 2″ of clearance around the panels.
Who makes these morgue coolers?
American Mortuary Coolers designs and builds mortuary coolers, vault coolers, walk-in morgue coolers and freezers in Johnson City, Tennessee. Vault coolers carry NSF and UL marked refrigeration and electrical components.
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