Party Ice Calculator
Enter guests, hours and temperature. You get pounds of ice, the bags to buy and how many coolers hold it.
| Chilling the drinks (1:1 ice to drink, drinks start cold) | 32.3 lb |
| Melt over the party | 11 lb |
| Total, rounded up | 44 lb |
|---|
Coolers that hold it
| Cooler | Cans each at 1:1 | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Igloo Latitude 60 Roller | 80 | 1 |
| Pelican Elite 70 | 85 | 1 |
| YETI Tundra 75 | 86 | 1 |
Ice by party size
| Party | 3 h at 80°F, cold drinks | 5 h at 95°F in the sun |
|---|---|---|
| 10 guests | 15 lb (1 × 20 lb) | 30 lb (1 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb) |
| 20 guests | 29 lb (1 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb) | 60 lb (3 × 20 lb) |
| 30 guests | 44 lb (2 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb) | 90 lb (4 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb) |
| 50 guests | 73 lb (4 × 20 lb) | 149 lb (7 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb) |
| 100 guests | 145 lb (7 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb) | 297 lb (15 × 20 lb) |
Cans per cooler size
- How many cans fit in a 25 quart cooler
- How many cans fit in a 35 quart cooler
- How many cans fit in a 45 quart cooler
- How many cans fit in a 50 quart cooler
- How many cans fit in a 65 quart cooler
- How many cans fit in a 70 quart cooler
How we calculate
- Drinks: 1 per guest plus 0.5 per hour, as 12-oz cans (0.375 qt of drink each).
- Chilling ice = drink volume × ratio × 1.15 lb per quart of loose ice. Ratio 1:1 when drinks go in cold, 2:1 when they start warm (the cooler makers' convention).
- Melt: we add 50% of the chilling ice for 4 hours at 85°F in shade, scaled by hours and by degrees above freezing; ×1.3 in the sun, ×1.2 above 95°F. This is our estimate, not a lab figure.
- Ice in cups: 7 oz per drink, kept in its own cooler so it stays clean.
- Bags: the fewest 20 lb and 10 lb bags that cover the total. Coolers: cans that fit at the same ratio from each model's real interior volume.
Loose ice weighs about 1.15 lb per quart (ice is 0.917 g/ml; cubes leave about 40% air). Data as of Oct 2026. Full list of sources: How we calculate.
FAQ
How much ice do I need per person for a party?
About 1.5 lb per guest for a 3-hour party with cold drinks, and 2.0 lb or more on a hot day. Long parties, warm drinks and coolers in the sun need more: use the calculator above.
How much ice for 50 people?
About 73 lb for a 3-hour party at 80°F with cold drinks, and 149 lb for 5 hours at 95°F in the sun.
What is the right ice to drink ratio in a cooler?
Two parts ice to one part drinks when drinks start warm, about 1:1 when they go in cold. Cooler makers quote capacity at 2:1.
How many bags of ice for a party?
Divide the pounds by the bag size: 44 lb for 30 guests is 2 × 20 lb + 1 × 10 lb.
Should I drain the water from a cooler?
Not while drinks are still above it: cold meltwater chills cans well. Drain it when you add new ice.