American BioTech Supply (ABS) Refrigerators & Freezers

Every lab, pharmacy, and clinical facility eventually faces the same question: which refrigeration or freezer unit will actually keep pace with day-to-day demands without becoming a maintenance headache. American BioTech Supply, known simply as ABS, has built one of the widest refrigeration and freezer lineups available for medical, laboratory, and pharmacy environments, with hundreds of configurations covering everything from compact undercounter freezers to full-size upright refrigerators.

This collection is built for facilities that need options, not a one-size-fits-all unit, and want a brand with a documented history in scientific and pharmaceutical cold storage.

Who Is This Brand For?

The ABS collection is broad enough to serve a wide range of institutional buyers, including:

• Medical facilities such as hospitals and clinics that have medicines, vaccines, and biological specimens
  
• Independent and hospital pharmacies needing dedicated pharmacy refrigeration
• Research laboratories and universities requiring general and specialty lab refrigeration
• Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with chromatography and hazardous location storage needs
• Facilities in regulated vaccine storage programs that require NSF/ANSI 456 certified refrigeration

If your organization needs several types of cold storage units across different departments, this collection is built to cover most of those needs from a single brand.

Product Types

Medical and Laboratory Refrigerators

This is the largest segment of the collection, including the ABT-VS and ABT-HC series upright laboratory refrigerators, ranging from 12 cu. ft. models like the ABT-VS-LS-12 up to 81.25 cu. ft. stainless steel units like the ABT-HC-SSP-72. Many of these models include a variable speed compressor, marketed as the VS series, intended to reduce temperature fluctuation and energy use.

Pharmacy Refrigerators

PH-ABT-VS series units are designed for the specific needs of a pharmacy setting, featuring products such as the PH-ABT-VS-S12S and PH-ABT-VS-49G which provide the more precise 2°C to 8°C temperature range required in a pharmacy setting. Some units from this category come equipped with sliding glass doors for busy pharmacy countertops.

Vaccine Refrigerators

PH-ABT-NSF series includes the PH-ABT-NSF-UCBI-0204 and PH-ABT-NSF-S49G models which are undercounter and upright vaccine refrigerators meeting the NSF/ANSI 456 standard.

Medical and Laboratory Freezers

Various freezer choices are available including compact under-counter models such as the ABT-HC-UCBI-0420, upright models like the ABT-HC-PLF-49 and the ABT-MFP-15-C chest style lab freezer for top-load storage applications.

Room Temperature (CRT) Cabinets

The CRT-ABT line of products includes the CRT-ABT-HC-UCFS-0104 and the ABT-HC-S23S which keep products at a 20°C to 25°C range where items need to be stored without being refrigerated but must have their temperatures controlled.

Refrigerator and Freezer Combination Units

Combination refrigeration and freezer units include the ABT-HC-RFC12A and ADA compliant ABT-HC-RFC-15A. These units combine refrigerator and freezer compartments in one cabinet when space or financial limitations prevent use of two separate pieces of equipment.

Flammable and Hazardous Location Storage

In laboratories that deal with flammable liquids or chemicals, the selection offers flammable storage refrigerators and freezers, including the ABT-HC-FRP-30 and ABT-HC-FFS-30 as well as hazardous location storage units such as the ABT-HC-EFP-04 and ABT-HC-ERS-30.

Chromatography Refrigerators

The ABT-HC-CP-26-TS and ABT-HC-CP-23-TS refrigerators are Templog-controlled models suitable for chromatography applications that require both constant temperature and chromatography equipment.

How to Choose the Right Product?

