Temperature Mapping Study Designer
Estimate the minimum number of data loggers for a temperature mapping study of your storage space, then get placement and duration guidance. Built for GDP and GMP cold-chain qualification of fridges, cold rooms, and warehouses.
Pick the space you are qualifying.
Usable internal storage volume, not the external footprint.
Length x width x height fills the volume field above.
Recommended study
Minimum data loggers (sensors)
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Volume used
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Duration
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Placement guidance
Duration and conditions
Disclaimer: Sensor counts are guidance based on WHO and PDA principles. Your validated mapping protocol and the storage design set the final number and placement.
What a temperature mapping study proves
Temperature mapping (also called thermal mapping or a temperature distribution study) is the exercise that proves a storage space holds its whole volume inside the required range, not just at the single point where the built-in display reads. Regulators expect it for any space used to store temperature-sensitive medicines, vaccines, or reagents, from a small reach-in fridge to a full ambient warehouse. The study places calibrated data loggers throughout the space, runs them over a defined period, and reviews the data to find the hottest and coldest points, the recovery time after a door opening, and any location that drifts out of range.
The number of loggers scales with volume because a larger space has more room for stratification and dead spots. WHO and PDA guidance frame a practical minimum of nine sensors for a small unit, rising as the volume grows so that corners, the centre, the door, and the air handling points are all covered. This tool applies that logic to give you a defensible starting number, which you then confirm and adjust in your written mapping protocol against the real layout, racking, and airflow of your space.
A complete qualification usually needs more than one run. An empty-chamber study characterises the space itself, and a loaded-chamber study confirms that stacked stock does not block airflow or create warm pockets. Because ambient conditions change through the year, the study is repeated in the worst season, or summer and winter are modelled, so the qualification holds in the hardest conditions your site will see.
Temperature mapping: FAQ
How many sensors do I need for temperature mapping?+
How long should a temperature mapping study run?+
Where do I place the loggers?+
Do I need empty and loaded studies?+
Need your cold chain qualified and audit-ready?
We design and run temperature mapping protocols, write the qualification report, and set up the storage and monitoring controls so your cold chain holds up in a PPB or GDP inspection.