semiatic

Two stars (**): a −12 °C compartment or section

A frozen compartment whose target temperature and storage condition is −12 °C. The same two stars also mark a “2-star section”: a part of a three- or four-star freezer without its own door that only reaches −12 °C, often the door racks.

The temperature, and where it is defined

−12 °C target temperature and storage condition

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016, Article 2(20), Annex I point 13 and Annex IV Table 3: “‘2-star compartment’ means a frozen compartment with a target temperature and storage conditions of - 12 °C, as set out in Annex IV, Table 3”

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 — Article 2, Definitions (energy labelling of refrigerating appliances), on legislation.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-27.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 — Annex I, Definitions applicable for the Annexes, on legislation.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-27.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 — Annex IV, Measurement methods and calculations (Table 3: storage conditions and target temperature per compartment type), on legislation.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-27.

The temperature is the one the law uses to rate the compartment; your appliance’s own manual and rating plate say which compartment it has. The test methods behind these figures are in the IEC 62552 series of standards, which are paid documents and were not read for this page; the wording above is the regulation’s.

How the makers say to use it

Store food that is already frozen, ice cream and ice cubes there. Bosch puts ice cream on its two-star door shelf “for short-term storage”; Indesit says the expiry dates on food packs “in the 2-star zone must be respected”.

What it does not mean

It is not a place to freeze fresh food: the manuals say two-star compartments are for pre-frozen food, ice cream and ice cubes, and do not freeze fresh food in one-, two- or three-star compartments. A two-star rack inside a four-star freezer is not four-star just because the rest of the freezer is.

The temperature is the one the law uses to rate the compartment; your appliance’s own manual and rating plate say which compartment it has.

What it looks like
Two six-armed stars side by side — on an ice box, or on a door rack or top shelf inside a larger freezer.
Names used
2-star compartment; 2-star section (inside a freezer); Two-star zone (Bosch, Indesit); Door shelf (2 star compartment) (Bosch)

Where makers differ

Bosch calls its −12 °C freezer door shelf a two-star compartment; the regulation calls a doorless part of a freezer a “2-star section”. Smeg’s FAQ gives two stars “fifteen to twenty days” of storage; other makers only point to the packet date.

Other symbols with the same shapes

One star (*): a −6 °C compartment−6 °C — A single six-armed star, usually printed on the door or…Three stars (***): a −18 °C frozen-food compartment−18 °C — Three six-armed stars in a row, with no larger star…Four stars (one large star and three small): a freezer−18 °C — One large star beside three smaller ones — the three…No stars: the 0-star or ice-making compartment (0 °C)0 °C — A small box or flap at the top of a fridge with no star…

Sources

The temperature is the regulation’s own figure, read on the date shown; the makers’ documents below repeat it for their appliances.

Written in our own words; quotations are the regulation’s or the makers’ wording.