What Does Dry Ice Blasting Cost?
Straight answer: industrial dry ice blasting is quoted per crew shift or per project, not per square foot — because the cost is driven by how long the crew is on your equipment, not by how big it is. This page explains exactly what goes into a quote so you can compare bids honestly.
How Quotes Are Structured
A dry ice blasting quote generally has four parts: crew labor (technicians × shifts), equipment (blaster, air compressor, hose, vacuum, containment), media (CO₂ pellets consumed during blast time), and mobilization (travel, transport, lodging). Anyone quoting you a flat per-hour number without asking about contamination, access, and shift window is guessing.
That structure is why the honest answer to "what's your rate?" is a short scoping conversation. We can usually price a job from photos or a walkthrough video in the same business day, and we will tell you when a cheaper method would do the job just as well.
The number that actually matters is not the invoice — it is total cost of the cleaning event: blasting plus downtime, teardown and reassembly labor, waste disposal, and the frequency you have to repeat it. Dry ice blasting usually wins on that total even when its line item is higher, because equipment stays assembled, floors stay dry, and there is no spent media or waste water to dispose of.
The Eight Cost Drivers
Contamination type and thickness
Light product residue cleans in a fraction of the time that baked-on carbon, cured coatings, or heavy soot require.
Surface area and asset count
One mobilization covering several machines is far cheaper per asset than repeat single-asset visits.
Access and safety scope
Scaffolding, confined space entry, hot work permits, LOTO, and escort requirements all add crew hours.
Shift window
Night, weekend, and outage shifts carry premium labor. Flexible scheduling lowers cost.
CO₂ consumption
Pellet feed rate and blast time drive media cost. Aggressive scopes consume more dry ice per hour.
Travel and mobilization
Distance from the nearest crew, lodging, and equipment transport are quoted per project.
Containment and cleanup
Some food and clean-room environments require containment, ventilation, and vacuum recovery of released debris.
Documentation
Photo documentation, before/after reporting, and QA sign-off packages add time on regulated sites.
Five Ways to Lower Your Cost
- Bundle assets into one mobilization instead of calling us back per machine.
- Clean on a routine interval before contamination bakes on and doubles dwell time.
- Have LOTO, permits, and escorts ready so the crew blasts instead of waiting.
- Be flexible on shift timing where safety allows — avoid premium windows.
- Book outage work early so crew and CO₂ logistics are not priced as a rush.
Model Your Own Numbers
Use the calculator below with your real downtime, labor, and cleaning-frequency figures to see annual savings, payback, and Year 1 ROI for your facility.
Calculate your savings from dry ice blasting
See annual savings, payback in months, and ROI tailored to your operation.
Quick inputs
Results
Based on HRSG, SCR/CO catalyst, AIG, and generator outage cleaning.
Estimates only. For a formal model including utilities, logistics, and shift coverage, request a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is dry ice blasting priced?
Industrial dry ice blasting is almost always quoted per crew shift or per project rather than per square foot. The quote reflects crew size, number of shifts, equipment mobilized, travel, CO₂ consumption, and the safety requirements of your site. For a firm number, call (866) 648-0030 or send photos of the equipment.
What drives the cost up or down the most?
Contamination severity and access. Thick, baked-on carbon takes far more dwell time and CO₂ than light product residue, and equipment that requires scaffolding, confined-space entry, or a hot-work permit adds crew hours. Consolidating several assets into one mobilization is the single easiest way to lower unit cost.
Is dry ice blasting cheaper than what we do now?
The blasting line item is often higher than manual scrubbing or pressure washing, and the total cost is usually lower. Savings come from shorter downtime, no teardown and reassembly labor, no waste water or spent abrasive disposal, and fewer repeat cleanings. Our ROI calculator models this with your own numbers.
Are there mobilization or minimum charges?
Yes — like any mobile industrial service there is a mobilization component and a practical minimum, because the compressor, blasting equipment, CO₂, and crew have to travel to your site. Multi-day and multi-site programs are quoted at better rates than one-off single-asset visits.
Should we buy a machine instead of hiring a service?
Ownership can make sense when you have steady, recurring cleaning across many assets and staff you can train and dedicate to it. For periodic outage work, restoration events, or specialty jobs like HRSG and catalyst cleaning, hiring an experienced crew avoids capital cost, CO₂ logistics, and the learning curve that ruins surfaces.
Do you provide free estimates?
Yes. Estimates are free. Most scopes can be assessed from a short call plus photos or video of the equipment, and we will tell you if dry ice blasting is not the right tool for your problem. Call (866) 648-0030.
Compare methods: vs sandblasting, vs soda blasting, vs pressure washing, or rental vs hiring a crew.
Get a Free Dry Ice Blasting Quote
Talk to an industrial cleaning specialist about your facility, equipment, or shutdown window.