Given the wide range of options offered by ABS refrigerators, the process of selecting one relies on a few basic choices:

• Application first: determine the kind of unit required – do you require storage for the general laboratory environment, pharmacy refrigerators, NSF-certified refrigerator units for vaccines, flammable refrigerators, or CRT storage units at room temperature?
• Capacity: Units vary in capacity from 1 cubic foot countertop models to the largest 81-inch and 81 cubic feet upright models. 
• Temperature range: Pharmacy and vaccine refrigerators have a temperature range of 1°C to 10°C or 2°C to 8°C. General laboratory refrigerators have a temperature range of 2°C to 15°C and the freezers have a temperature range between -15°C to -43°C. 
• Door configuration: Glass, solid, and combination glass and solid doors can be found together with units that have one, two, and three doors as well as left and right-hinged doors.
• Compliance needs: If your institution is involved in a vaccine storage program then you need to ensure that the chosen unit has the NSF/ANSI 456 certification.
• Special features: variable speed compressors, touchscreen controls, and Templog monitoring are available on select premier and premium model tiers.

Technical Information & Compliance

Several ABS vaccine refrigerators in this collection, including the PH-ABT-NSF-UCBI-0204 and PH-ABT-NSF-S49G, are built to NSF/ANSI 456 standards, which is the recognized standard for vaccine storage refrigeration. This certification applies specifically to those labeled models, not to the collection as a whole, so confirm the model number when compliance is a requirement.

Variable speed (VS) compressor models are designed to reduce temperature cycling compared to standard compressors. Templog-equipped models include temperature monitoring capability built into premier and premium tiers. One combination unit, the ABT-HC-RFC-15A, is noted as ADA compliant. As with any regulated storage application, confirm the exact specifications and certifications of the model you select against your facility's internal protocols.

Comparison / Selection Table

Smart Solutions for Equipment Purchasing

With over 300 configurations in this collection, procurement planning matters as much as product selection. Consider the following when budgeting for ABS equipment:

• Standardize by department. Since ABS offers dedicated pharmacy, lab, and CRT lines, standardizing each department on its matching series can simplify staff training and future service.
• Plan for laboratory expansion. If your facility is growing, review larger capacity models within the same series now to avoid mismatched equipment down the line.
• Treat this as a long-term investment. Refrigeration and freezer units are typically in service for years, so weigh unit price against features like variable speed compressors that may reduce long-term energy costs.
• Budget for specialty compliance needs early. If NSF/ANSI 456 certified vaccine storage is required, build that into your budget and timeline before searching for general-purpose alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a standard ABS refrigerator and a variable speed (VS) compressor model?

While the former utilizes fixed-speed compressors, the latter has a variable speed compressor built specifically to eliminate temperature fluctuations.

What is the difference between a CRT cabinet and a standard refrigerator?

A CRT, or controlled room temperature, cabinet will maintain temperatures within 20°C to 25°C range for products not intended for chilling but still requiring constant temperature maintenance, while standard refrigerators will keep much cooler temperatures, from 2°C to 15°C depending on the specific model.

How do I know if I need an NSF/ANSI 456 certified vaccine refrigerator?

In case you are using your refrigerator for participation in some state or federal vaccine storage programs, or have some compliance agreement concerning vaccines requiring certified equipment, you'd better choose one of PH-ABT-NSF models rather than just pharmacy or lab refrigerators.

What capacity range is available in this collection?

The capacities vary from 1 cu. ft. countertop and undercounter units up to 81 cu. ft. upright cabinets.

Are any of these units suitable for flammable materials?

Yes, there are special models which are designated as flammable storage refrigerators and freezers, for example, ABT-HC-FRP-30 and ABT-HC-FFS-30. Other general purpose lab and pharmacy fridges from this selection are not intended for storing flammable substances, so it is necessary to consider it before buying.

What maintenance should I expect for these units?

General maintenance implies condenser coils cleaning, checking for door gaskets sealing, making sure that defrost cycles are functioning properly and keeping track of temperatures (in case of Templogs).

Is there a difference between left-hinged and right-hinged doors?

Yes, it does matter because most models in this selection have right-hinged doors, although there are quite a lot of models with left hinges.

Get Started

With this many configurations to choose from, it helps to have support beyond just the product listing. MediDepot offers medical equipment financing to help spread out the cost of larger purchases, a price match guarantee if you have a comparable quote in hand, extended warranty coverage for long-term peace of mind, and a military discount for those who qualify.

Take a closer look at the American BioTech Supply collection to compare series and capacities, or request a quote and the team can help you match the right configuration to your facility.