semiatic

No stars: the 0-star or ice-making compartment (0 °C)

The least cold kind of frozen compartment: its target temperature and storage condition is 0 °C. It makes ice cubes but is not rated for keeping frozen food.

The temperature, and where it is defined

0 °C target temperature and storage condition

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016, Article 2(18) and Annex IV Table 3: “‘0-star compartment’ and ‘ice-making compartment’ means a frozen compartment with a target temperature and storage conditions of 0 °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 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

Make ice cubes in it. For frozen food, use a compartment with at least one star — and read your fridge’s manual for what it allows in the box.

What it does not mean

It is not a freezer and is not rated for storing frozen food: 0 °C is the melting point of ice, and the regulation rates only one-star compartments and colder for frozen storage. An unmarked box is not a four-star compartment either.

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
A small box or flap at the top of a fridge with no star printed on it, often holding an ice-cube tray.
Names used
0-star compartment; Ice-making compartment; Ice box without stars; Refrigerator with a 0-star compartment (Miele data sheet category 3)

Where makers differ

Makers rarely print anything on a 0-star box; the category appears on the energy-label data sheet (Miele lists “Refrigerator-chiller and refrigerator with a 0-star compartment” as category 3 under the older Regulation 1060/2010).

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…Two stars (**): a −12 °C compartment or section−12 °C — Two six-armed stars side by side — on an ice box, or on a…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…Chill compartment (0 °C drawer, BioFresh, cold storage)+2 °C — A separate drawer, usually at the bottom of the fridge…Temperature zones and the “OK” indicatorA diagram of the fridge with bands or shelves marked from warm to…Humidity control on the vegetable drawerA slider on the vegetable drawer or its lid, marked with drops, a…

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.