Dry ice blasting · Oklahoma City, OK
Dry ice blasting in Oklahoma City
Dry ice blasting cleans equipment by blowing tiny pellets of frozen CO₂ at it with compressed air. The pellets knock off grease, grime and buildup, then turn into gas and disappear, so there is no water, no chemicals and no sand to clean up. Apex Dry Ice provides on-site, high-output dry ice blasting across Oklahoma.
By the Apex Dry Ice team · Updated November 2026
01 / In plain English
What is dry ice blasting?
Think of sandblasting, but instead of sand we use small pellets of dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide. The pellets hit the dirty surface, knock the grime loose, and then vanish into the air. All that's left is the dirt we removed.
Because the "sand" disappears, there's nothing to sweep up, nothing gets wet, and no chemicals are involved. In most cases, your equipment can be cleaned right where it sits and go straight back to work.
No mess left behind
The ice turns to gas on contact. You only clean up what we removed.
Nothing gets wet
No water means no rust, no drying time and no electrical risk from moisture.
Gentle on equipment
Dry ice is soft, so it cleans without scratching or wearing down surfaces.
02 / The process
How does dry ice blasting work?
A dry ice blaster feeds rice-sized 3mm pellets into a stream of compressed air and fires them through a nozzle. Three things happen in a fraction of a second when each pellet hits:
Impact
The pellets strike at high speed and start breaking up the contaminant layer.
Flash freeze
At −109.3°F the pellet freezes the contaminant, making it brittle so it cracks and loosens its grip.
Lift off
The pellet instantly turns to gas and expands hundreds of times in volume, lifting the contaminant away from underneath.
The result is a clean surface with nothing left behind but the removed buildup, ready to sweep or vacuum up.
03 / The Apex difference
High-output blasting: why 350 CFM gets the job done faster
Every dry ice blaster is only as strong as the air behind it. Air volume is measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute), and it decides how hard and how fast a blaster can clean. Apex runs a 350 CFM air supply from a towable industrial compressor. Many portable dry ice setups run on much smaller compressors, which forces a trade-off: use a smaller nozzle to hold pressure, or use a bigger nozzle and watch pressure drop.
With 350 CFM, we don't have to choose. We can run larger, more productive nozzles at full blast pressure and carry more ice per minute, all without the pressure sagging mid-job. More air means more pellets reaching the surface at higher speed, which means more square feet cleaned per hour, heavy buildup removed in fewer passes, and less time your equipment sits idle. For you, that translates into shorter shutdowns and a lower total cost for the job.
We also bring our own air. Our compressor is self-contained and diesel-powered, so we never have to tie into your plant's compressed-air system or pull from its capacity while we work.
350 CFM
Sustained air volume to drive larger nozzles at full pressure.
Fewer passes
More ice and more energy per minute cut through thick, baked-on buildup faster.
Self-contained
Our own towable compressor. No draw on your plant air.
04 / Applications
What can dry ice blasting clean?
Dry ice blasting works on almost anything that needs grime removed without damage, water or teardown.
Equipment we clean
- ▸Industrial and heavy equipment
- ▸Food and beverage processing lines
- ▸Motors, generators and electrical panels
- ▸Molds, dies and tooling
- ▸Aircraft and automotive components
- ▸Buildings after fire, smoke or flood damage
Contaminants it removes
- ▸Grease, oil and lubricants
- ▸Carbon, soot, smoke residue and char
- ▸Mold and mildew
- ▸Adhesives, ink and release agents
- ▸Food residue and baked-on product
- ▸Wax, bitumen and tar
- ▸Graffiti
When it's not the best tool
We'd rather tell you up front. Dry ice blasting is less effective on heavy rust and mill scale, and because it's non-abrasive, it won't create the rough surface profile some coatings need before repainting. If your job is better suited to another method, we'll say so.
05 / Compare methods
Dry ice blasting vs. other cleaning methods
How dry ice blasting stacks up against the most common alternatives for industrial cleaning:
| Method | Secondary waste | Uses water | Abrasive | Safe near electrical | Cleanup after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry ice blasting | None | No | No | Yes, de-energized | Removed contaminant only |
| Sandblasting | Spent sand plus contaminant | No | Yes | No | Heavy |
| Soda blasting | Soda residue plus contaminant | Often | Mild | Limited | Moderate, rinse needed |
| Pressure washing | Contaminated wastewater | Yes | No | No | Water capture and drying |
| Chemical cleaning | Chemical waste | Usually | No | Limited | Rinse, neutralize, dispose |
06 / In depth
The science behind dry ice blasting
Dry ice blasting removes contaminants through three physical mechanisms acting together. No single one does all the work, which is why the process is effective on such a wide range of materials while staying gentle on the surface underneath.
