The size and formation of ice crystals is governed by the rate and temperature of freezing. Blast freezing used for certain types of food-stuffs is designed to quickly freeze in a few hours, often involving temperatures in excess of -50 degrees Celsius. The advantage of quick freezing is that ice crystals are kept very small, resulting in a limited amount of swelling. Availability of blast freezing facilities may not be possible following water damage, so in normal circumstances, freezing will be slower and therefore the formation of ice crystals larger, but this should not cause problems for the majority of library and archive collections.

Once frozen, cold temperature conditions should be maintained at about 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius ). Lower temperatures will do no harm but higher temperatures may increase the size of ice crystals.