Ask any chef where the diced onion went and you'll probably hear "in a cambro". Cambro containers have become the generic name for commercial-grade plastic food storage — the clear pans, square tubs and insulated carriers that keep a professional kitchen organised. In this guide we explain what cambro containers actually are, how the gastronorm sizing system behind most of them works, how polycarbonate, polypropylene and stainless steel compare, and how to choose the right commercial food storage containers for your cold room, dry store or catering runs. One honest note up front: we don't stock the Cambro brand itself — but everything the name stands for, we can help you buy well.
What Are Cambro Containers?
Cambro is a US manufacturer, founded in California in 1951, that built its reputation on tough, transparent polycarbonate food storage — so successfully that in kitchens worldwide the brand name turned into a common noun. When an Australian chef says "grab me a cambro", they almost never mean the brand specifically. They mean a commercial-grade food storage container: rigid, food-safe plastic (or stainless steel), stackable, lidded, and usually sized to the gastronorm standard so it drops straight into fridges, bain maries, prep benches and transport carriers.
Three product families sit behind the nickname:
- Food pans — rectangular pans in gastronorm (GN) sizes, used for prep, cold storage, hot holding and display. Available in clear polycarbonate, translucent polypropylene and stainless steel.
- Food storage boxes and ingredient bins — larger square or rectangular tubs, often 10–80+ litres, for bulk dry goods (flour, rice, sugar) and high-volume cold storage. Mobile versions sit on castors.
- Insulated carriers ("camtainers") — double-walled, foam-filled boxes that hold loaded GN pans at temperature during transport, the workhorse of off-site catering.
Whichever badge is on the side, the buying decision comes down to the same three questions: what size system, what material, and what job — cold room, dry store or transport.
Gastronorm Sizing Explained: GN 1/1, 1/2, 1/3 and Beyond
Most "cambros" follow the gastronorm standard (EN 631), an international sizing system built around one full-size footprint. A GN 1/1 pan measures 530 × 325 mm, and every other size is a clean fraction (or multiple) of that footprint — which is why a 1/1 pan, two 1/2 pans, or three 1/3 pans all fill exactly the same slot in a fridge rail, bain marie or pan carrier. Depths typically run from shallow 20 mm trays up to 200 mm deep pans, so capacity is set by choosing footprint and depth together.
| GN size | Footprint (approx.) | Typical commercial use |
|---|---|---|
| GN 2/1 | 650 × 530 mm | Bulk cold storage, large roasts, high-volume prep |
| GN 1/1 | 530 × 325 mm | The standard full pan — fridges, ovens, bain maries, carriers |
| GN 1/2 | 325 × 265 mm | Half pan — sauces, proteins, salad bar mains |
| GN 1/3 | 325 × 176 mm | Third pan — garnishes, toppings, pizza and sandwich prep |
| GN 1/4 | 265 × 162 mm | Quarter pan — condiments, smaller mise en place |
| GN 1/6 | 176 × 162 mm | Dressings, portioned sauces, salad bar inserts |
| GN 1/9 | 176 × 108 mm | The smallest common insert — spices, single garnishes |
The practical rule: standardise on GN across the kitchen. Pans that share one footprint stack cleanly, share lids, and move between stainless steel gastronorm pans in the oven and plastic pans in the cold room without re-plating a single tray.
Polycarbonate vs Polypropylene vs Stainless Steel
Material is the second big decision, and each option earns its place in a commercial kitchen. The comparison below is qualitative — always confirm the temperature rating printed on the specific product you buy.
| Property | Polycarbonate | Polypropylene | Stainless steel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Glass-clear — identify contents at a glance | Translucent — see fill level, not detail | Opaque — relies on labelling |
| Temperature range | Broad — freezer to hot-holding temperatures | Freezer to warm-holding; generally lower heat tolerance than polycarbonate | Widest by far — freezer, oven and direct heat |
| Durability | Very impact-resistant; can craze after years of harsh chemicals | Good; more flexible, resists chemicals well | Effectively lifetime — dent-prone but unbreakable |
| Weight | Light | Lightest | Heaviest |
| Cost tier | Mid | Budget | Premium (but longest service life) |
| Best for | Cold room storage, prep, display where visibility matters | Dry stores, bulk ingredient bins, budget fit-outs | Cooking, hot holding, bain maries, anything oven-bound |
Most venues run a mix: clear polycarbonate in the cold room so stock checks take seconds, polypropylene bins in the dry store where cost-per-litre matters, and stainless GN pans wherever heat is involved. If your pans ever see an oven, salamander or cooktop, they must be stainless — no commercial plastic pan is rated for direct cooking heat.
