Frozen format is a money decision, a quality decision, and—thanks to carbon scoring—a brand-risk decision. Block-frozen seafood is pressed into 15–25 kg slabs and plate-frozen at about -35 °C for several hours. IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) runs pieces through a fluidised-bed or spiral tunnel; every fillet or shrimp freezes on its own in minutes. Block is density-efficient; IQF is portion-ready.
| Term | How it’s made | Typical pack-out | Primary Easyfish SKUs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block-frozen | Whole or filleted seafood pressed into a solid 15–25 kg block, plate-frozen at -35 °C within 6–8 hours. | 20 kg naked blocks or lined cartons | Giant squid fillet, pink salmon, hoki trims |
| IQF | Pieces travel on a fluidised bed or spiral tunnel; each is frozen individually in 5–15 minutes. | Bulk 10 kg polybag, retail 1 kg zip, food-service 2×5 kg | Vannamei shrimp PD, tilapia fillet 3–5 oz, octopus T-sizes |
What shows up on the plate
Block
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Larger ice crystals form; texture can be slightly drier after thaw.
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Cutting portions from a thawed block loses up to six percent yield in drip and trim if you’re not careful.
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Best when you’ll grind, bread or cube later.
IQF
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Fast freeze preserves muscle fibres; yield loss often under 1.5 percent on premium shrimp.
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Free-flow pieces jump from freezer to grill with zero prep.
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Chefs pay for that labour save and consistency.
Cost, freight and ops in one breath
Block wins pure freight math: tightly stacked cartons can reach around 950 kg per cubic metre, while bagged IQF rarely tops 650 kg. On Asia-to-US lanes that saves about USD 140 per container at today’s bunker surcharges. You also avoid the extra polybags that ESG teams hate.
IQF’s downside is higher pack cost (bags, zipper, carton) and higher freezer kWh, but the up-front premium is usually seven to eleven percent over the same raw material—still cheaper than kitchen labour in most developed markets.
Channel fit in two bullets
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Food-service & retail: Portion control, quick cook, customer convenience → IQF every time. Shoppers now cite “convenience and experience” almost on par with price and freshness in seafood choice.
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Industrial processors & deli converters: Block remains the low-cost feedstock for surimi, breaded sticks, or secondary IQF lines.
ESG and waste angles
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Carbon: denser block loads reduce CO₂ per landed kilo by roughly eight percent versus IQF in the same container (Easyfish LCA model).
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Food waste: kitchen surveys put trim/refreeze loss at about fourteen percent on block, just two percent on IQF.
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Packaging: fibre-rich block cartons are 90 percent recyclable today; IQF polybags won’t be fully mono-material until at least 2027.
Pick whichever risk keeps your sustainability officer up at night.
Expect IQF to push deeper into value-added ready meals as spiral freezers increase capacity and energy efficiency. Block could claw back favour if EU carbon tariffs reward freight density. Either way, automation is the tie-breaker: plants with robotic bagging or high-pressure plate stacking will shave four to six cents per kilo off cost within two years.
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