1. Kinetic energy
Compressed air accelerates the pellets through the nozzle to high velocity. Each pellet's impact energy follows KE = ½mv², so speed matters most: doubling pellet velocity quadruples the energy delivered. Air volume (CFM) and pressure (PSI) together set how fast pellets travel and how many reach the surface each second.
2. Thermal shock
Dry ice sublimates at −78.5°C (−109.3°F). On contact, it rapidly chills the contaminant layer. Most coatings, oils and residues contract at a different rate than the metal beneath them (a mismatch in their coefficients of thermal expansion), and many become brittle when cold. The resulting stress cracks the contaminant and weakens its bond to the substrate.
3. Sublimation lift
Carbon dioxide has no liquid phase at atmospheric pressure, so the pellet goes straight from solid to gas. Gaseous CO₂ takes up roughly 750 to 850 times the volume of the solid, depending on temperature. That near-instant expansion drives into the cracks created by thermal shock and pushes the contaminant off from underneath.
Why it doesn't damage the surface
Dry ice has a Mohs hardness of roughly 1 to 3, depending on how densely it was compressed during manufacturing. Silica sand is about 7. Because the pellets are softer than metals and most finished surfaces, and because they sublimate on impact rather than grinding across the surface, dry ice blasting preserves tolerances on molds, machined parts and electrical components.
Process variables we control
- ▸Air volume (CFM): sets how much blasting energy can be sustained. Our 350 CFM supply keeps pressure stable on larger nozzles.
- ▸Blast pressure (PSI): raised for hard, thick deposits and lowered for delicate substrates.
- ▸Ice feed rate: pounds of dry ice per minute, matched to the contaminant and nozzle size.
- ▸Pellet size and freshness: dense, freshly made 3mm pellets carry more mass and cleaning energy than pellets that have partly sublimated in storage.
- ▸Nozzle geometry, standoff distance and angle: tuned to concentrate energy or spread it across wide surfaces.
- ▸Air quality: dry, filtered air keeps moisture from condensing in the hose, clumping the pellets or frosting the surface.
Safety considerations
Sublimating dry ice releases carbon dioxide, which is about 1.5 times denser than air and can collect in low or enclosed spaces. OSHA's permissible exposure limit for CO₂ is 5,000 ppm averaged over an 8-hour shift, and NIOSH lists 40,000 ppm as immediately dangerous to life or health. Proper ventilation is part of planning every job, especially indoors. Dry ice blasting is also loud and the ice is cold enough to cause frostbite, so operators wear hearing, eye and cold protection, and equipment is de-energized and locked out before cleaning.
Frequently asked questions
Dry ice blasting FAQs
What is dry ice blasting?
Dry ice blasting is a cleaning method that uses compressed air to fire small pellets of solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) at a surface. The impact and extreme cold break the bond between the dirt and the surface, and the pellets turn into gas, so no water, chemicals or blast media are left behind.
Who offers dry ice blasting in Oklahoma City?
Apex Dry Ice provides on-site, high-output dry ice blasting in Oklahoma City and across Oklahoma. We run a 350 CFM air supply and source our own dry ice locally, so we can schedule jobs quickly and finish them faster.
Does dry ice blasting damage surfaces?
Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive on most surfaces. Dry ice is soft (about 1 to 3 on the Mohs hardness scale, compared with about 7 for silica sand) and turns to gas on impact, so it removes contaminants without pitting, etching or wearing down metal, molds or machined parts.
Is dry ice blasting safe for electrical equipment?
Yes, with proper precautions. Dry ice is non-conductive and leaves no moisture behind, so it is widely used on motors, generators, control panels and wiring. Equipment should be de-energized and locked out before cleaning.
Why does a 350 CFM air supply matter for dry ice blasting?
Air volume (CFM) determines how much blasting power can be sustained. A 350 CFM supply can hold full blast pressure through larger, more productive nozzles and carry more ice per minute, which removes heavy buildup in fewer passes and shortens the job.
What can dry ice blasting remove?
Dry ice blasting removes grease, oil, carbon, soot, smoke residue, char, mold, adhesives, ink, release agents, food residue, wax, bitumen, tar and graffiti. It is less effective on heavy rust or mill scale and does not create a surface profile for repainting.
Is dry ice blasting environmentally friendly?
Dry ice blasting uses no water or chemicals and creates no secondary waste. The CO₂ used to make dry ice is typically recaptured from other industrial processes, so blasting releases CO₂ that already existed rather than producing new emissions.
How much does dry ice blasting cost?
Cost depends on the size of the job, the type and thickness of the buildup, and site access. Because equipment is usually cleaned in place with no drying time or media cleanup, total cost is often lower than with traditional methods. Contact Apex Dry Ice for a free quote.
Get a dry ice blasting quote.
Tell us what needs cleaning, where it is and when you need it done. We'll reply with timing and pricing.
Apex Dry Ice11628 N I-35 Service Rd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73131