Freezer Storage Time Chart: How Long Food Lasts Frozen

The freezer storage time chart

The full chart, for 21 foods. The range is the USDA FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart at 0°F, and the calculator uses the longest figure in the range — the full quality window. Where USDA sources differ, the note says so and the page uses the FoodSafety.gov figure.

Source notes: the ranges are the USDA FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service), checked October 2026. A few rows differ across USDA-linked sources, and the page states the difference rather than hiding it: beef steaks are 4–12 months on the current FoodSafety.gov chart and 6–12 months on some older USDA charts — the page uses 4–12. Lean fish is 6–8 months on FoodSafety.gov and 4–6 months in Clemson Extension’s USDA-based guidance — the page uses 6–8. Bread is 3–6 months in the USDA FoodKeeper app and 3 months in Illinois Extension’s guidance — the page uses 3–6. Ice cream is 2–4 months in FoodKeeper and 1–2 months in Clemson’s guidance — the page uses 2–4. Soups and stews are 2–3 months on FoodSafety.gov and 2–4 months in Illinois Extension’s guidance — the page uses 2–3. In every case the calculator uses the longest figure in the range printed on this page.

How the calculator works

One addition and one subtraction. Best-by is the freeze date plus the food’s months: ground beef frozen October 24, 2026 plus 4 months is February 24, 2027. Days left is the best-by date minus today: February 24, 2027 minus October 24, 2026 is 123 days — 7 days left in October, 30 in November, 31 in December, 31 in January, and 24 in February. The verdict follows the days left: more than 30 days is still good, 30 days or fewer is use soon, and a date already passed is past best quality. The reverse works the other way: the latest freeze date is the use-by date minus the food’s months, so ground beef you want to eat by June 1, 2027 must be frozen by February 1, 2027 — June 1 minus 4 months.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: ground beef, USDA range 3–4 months, calculator uses 4 months, frozen October 24, 2026.

Line 1 — months to add. Ground beef keeps 3 to 4 months; the calculator uses the longest, 4 months.

Line 2 — best-by date. October 24, 2026 + 4 months = February 24, 2027.

Line 3 — days left. February 24, 2027 − October 24, 2026 = 123 days.

Line 4 — verdict. 123 days is more than 30, so the verdict is still good.

Line 5 — the reverse check. To eat it by June 1, 2027, freeze it by June 1, 2027 − 4 months = February 1, 2027.

Every branch, checked

Whole chicken, 12 months: frozen October 24, 2026, whole chicken is best by October 24, 2027 — 365 days from the freeze date, still good. Whole birds keep longest because there is the least surface exposed to air.

Fatty fish, 2–3 months: frozen October 24, 2026, salmon is best by January 24, 2027 — 92 days from the freeze date, still good. Fatty fish goes rancid fastest, because its oils oxidise even in the freezer.

Bread, 3–6 months: frozen October 24, 2026, bread is best by April 24, 2027 — 182 days from the freeze date, still good. The USDA FoodKeeper app gives bread 3 to 6 months; Illinois Extension’s guidance gives 3 months, so the short end of the range is the cautious one.

Cooked ham, 1–2 months: frozen October 24, 2026, cooked ham is best by December 24, 2026 — 61 days from the freeze date, still good. Cured and salted meats are among the shortest keepers in the freezer, because salt speeds rancidity even at 0°F.

Quality, not safety — the rule that matters

The USDA is clear on this, and it is the most misunderstood fact about freezing: food kept at 0°F or below stays safe indefinitely, because freezing stops the growth of the microorganisms that cause food poisoning. The dates on this page are quality dates — the point after which the food is drier, blander, and more freezer-burned, not the point after which it becomes dangerous. A steak frozen for 14 months is safe to eat and will taste like a 14-month-old steak. The other side of the rule matters too: freezing does not kill bacteria, it only pauses them, so food thawed on the counter and refrozen is not made safe by the freezer. Thaw in the fridge, in cold water, or in the microwave, and never refreeze food that has already been thawed.

Rounding convention, stated plainly: months are whole calendar months — October 24 plus 4 months is February 24, not 120 days. Days left are whole days between the best-by date and today, counted at midnight. The verdict changes at 30 days: 31 days left is still good, 30 days left is use soon, and the day after the best-by date is past best quality.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The bulk buyer: freezes ground beef on October 24, 2026 and learns it is best by February 24, 2027 — 123 days to use it, with a still-good verdict and no rush.
• The whole-chicken freezer: freezes a whole chicken and learns it keeps a full 12 months, best by October 24, 2027 — the longest keeper on the chart.
• The salmon buyer: freezes fatty fish and learns it is best by January 24, 2027 — only 92 days — because fish oils go rancid fastest in the freezer.
• The holiday planner: wants ground beef ready by June 1, 2027 and works backwards — freeze it by February 1, 2027, or buy it fresh instead.

Accuracy & limitations

The ranges on this page are the USDA FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart at 0°F, checked October 2026, and the arithmetic is exact for the numbers you enter: the best-by date is the freeze date plus the food’s months, the days left are the best-by date minus today, and the latest freeze date is the use-by date minus the food’s months. But the chart gives ranges, not single numbers, and this page uses the longest figure in each range — the full quality window — so the best-by date is the latest date the food still tastes its best, not the earliest date it starts to decline. Where USDA-linked sources differ — beef steaks, lean fish, bread, ice cream, soups — the page states both figures and uses the FoodSafety.gov one, as noted above the chart. The dates assume the freezer really holds 0°F: a freezer that cycles warmer, or one opened and closed all day, shortens every window, because each warm-up melts a little ice out of the food and it never goes back in. Packaging matters too — vacuum-sealed food keeps longer than food in a thin bag, and the USDA’s times assume moisture-proof, freezer-weight wrap. The verdict thresholds are this page’s own rule, not the USDA’s: more than 30 days left is still good, 30 or fewer is use soon, and past the date is past best quality. No studies or statistics are cited on this page beyond the USDA chart itself, because none are needed: every figure is the USDA’s range plus arithmetic on the dates you enter.