Does Publix Sell Dry Ice? (2022 Pricing & Availability)

If you're looking to buy some dry ice for halloween fog or to keep food frozen then there's a good chance your local Publix store will have dry ice, but you may want to call ahead just in case.

Most Publix stores sell dry ice and charge around $1.50-$2.00/pound. The dry ice can be located in a Penguin Dry Ice Freezer near the store entrance close to the checkouts or close to the regular bags of ice. It is sometimes out of stock so it's a good idea to call ahead before you go in.

But chances are if there is a Publix near you then that Publix is going to have dry ice. This is especially true around Halloween where dry ice is in higher demand among consumers.

Publix stores near beaches, lakes, mountains, theme parks or anywhere people tend to take coolers are more likely to stock dry ice as it's a more common purchase in these areas. It's extremely common down in South Florida Publix stores where the weather is warm all year round

I found this Reddit thread where are a few people are talking about dry ice in Publix stores and it's extremely common for Publix stores to stock dry ice.

However, because dry ice sublimates (or turns to gas) over time there are times when your local Publix store might be out of stock and waiting on their next shipment.

If you call ahead a customer representative will be able to tell you if they sell dry ice at your local Publix store and if they currently have it in stock.

How Much Is Dry Ice at Publix?

The price of dry ice fluctuates based on store location, time of year and the current deals your local store has.

You should expect to pay around $1.50-$2.50/lb of dry ice at your local Publix store. They usually sell them in larger blocks of around 8-10lbs for $10-$20 or smaller 1 lb blocks.

This is a pretty standard price and if you read my article on how much dry ice usually costs you'll see that $1-$3/lb is a common price.

This Reddit user stated the cost of dry ice at their local Miami Publix store:

It costs $1.49 a pound

However, this was over 5 years ago now so prices will likely be a bit different today due to inflation.

Where To Find Dry Ice In Publix

If you're looking for dry ice in Publix you'll want to keep a look out for a specific dry ice cooler. This is usually located at the front of the store but is sometimes in the frozen food section.

Occasionally they keep it out the back and you'll need to ask a customer service rep if they can get some for you.

Here are some location suggestions I found in this Reddit thread:

If you go looking for it in the store, in my experience it's in it's own stand-alone waist-high cooler somewhere in frozen food land.

Many, but not all of the Publix's have a special freezer near the front of the store. I know that the new one in Valrico does.

Here are some more helpful suggestions from a different Reddit thread:

A lot of the larger Publix stores offer it. It’s in a large deep freezer style cooler in the front of the store.

Publix and Wal-Mart carry dry ice. Some of them keep it in the back, so you'll have to ask the butcher to get you some.

How To Find Out If Your Local Publix Store Has Dry Ice

Not all Publix stores stock dry ice so you may want to do some searching to first find out which stores stock dry ice before you waste time driving there.

Dry ice sells Penguin Brand Dry Ice and Penguin happen to have a store locator on their website which lists all the Publix stores (as well as other stores) that stock their dry ice.

Above I did a simple search for a zip code in Miami and it showed me multiple local Publix stores that stock dry ice.

While these stores may sell Penguin Dry Ice from time to time this doesn't necessarily mean they have dry ice in stock when you need it.

It's always best to call ahead to the local Publix store you're planning on going to and ask them if they sell dry ice and if they have any in stock at the moment.

Why Doesn't Publix Always Have Dry Ice?

Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide and it's extremely cold. At -109ºF (-78ºC) it's too cold to keep in a freezer and so it'll be kept in cooler at your local Publix store.

However, over time the dry ice will sublimate (or turn into gas) disappearing. You can lose as much as 10-50% of the dry ice PER DAY.

So if a Publix store doesn't have a high demand for dry ice them might only receive it during busier periods (eg. Halloween or summer holidays) or they might be out of stock when you want to purchase your dry ice.

Does Publix Sell Dry Ice Online?

While Publix does offer delivery or curbside pickup they do this through Instacart and not their own delivery service.

You'll need to log into Instacart and see if they have dry ice available at your store and if they ofer delivery of this. However, chances are high that you WILL NOT be able to buy dry ice from Publix online.

Even if you could I wouldn't advise it. Instacart order can take time to pick and deliver and if the shopper doesn't have a good cooler to store the dry ice in (some of them don't have any insulated bags at all) then a lot of your dry ice will be gone by the time it gets to you.

If you really don't want to head down to your local store and you need to buy your dry ice online I suggest you read my article on where to buy dry ice which gives some online options.

There aren't many online services that sell dry ice to consumers. One of the places you can go is Dry Ice Delivered which is an online store where you can buy anywhere from 10 lbs to hundreds of pounds of dry ice.

The dry ice is really affordable and cheaper than Publix. It sells for just $1.00/lb and even goes down to as cheap as $0.50/lb if you purchase in bulk.

However, you'll spend a lot more than the cost of dry ice in shipping. Cheapest shipping for 10 lbs of dry ice is $20-$60 depending on your location and overnight shipping is a whopping $35-$120+ for just 10 lbs of dry ice.

It gets more affordable in huge quantities but is still extremely expensive. Heading down to your local Publix store or buying dry ice from Walmart are going to be cheaper than buying your dry ice online.