Have you ever wondered where you can buy the dry ice you often see in your favorite viral YouTube videos? Or were you ever in need of something colder than water ice to cool vast amounts of food and drinks before a big summer barbecue, but you just could not find a store which sells dry ice anywhere? Maybe you need some for Halloween? On this page, you’ll find useful information about where to buy dry ice in the United States.
There are numerous places to get dry ice. Some are more obvious than others and sometimes you have to be quite creative to get hold of the solid form of carbon dioxide. This guide will show you the places where you have the best chance of finding it near you.
Overview of the Best Places that Sell Dry Ice
- Overall best place to get it: Kroger
- Backup options if your local Kroger doesn’t have it: Costco, Walmart
- In the Western United States: Safeway (especially in California)
- In the Midwest: Meijer
- In the Southeast of the US: Publix (especially in Florida)
- In Texas: HEB
- In major cities if big stores don’t have it: Dry ice suppliers
- Online: Dry ice delivery
- If nothing else has it, try: Ice cream parlors, Gas Stations
Kroger
Most Kroger stores sell dry ice blocks and pellets. In some states however you will have to show identification to prove you are 18 or older and therefore eligible to buy. They have stores in 35 states so there is an excellent chance you can find one of their chains within driving distance. Tip: Don’t just look out for Kroger signs but also for Ralphs, Harris Teeter’s, Dillon’s, Food 4 Less and Fred Meyers as the parent company owns all of these brands.
Costco
If you have no luck finding dry ice at your local Kroger, you can always check Costco. Many of their stores have dry ice available for purchase but this chain does not have a company-wide policy regarding the sale of solid carbon dioxide.
How to buy dry ice at Costco: If you would like to avoid any surprises, you will need to give your local store a ring to find out whether they have it or not. You can find the phone number for a specific store using their warehouse locator.
Walmart
If you’re still wondering where to buy dry ice, you have to check Walmart. It has the most number of stores for any retail chain in the United States (11000+). Most larger towns have at least one but most likely dozens. Some of them are even open 24/7 making them a great place to buy dry ice. An important thing to note here is that not all Walmart stores carry the item.
The best way to find out whether your local one has it is to phone them up. Sometimes they do have it, but you may have to ask around in the store, as it may not be freely accessible due to the high risk of frostbite.
Safeway
If you live in the western half of the country, Safeway and its associated brands are a solid choice when it comes to purchasing dry ice. They have 240 locations in California so there is a great chance that you can reach one with a 30-minute car ride if you live in The Golden State. Most of their stores carry dry ice, and it’s one of the cheapest options among all.
How to buy dry ice at Safeway: You can select your town in the Safeway store locator, and it will display all of their locations near you. The best part is that they list whether or not they have the commodity available at each store. This means that you don’t have to call them, you only need to check their website before leaving for the store. Talk about convenience!
For example: Here is the page of the Market Street store in San Francisco. You can see the hours and under that where you have the label “Location Services”, you can see that they indeed sell dry ice.
Meijer
Almost all Meijer stores sell dry ice. If you live in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin or Indiana, this chain is a great option to purchase it. Meijer has 117 locations in Michigan and 25 in Illinois. This means that there is a good chance you will find one within a couple of miles in these states.
How to buy dry ice at Meijer: All you have to do is check out their dry ice product page. This webpage will instantly show whether it is available near you. The current price is $2.39 per pound. There is also a link which says “check nearby stores”. If you click there, it will show all of the nearby locations which carry it. Also, it’s important to note dry ice is only obtainable in-store at Meijer. Delivery is not supported for the product.
Publix
If you are located in the southeastern part of the country, especially if in Florida, this is your best bet. A good number of Publix stores sell dry ice without any limitations, but to make sure, we always recommend calling your local one to get confirmation. You can also check out their website and click on the “Choose a store” button to get detailed product availability information.
HEB
There is no better place to buy dry ice in Texas than H-E-B grocery stores. This privately held supermarket chain has around 300 locations in The Lone Star State and almost all of them have the item on their shelves.
How to buy dry ice at HEB: They used to have a dedicated dry ice page on their official site much like Meijer, but this feature seems to have been removed (as of Summer 2020). The best way to get it today is to call your local store beforehand to check availability. You can find your nearest store here.
Dry Ice Suppliers
In the US, most big cities have dry ice suppliers which specialize in the production and sale of the item. There are some nationwide supplier chains with dozens of stores across the country. Their advantages include low prices and high flexibility. Here is a quick list to get you going:
- Penguin Brand Dry Ice (from Airgas): They are one of the biggest dry ice suppliers in the whole United States, as this company distributes dry ice blocks to nearly 5,000 retail stores in the country each year. To find the nearest outlet where you can buy it, you can call: 877-PENGUIN (877-736-4846)
- Continental Carbonic: This manufacturer has 50 production and distribution facilities across the country with most located in the eastern half of the States. They primarily serve commercial customers but normal consumers can also purchase from them on a cash-and-carry basis.
- Local Dry Ice Suppliers: Large towns always have at least one small business which specializes in this field. To find them, you can do a search on Google Maps or you can look them up on Yelp or in the Yellow Pages. When you visit these stores, you’ll be met with friendly service, and it’s also an excellent way to help the local economy.
Dry Ice Online Delivery
If you don’t want to leave the convenience of your home, you can try a company that offers the delivery of dry ice to your doorstep.
- Dry Ice Delivered: Their promise is to ship dry ice to any location in the United States. Sounds great, doesn’t it? The pricing is progressive for blocks, which means the more you order, the lower the price per pound. Currently prices start at $1 per lb for a minimum order of 10 lbs of blocks or pellets. Great deal.
- Local delivery company: Type “dry ice delivery [your location]” or “dry ice delivery near me” into your preferred search engine and if you live in a bigger city you’ll most likely see plenty of local companies offering delivery of the product.
Ice Cream Parlors
Ice cream shops have to keep their delicious treats cold somehow and most use dry ice as it is relatively cheap and safe. In most cases, you will need to get creative and ask whether you can get some at the location. Usually, they don’t sell it, but there are lots of places where they will be happy to give you some, maybe even for free. Exceptions are some ice cream shops which sell it by the pound. Like Graeter’s, which has a good number of locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois.
Gas Stations
Some gas stations sell dry ice in front of the store from big freezers. We recommend this as a last resort as many of them don’t have it. Sometimes it is also possible that you have to ask the staff if you don’t see it anywhere around the kiosk, because of limited accessibility.
Final remarks
Finding a store that has dry ice can first seem like a daunting task. But with the contents of this guide and some planning (phone calls etc.) you can get it in basically no time. The 10 options listed above are the best choices for buying everyone’s favorite Halloween substance in the United States.