Freezer-safe (snowflake)
The maker says the item may go in the freezer. Mepal gives the reason for the crossed-out version: ‘Sometimes, certain materials crack when they are frozen.’
Market convention
This symbol is a market convention: no law or public standard defines the drawing, so each maker draws its own and the meaning is whatever that maker says it is. This page follows 4 makers’ and retailers’ own keys.
- What it looks like
- A single snowflake, on its own or in a square. Some versions add a small box or the lowest temperature; a snowflake with a line through it means not for the freezer.
- Other names
- freezer safe symbol; snowflake symbol; freezer proof
What it does not promise
Freezer-safe does not mean the item can go straight from the freezer into a hot oven or microwave: Pyrex says to let a dish come to room temperature first. It does not promise a lid stays sealed if food expands — Million Pack and Pyrex both say to leave space — and it says nothing about how long food keeps.
Where makers differ
Mepal and Nordic Houseware Group both draw a snowflake in a square; Mepal also prints it crossed out on products that must not be frozen. Sistema engraves its freezer symbol only on products meant for it, and says its drinking bottles are not considered freezer safe. Million Pack notes the snowflake sometimes comes ‘with a small box or temperature hint’.
Often confused with
The maker’s stated temperature limits for the item: the highest it should meet and, where given, the lowest. Whirlpool describes the two-temperature version as ‘the highest and lowest temperatures a piece of tableware can withstand’.
Sources
No law defines this symbol, so the meaning is taken from makers’ and retailers’ own pages. Those marked as showing the icon draw or describe it; the others add conditions. Each was fetched and read on the date shown:
- Mepal : What do the symbols and specifications on a product mean? — Shows a snowflake in a square, and the same snowflake struck through: ‘This icon indicates whether the product can be used in the freezer. Sometimes, certain materials crack when they are frozen.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Nordic Houseware Group : Understanding Symbols — Shows a large snowflake in a rounded square: ‘Freezer Safe — The product is approved for use in the freezer.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Whirlpool : Dishwasher Safe & Other Tableware Symbols — Shows a snowflake icon: ‘You can typically determine if a dish or glass may be placed in the freezer by looking for a symbol with a single snowflake.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Million Pack (food-packaging manufacturer, Ningbo) : Practical Guide to Food Packaging Symbols (12 December 2025) — ‘The freezer safe symbol is usually a snowflake, sometimes with a small box or temperature hint.’ ‘Even with this mark, leave some space for food to expand so you do not end up with split lids or leaks.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Sistema: FAQ's — ‘All Sistema products with freezer safe symbol can be used to store food in the fridge or freezer’; products without the engraved symbol are not recommended for it, and ‘Our hydration (drinking) bottles are not considered freezer safe.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Pyrex (US): Frequently Asked Questions — A Pyrex dish must not go directly from refrigerator or freezer to oven or microwave: ‘Please allow the dish to come to room temperature before inserting into a preheated oven or microwave.’ Covers need headspace before freezing. No icon is shown. Checked 2026-09-24.
Written in our own words; quotations are the sources’ wording.