Free document template
Daily Temperature Log & Unit Register
A temperature log records each check of a fridge, freezer or incubator: the time, the reading, whether it was within range, and who checked. The free Excel file below carries a daily log sheet and a register of the monitored units, as separate sheets. No signup and no email required.
Scope: ManaEsse supplies thermometers, data loggers and cold-storage instruments with manufacturer documents, and prepares equipment quotations. We do not perform calibration; that work belongs to an accredited calibration laboratory.
Bilingual Thai and English, landscape A4. Two working sheets: a daily log (date, time, reading, within-limits, corrective action, initials; one page holds a month at two checks a day) and a unit register (unit ID, location, set point, acceptance range, thermometer and its calibration due date), each with a worked example row. Free to use and adapt.
Need any of this equipment? Request a quotation for Thermometers, Temperature control, Ovens and incubators and Autoclaves
What a temperature log and unit register are
The daily log (แบบบันทึกอุณหภูมิ) is the evidence side: one row per check, with the time, the reading, whether it sat inside the acceptance range, and the initials of the person who looked. Print one page per unit per month and the completed pages become the storage-condition record an auditor asks for.
The unit register is the plan side: one row per fridge, freezer, incubator or monitored point, with its set point, its acceptance range, the thermometer that produces the readings and that thermometer’s calibration due date. Quality systems such as GMP, HACCP and ISO 15189 expect both the limits set in advance and the records of each check.
Manual log vs data logger: the difference
| Manual log (this file) | Data logger | |
|---|---|---|
| What it records | A reading at the moment someone checks, typically twice a day | A continuous trace, sampled every few minutes around the clock |
| What it proves | That a person looked, judged the reading and acted on it | What happened between checks: nights, weekends, door-open events |
| When it fails | Between checks: an overnight excursion is invisible until morning | Silently: a stopped or failed logger records nothing until someone checks it |
| Alarming | None; the person is the alarm | Many models alarm on excursion, some notify remotely |
| In practice | The minimum record every unit should keep | Added for critical storage: vaccines, standards, stability samples |
What to record at every check
Date and time
A reading without a time cannot show the gap between checks. Morning and evening entries, including holidays, are the common rhythm.
Reading
The value as displayed, in °C. If the thermometer shows min and max since the last reset, record the excursion values too.
Within limits
A pass/fail judgement against the acceptance range printed at the top of the sheet, made at the moment of reading, not reconstructed later.
Corrective action
What was done when the reading fell outside the range: door check, load moved, service called, and the effect on the contents. Auditors write up an excursion with no action recorded.
Recorded by
Initials of the person who checked the reading.
Thermometer and calibration
On the register: the readings are only as good as the instrument behind them, so the register carries the thermometer ID and its calibration due date.
How the acceptance range is set
Set the range from what is stored, not from the appliance, and record it in the register:
Product label and SOP
Reagents, media and vaccines state their storage range; 2–8 °C is common for refrigerated items. Your own procedure controls.
The unit’s job
A freezer holding standards at −20 °C and an incubator holding cultures at 37 °C get different limits; each register row carries its own.
Where the sensor sits
Readings should represent the load, not the door shelf. A temperature-mapping exercise finds the warmest and coldest points worth monitoring.
What excursion means
Decide in advance what happens when the range is breached (quarantine, discard, or assessment) so the corrective-action column has answers to hold.
The other lab records in this family: Free instrument register & calibration schedule template
Common questions
What temperature range should a laboratory fridge keep?
Most refrigerated reagents, media and vaccines specify 2–8 °C, which is why that range appears on the example row. The controlling number is the storage condition on the product label and in your own procedure.
How often should the temperature be recorded?
As often as your procedure says. Twice a day, morning and evening including weekends and holidays, is the common manual rhythm. An auditor checks that the log matches the frequency your procedure sets.
Is a manual log still needed if the unit has a data logger?
Many laboratories keep both: the logger records what happened between checks, and the manual log records that a person looked and acted. If your procedure accepts the logger’s record alone, it should say so.
Does ManaEsse provide calibration for thermometers?
No. We supply thermometers, data loggers and cold-storage instruments with the manufacturer’s documents, and we prepare equipment quotations. Calibration is performed by accredited calibration laboratories. The register has a calibration due-date column for each thermometer.
Is the download really free? Do I need to register?
Yes, it is free, with no signup and no email form. Download the file, put your organization’s name on it, and adapt the columns to your procedures.
Adding a fridge, freezer or the thermometer to read it?
Send the storage range, capacity and the documents you need with it. One quotation can combine any brands, including items outside the catalog, and we’ll confirm pricing and delivery details after checking your requirements.