Cambro Containers vs Australian-Stocked Equivalents
Here's the honest part of this guide: Commercial Kitchen Store doesn't carry Cambro-brand products. What we do stock is the same category of commercial-grade equipment — polycarbonate and polypropylene food storage containers, ingredient bins, insulated pan carriers and stainless gastronorm pans from brands like F.H.E, F.E.D and Kitchen Knock — at specifications built for the same daily punishment. Because gastronorm sizing is an open standard, these containers interchange freely with any GN-based gear you already own, Cambro included.
For bulk dry ingredients, a mobile bin does the job of the classic flour-and-sugar "cambro" tub:
And for off-site catering, an insulated front-loader covers the "camtainer" role:
Food-Safe Storage Practice: Labelling, FIFO, Lids and Cooling
Good containers only pay off when the system around them is disciplined. Four habits separate a compliant cold room from a health-inspection headache:
- Label everything. Contents, prep date and use-by on every container — day dots or removable labels on a consistent corner so staff never have to lift a lid to check.
- Run FIFO. First in, first out: new stock goes behind or below existing stock, so the oldest product is always the first hand reaches. Clear polycarbonate makes FIFO auditable at a glance.
- Lid everything. Sealed lids protect food from contamination, slow dehydration and stop flavour transfer between neighbouring containers. Matching GN lids also make pans safely stackable, doubling shelf capacity.
- Cool before you store. Hot food loaded straight into a deep container cools dangerously slowly at the core. Portion into shallow pans (65 mm or less) to speed cooling, and for high volumes use rapid chilling — our guide to commercial blast chillers and rapid cooling for food safety covers the workflow in detail.
These practices align with the food safety standards Australian venues are audited against; your local council and state food authority set the specific requirements for your licence class.
Cold Room, Dry Store or Transport: Choosing the Right Container
Cold room: prioritise visibility and stackability. Clear polycarbonate GN pans with sealing lids let staff run stock checks without opening anything, and fractional sizes keep shelves dense. Avoid over-deep pans for cooked food — shallow and wide cools faster and is easier to rotate.
Dry store: prioritise volume and mobility. Large polypropylene bins on castors handle flour, rice and sugar in bulk, roll out for cleaning, and a sliding or hinged lid with a scoop keeps hands out of the product. Off-floor storage is standard practice for pest control and cleaning access.
Transport and off-site catering: prioritise insulation and pan compatibility. An insulated carrier that accepts standard GN pans means food travels in the same containers it was prepped in — no re-packing, fewer temperature excursions, less washing up. Front-loading carriers suit stacked pan loads; check the stated GN capacity before buying.
Cooking and hot holding: stainless steel only. A set of quality stainless GN pans bridges oven, bain marie and display, and belongs on any fit-out list — see our rundown of the top 10 stainless steel equipment every restaurant needs for where pans fit in the bigger picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "cambro" mean in a commercial kitchen?
"Cambro" started as the brand name of a US food storage manufacturer, but in everyday kitchen slang it now means any commercial-grade food storage container — clear plastic food pans, bulk ingredient tubs and insulated pan carriers. Chefs use the word generically, the same way "esky" is used for any cooler.
Are cambro containers the same as gastronorm pans?
They overlap heavily. Most commercial food pans — Cambro brand or otherwise — are made to the gastronorm (GN) standard, where every size is a fraction of the 530 × 325 mm GN 1/1 footprint. Gastronorm describes the sizing system; "cambro" loosely describes the container. A GN-sized pan from any brand fits the same fridges, bain maries and carriers.
Is polycarbonate or polypropylene better for food storage?
Polycarbonate is glass-clear, highly impact-resistant and handles a broader temperature range, making it the pick for cold rooms and anywhere visibility speeds up stock checks. Polypropylene is lighter, cheaper and chemically resistant, making it ideal for bulk dry-store bins. Many kitchens run both, matched to the job rather than choosing one outright.
Can plastic food pans go in the oven or on a cooktop?
No. Commercial plastic pans are rated for storage and holding temperatures, not direct cooking heat. Anything destined for an oven, salamander, cooktop or open bain marie flame should be a stainless steel gastronorm pan. Always check the manufacturer's stated temperature rating on the specific product.
What size gastronorm pans should an Australian kitchen buy?
Start from your equipment: fridges, bain maries and carriers are built around the GN 1/1 footprint, so buy 1/1 pans plus the fractional sizes (1/2, 1/3, 1/6) that combine to fill each slot. Choose depth by cooling and portioning needs — shallower pans (65 mm or less) cool cooked food faster and are safer for cold storage.
Ready to organise your storage? Browse our full range of commercial food storage containers, or if you're specifying for a new fit-out and want help matching pan sizes to your equipment, contact our team — we'll spec it with you.
