VenueIce

Size the machine by the business, then compare brands.

Cube vs half-dice vs nugget vs flake ice

Updated 2026-08-30. Independent guide — not a dealer quote.

Ice type is a shape, hardness, and machine choice. You cannot convert a cuber into a flaker by changing a setting.

The four families

Family Also called How it is made Typical use Watch-outs
Cube (full, medium, crescent, gourmet, sphere, top hat) Dice, KM crescent, Scotsman gourmet, Hoshizaki AM top hat, IM sphere Water freezes on a plate or in a cell, then harvests Drinks, bagged ice, general foodservice Gourmet/sphere machines are low lb/day
Half-dice / half cube Manitowoc “Y”, Ice-O-Matic half Smaller cell on the same style of cuber Fountain, blended drinks, fast pack-out More surface area → faster melt than a large rock
Nugget Cubelet, Pearl, H² nugget Auger extrudes compressed ice Soft drinks, healthcare dispensers, some frozen drinks Dilutes cocktails; more moving parts than a cuber
Flake Flaker Auger ice, not compressed into nuggets Salad bars, seafood, produce, medical Not a beverage cube; Hoshizaki says some filters are not for flakers

Hardness and “chew” are marketing words. What you can measure is lb/day, kWh/100 lb, and whether the drink program wants a rock or a soft pellet.

Cubes are not one cube

  • Half-dice (~3/8″ × 1-1/8″ × 7/8″ on Manitowoc NEO copy) fills a cup and a tin quickly. UYF-0140A, IYT0450A, CIM0430A.
  • Medium / full cube (Scotsman Prodigy medium is listed around 7/8″ on dealer copy of C0330) is the classic bar cube. C0330MA-1.
  • Crescent is Hoshizaki’s hard, clear, curved cube. KM-81BAK, KM-161BAK, KM-520MAJ.
  • Gourmet is Scotsman’s slow-melt undercounter cube. CU50: 65 lb @ 70/50, 49 lb @ 90/70, 11.0 kWh/100 lb, 29.8 gal/100 lb on the product page.
  • Sphere: IM-50BAA-Q, 50 lb / 500 spheres, 15.7 kWh/100 lb @ 90/70.
  • Top hat: AM-50BAK, 54 lb, hotel/office cabinet.

Energy per 100 lb is much higher on gourmet and sphere than on a 400–500 lb modular cuber. That is on the sheets, not a vibe.

Nugget / cubelet / Pearl

Auger machines. Soft, chewable, lots of surface area.

  • Hoshizaki C-80BAK — 92 lb mini cubelet, 27 lb bin, 15″.
  • Hoshizaki F-330BAK has a cubelet sibling F-330BAK-C at 300 lb on the 08/28/25 spec PDF (flake F-330BAK is 331 lb). We listed the flake SKU; treat F-330BAK-C as the cubelet variant of the same cabinet.
  • Manitowoc RNP0320A — 308 / 236 lb modular nugget, ENERGY STAR 3.0 on the cited sheet.
  • Scotsman HID525 — 500 / 380 lb nugget dispenser, 25 lb hopper.
  • Ice-O-Matic GEM0450A — 464 lb @ 70/50 air, 354 lb @ 90/70 on the cited GEM0450 sheet.

Flake

Hoshizaki F-330BAK: 331 lb flake, 80 lb bin, 24″ × 26″ × 39″, 6.3 A, R290, ENERGY STAR on the product page. Use it for display and packing, not for a martini.

Hoshizaki’s H9320-51 page says the 4HC-H filter is not recommended for flakers. Use the filter the flaker sheet calls for.

Picking without a tasting flight

  • Iced coffee and fountain: half-dice, crescent, or nugget.
  • Craft cocktails: gourmet or sphere at the stick; cheaper cube in the well.
  • Seafood / salad bar: flake (and a sanitation plan).
  • Smoothies: nugget or small cube; confirm the blender manual.

Then size pounds: sizing guide.