Editing Refrigerator (section)

===Residential units===
The capacity of a refrigerator is measured in either liters or cubic feet. Typically the volume of a combined refrigerator-freezer is split with 1/3 to 1/4 of the volume allocated to the freezer although these values are highly variable.

Temperature settings for refrigerator and freezer compartments are often given arbitrary numbers by manufacturers (for example, 1 through 9, warmest to coldest), but generally {{convert|3|to|5|C|F}}<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> is ideal for the refrigerator compartment and {{convert|-18|°C|°F|abbr=on}} for the freezer. Some refrigerators must be within certain external temperature parameters to run properly. This can be an issue when placing units in an unfinished area, such as a garage.

Some refrigerators are now divided into four zones to store different types of food:
* {{Convert|-18|°C|°F}} (freezer)
* {{Convert|0|°C|°F}} (meat zone)
* {{Convert|5|°C|°F}} (cooling zone)
* {{Convert|10|°C|°F}} ([[crisper drawer|crisper]])

European freezers, and refrigerators with a freezer compartment, have a four-[[Star (classification)|star rating system]] to grade freezers.<ref>{{Citation|title=Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2019 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for refrigerating appliances pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 643/2009 (Text with EEA relevance.)|date=2019-12-05|url=http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2019/oj/eng|issue=32019R2019|language=en|access-date=2020-10-21|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425113421/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2019/oj/eng|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| 
|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| {{rating|1|full=Blue Star.svg|size=18px}}  ||  min temperature: {{convert|-6|°C|°F}}. <br /> Maximum storage time for (pre-frozen) food is 1 week
|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| {{rating|2|full=Blue Star.svg|size=18px}}  ||  min temperature: {{convert|-12|°C|°F}}.  <br /> Maximum storage time for (pre-frozen) food is 1 month
|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| {{rating|3|full=Blue Star.svg|size=18px}}  ||  min temperature: {{convert|-18|°C|°F}}.  <br /> Maximum storage time for (pre-frozen) food is between 3 and 12 months depending on type (meat, vegetables, fish, etc.)
|-style="vertical-align: top;"
| {{rating|4|full=Blue Star.svg|size=18px}}  ||  min temperature: {{convert|-18|°C|°F}}.  <br /> Maximum storage time for pre-frozen or frozen-from-fresh food is between 3 and 12 months
|}

Although both the three- and four-star ratings specify the same storage times and same minimum temperature of {{convert|-18|°C|°F}}, only a four-star freezer is intended for freezing fresh food, and may include a "fast freeze" function (runs the compressor continually, down to as low as {{convert|-26|°C|°F}}) to facilitate this. Three (or fewer) stars are used for frozen food compartments that are only suitable for storing frozen food; introducing fresh food into such a compartment is likely to result in unacceptable temperature rises. This difference in categorization is shown in the design of the 4-star logo, where the "standard" three stars are displayed in a box using "positive" colours, denoting the same normal operation as a 3-star freezer, and the fourth star showing the additional fresh food/fast freeze function is prefixed to the box in "negative" colours or with other distinct formatting. {{Citation needed|date=May 2014}}

Most European refrigerators include a moist cold refrigerator section (which does require (automatic) defrosting at irregular intervals) and a (rarely frost-free) freezer section.