Refrigerated Truck Body Guide: Manufacturing Process

The refrigerated truck body has excellent thermal insulation performance. It is made of fiberglass, continuous fibers, and insulating foam. It is assembled using an aluminum profile frame. The refrigerated truck body consists of six composite panels, a floor, and a rear door. The composite panels are assembled as easily as building blocks. A refrigerated truck body can be manufactured and installed in just three hours by following the correct process.

What is a refrigerated truck body?

Refrigerated truck bodies are specially designed for refrigerated transportation and can be used for box trucks, semi-trailers, and trailers. Any product or food that requires low temperatures relies on refrigerated trucks.Composite Box refrigerated trucks utilize fiberglass high-performance materials and specialized insulation foam, such as PU foam and XPS foam. These trucks offer excellent insulation performance with extremely low thermal conductivity, reducing the energy consumption of the refrigeration unit and maintaining a stable internal temperature. Composite Box specializes in providing lightweight refrigerated truck body solutions, offering refrigerated truck bodies ranging from 2.5 meters to 12 meters in length.

What parts are required to manufacture a refrigerated truck body?

The production of a refrigerated truck body requires a complete set of components, primarily consisting of body panels and accessories.

In addition to the body panels, the following components are required: subframe, door frames, door locks, refrigeration unit, bumpers, side protection, LED lights, aluminum edges, chassis frame, tail liftgate, roll-up doors, and seals.

Internal components include E-track and kick plates.

Production process of refrigerated truck bodies:

The production of refrigerated trucks involves multiple steps, including communicating with customers, understanding their needs, and providing technical support. After production and assembly, the refrigerated truck body is finally completed. In order to ensure the quality of the refrigerated truck body, the following steps are taken.

• Material selection: XPS and PU foam are used for the insulation of refrigerated trucks. The appropriate thickness and density of the film is selected based on the actual insulation performance required. The structure of the material is then designed. While considering insulation, other factors must also be taken into account.
• Design Phase: After our sales team confirms the customer’s requirements, engineers design the structure, which is then finalized by the customer. This step is critical to ensure that insulation performance and quality standards are met. Every detail must be meticulously designed by experienced engineers.
• Manufacturing Phase: Based on specific parameters and drawings, high-precision panels are produced, cut, bonded, and assembled. This step involves composite panel assembly using various production equipment.
• Installation work: Assembling the refrigerated truck body is a relatively straightforward process. Many potential challenges are already addressed during the design phase. The base panel is installed first, followed by other panels. We employ the latest rivet-free design technology. After the body is assembled, additional components are installed until the entire system is fully operational.

Structural Composition of Refrigerated Truck Body Panels

Outer Skin: Made from yacht-grade fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP/GRP), featuring high gloss, UV resistance, and corrosion resistance. Thickness: 0.6–1.5 mm. Low thermal conductivity reduces heat transfer and enhances insulation efficiency.

Core Material: Polyurethane (PU) or extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam. PU density: 45-50 kg/m³, thermal conductivity: 0.021-0.023 W/m·K, suitable for -45°C to +20°C; XPS is lightweight with low water absorption (0.9%). Thickness: 70-150 mm, customizable according to requirements.

Inner lining: Four-layer continuous fiber composite material, slip-resistant and waterproof, thickness 0.6-1.2 mm. Smooth surface, easy to clean, reduces cargo damage.

Connection layer: Non-woven fabric or adhesive, enhances bonding between core material and lining, prevents delamination.

Embedded components: Aluminum alloy or stainless steel, used for installing E-track, refrigeration units, enhancing functionality and stability.

Key Technologies in Refrigerated Truck Body Design

Refrigerated truck body design must balance thermal insulation, lightweight construction, and durability to ensure efficient and safe cold chain transportation. Core technologies include the following:

• Selecting high-performance insulation materials, such as PU foam or XPS foam, and precisely calculating thickness and density to optimize thermal conductivity, maintain stable low temperatures within the cargo compartment, and reduce refrigeration energy consumption.
• Rivetless design is a key innovation, using high-strength adhesive technology to assemble composite panels, simplifying the assembly process, enhancing sealing performance, and preventing cold air leakage.
• Structural design focuses on lightweight construction, utilizing fiberglass and aluminum profiles for the frame to reduce vehicle weight while ensuring structural strength and extending service life.
• Accessory design, such as LED lights, E-track systems, and intelligent temperature control systems, enhances functionality and convenience, meeting customized requirements.
• Engineers collaborate with clients through precise modeling to ensure designs meet transportation requirements while balancing cost and efficiency.
• The aforementioned technologies result in superior performance for refrigerated truck bodies.