Adjust for your crowd
Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.
Ice chart: 10 to 200 people
tap a row for its own list ↓| Guests | Ice to buy | 20-lb bags |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | 11 lb | 1 |
| 20 people | 22 lb | 2 |
| 25 people | 28 lb | 2 |
| 30 people | 33 lb | 2 |
| 40 people | 44 lb | 3 |
| 50 people | 55 lb | 3 |
| 75 people | 83 lb | 5 |
| 100 people | 110 lb | 6 |
| 150 people | 165 lb | 9 |
| 200 people | 220 lb | 11 |
How many people do 3 bags of ice cover?
Covers about 60 people indoors, or 30 outdoors in warm weather.
Everything else for 20 people
How we got this number
- 120 guests × 1 lb (indoors) = 20 lb
- 2× 1.10 cushion = 22 lb
- 3÷ 20-lb bags = 1.1 → 2 bags (20 lb)
we round up to whole bags. Ice is cheap; running out isn't.
Sources for this rule: Reddy Ice FAQ; Reddy Ice, How Much Ice You Need for a Party; Reddy Ice calculator; Reddy Ice; Tasting Table, How Much Ice You Need for a Party; WebstaurantStore; app.warehouserunner.com.
How to pack a cooler with ice: the most-watched videos
Videos from YouTube, picked by us from the most-watched on the topic; view counts as of October 2026. We don't make these videos and aren't paid for them. Pressing play loads YouTube.
Ice questions
How much ice per person?
Plan on 1 lb of ice per person indoors, or 2 lb outdoors in warm weather, for drinks and a cooler.
How much ice for 100 people?
Buy 110 lb of ice: 6 bags (20 lb). That's 1 lb per guest indoors, plus a 10% cushion, in 20-lb bags.
How many people do 3 bags of ice cover?
Covers about 60 people indoors, or 30 outdoors in warm weather.
Should kids count as a full person?
Count each kid as half an adult. Add them in the Kids box and the shopping list updates.