Choosing the Right Cooling Pad Thickness: 10cm vs. 15cm, Which is Better for Your Farm?

When summer temperatures soar, heat stress can severely impact poultry health and production. To keep birds cool, modern farms rely on evaporative cooling pad systems paired with exhaust fans.

But when designing your farm, should you choose 10cm (4-inch) or 15cm (6-inch) cooling pads? Selecting the wrong thickness can restrict airflow or fail to cool your farm effectively.

Here is a quick, practical guide from the North Husbandry engineering team to help you make the right choice.

10cm vs. 15cm: The Quick Comparison

Deep Dive: 10cm (4-inch) Cooling Pads

Pros & Cons:

• Lower Upfront Cost: Requires less raw material to manufacture, making it budget-friendly.

• Lower Air Resistance: Offers less static pressure resistance, meaning older or standard fans don't have to work as hard to pull air through.

• Limitation: Lower cooling efficiency in extreme heat.

Best For:

• Temperate climates where summer temperatures are moderate.

• Smaller, narrower poultry houses or retrofitting older facilities with standard ventilation setups.

Deep Dive: 15cm (6-inch) Cooling Pads

Pros & Cons:

• Maximum Cooling: The extra thickness provides a larger surface area for water evaporation, dropping incoming temperatures by up to 10°C to 15°C in dry, hot climates.

• Less Wall Space Needed: Because it safely handles higher air velocity ($1.5 \text{ m/s}$) without pulling water droplets into the house, you actually need less total pad area compared to 10cm pads to achieve the same airflow.

• Limitation: Higher initial equipment investment.

Best For:

• Hot, arid, or tropical regions (e.g., Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa) where maximum cooling is critical for bird survival.

• Large, modern, fully automated tunnel-ventilated broiler or breeder houses.

Final Recommendation

1. Choose 10cm if: You are on a tight initial budget, your local summers are relatively mild, or you are renovating an older farm with limited structure.

2. Choose 15cm if: You are building a modern, high-density farm, your local climate regularly exceeds 35°C, and you want the best long-term ROI through reduced bird mortality.

Get a Free Cooling Blueprint Today

Not sure which thickness fits your local climate or house dimensions? Let the experts handle the math.

North Husbandry manufactures heavy-duty, high-absorption cooling pads (10cm, 15cm, and custom sizes) with anti-mold coatings.

📩 Contact North Husbandry today! Send us your house dimensions, and our engineering team will provide a free equipment layout blueprint and quotation.