Making ice & ice temperature by sport

From water to ice surface

An artificial ice surface in a rink is a piece of engineering. Under the ice lies a concrete slab with a dense network of cooling pipes cast into it. A refrigeration plant pumps a fluid cooled well below zero through these pipes. Depending on the system, this is a salt brine or a glycol mixture; modern plants increasingly use natural refrigerants such as ammonia or CO₂. Below, insulation and often underfloor heating prevent the ground from freezing permanently.

Once the slab is cold enough, ice making begins:

1. Very thin layers of water are applied with hoses or spray bars, each freezing immediately.
2. After a few layers, the ice is painted white. A special paint is sprayed on and frozen over again.
3. Then lines, circles and logos are painted on or laid in as film, for example the blue and red lines for ice hockey.
4. Further layers are built up until the desired thickness is reached.

The result is an ice layer usually only a few centimetres thick. Thin ice has an advantage: it can be cooled faster and more evenly, which saves energy.

Which temperature does each sport need?

Ice is not just ice. Rink operators set the surface temperature according to use. There are no fixed standard values for every sport; guide values vary with the rink, humidity and number of spectators. But the trend is clear:

In multi-purpose rinks where figure skating and ice hockey train on the same day, the ice temperature is therefore often a compromise.

The air plays a part

It is not only the ice temperature that matters. Warm, humid air makes water condense on the surface, the ice becomes soft and fog forms. That is why modern rinks have dehumidification systems, and the air temperature above the ice is kept cool. Full stands noticeably warm the arena, and ice technicians have to plan for this at professional games.

Outdoors and natural ice

On natural ice – frozen lakes and canals – there is no control. For a lake to be safe to walk on, it needs a sufficiently thick, load-bearing ice cover. Authorities and water rescue services issue guidance and approvals. Only go onto natural ice when it has been officially opened.

Maintenance between sessions

To keep its quality, the ice is regularly scraped by the ice resurfacer and renewed with a thin layer of water. How this works is explained in the article ice preparation. Who is responsible is covered under ice technician.