What equipment do you need to start a food truck?

At minimum, the cooking and holding equipment your menu needs, mechanical refrigeration, a hand sink, usually a three-compartment sink, fresh and wastewater tanks, a water heater, a hood with fire suppression over grease-producing equipment, fire extinguishers, and a power and fuel source. Local health and fire rules decide the exact list.

Does food truck equipment have to be commercial?

In most places, yes. Health departments such as Maricopa County in Arizona require all equipment to be commercial and NSF/ANSI approved, and the NACCHO mobile food unit factsheet lists ANSI/NSF approved equipment as a plan review item. Residential appliances usually won't pass inspection.

What fire extinguishers does a food truck need?

Often two. Iowa's fire marshal requires a K-rated extinguisher for commercial cooking plus an ABC extinguisher of at least 2A:10BC, and Rockdale County, Georgia requires a Class K wherever there's deep frying. Los Angeles County asks for at least a 10 BC unit. Check with your local fire official.

Food Truck Equipment List | Sizes, Power and What You Need

A food truck equipment list has six groups: cooking, cold storage, sinks and water, hood and fire safety, power and fuel, and service. Your menu decides the cooking line. Your health and fire departments decide most of the rest, and their lists differ by state and county.

The sizes below come from manufacturer and dealer spec sheets for specific models. Other brands run larger or smaller, so put the real numbers from your own spec sheets into the plan before you build.

What equipment is on a typical food truck?

Item	Example model	Width x depth x height	Fuel or power
36 in flat-top griddle	Star-Max 636MF	36 x 29 x 15.5 in	Gas, 84,900 BTU
Floor fryer, 35 to 40 lb oil	Pitco 35C+S	15.1 x 30.3 x 47.3 in	Gas, 90,000 BTU
48 in sandwich/salad prep table	True TSSU-48-12-HC	48-3/8 x 30-1/8 x 36-3/4 in	115 V, 5.8 A
Undercounter refrigerator	True TUC-27-HC	27-5/8 x 30-1/8 x 29-3/4 in	115 V, 2.0 A
One-door reach-in refrigerator	True T-23-HC	27 x 29-1/2 x 78-3/8 in	115 V, 2.2 A
Three-compartment sink, 2 drainboards	Advance Tabco K7-CS-21	58 x 19-1/2 in	Hot and cold water
Generator, LP	Cummins Onan QG 5500	33.6 x 22.2 x 16.7 in	5,500 W, 120 V
Propane cylinders	Worthington steel, 4.25 to 100 lb	9.1 to 14.7 in diameter, 11.8 to 48 in tall	Propane

Sources: True Manufacturing for the refrigeration, Pitco and 5 Star Food Equipment for the fryer, Delta and CKitchen dealer listings for the griddle and sink, Cummins for the generator, Worthington for the cylinders.

What cooking equipment does a food truck need?

Only what the menu needs. The common pieces:

Flat-top griddle. Burgers, tacos, cheesesteaks, breakfast. Star-Max griddles come in 15, 24, 36 and 48 inch widths, with a 28,300 BTU burner for every 12 inches.
Fryer. Fries, chips, wings. The Pitco 35C+ holds 35 to 40 lb of oil with a 14 by 14 inch frying area.
Charbroiler. Grill marks and smoke flavor; it goes under the hood like the griddle.
Range or hot plate. Sauces, beans, rice, anything in a pot.
Oven. Pizza, baked goods, finishing. Check the spec sheet for depth, weight and clearances, since ovens vary a lot.
Steam table. Hot holding for proteins and sides. Texas requires hot food held at 135°F or above.

Gas appliances need their BTU ratings listed for the propane system. Electric ones need their amps or watts listed for the generator.

What refrigeration does a food truck need?

Los Angeles County requires mechanical refrigeration for potentially hazardous foods, and Texas sets cold holding at 41°F or below. The usual mix:

A sandwich prep table with a refrigerated base and pans on top, at the build station.
Lowboy or undercounter refrigerators and freezers under the cooking line or counter.
A reach-in refrigerator or freezer if you have the height and floor space.

Some counties set a minimum. Los Angeles County asks for at least 12 cubic feet of refrigeration for limited prep and 20 cubic feet for full prep. The True TSSU-48-12 alone holds 12 cubic feet.

What sinks and water equipment does a food truck need?

Most food trucks that prepare food need:

A hand-washing sink. Maricopa County and Los Angeles County both list a minimum of 9 by 9 by 5 inches.
A three-compartment sink with drainboards, for washing, rinsing and sanitizing.
A prep sink, if you wash produce on board. Maricopa County and NACCHO add 20 gallons of fresh water when one is installed.
A water heater. Los Angeles County asks for at least 4 gallons or an instantaneous heater that reaches 120°F on units with dishwashing.
A fresh water tank, a wastewater tank and a water pump.

Sizing is covered in food truck sink requirements.

What hood and fire safety equipment does a food truck need?

Over grease-producing equipment, expect a hood with a suppression system. Iowa’s fire marshal requires a Type I hood with UL 300 suppression for new vendors doing commercial cooking. Rockdale County, Georgia, and Los Angeles County both call for the suppression system to be serviced or certified every 6 months.

Extinguishers depend on what you cook. Iowa requires a K-rated extinguisher for commercial cooking and an ABC rated at least 2A:10BC. Rockdale County requires Class K for deep frying, and it also wants a gas leak alarm on trucks using propane and a carbon monoxide detector where there’s open-flame cooking inside. See fire suppression system for more.

What power and fuel equipment does a food truck need?

Power comes from an onboard generator, shore power or both. Add up the amps of everything that runs at once. The three True units in the table draw 5.8, 2.0 and 2.2 amps at 115 volts, so 10 amps together. A 5,500-watt generator like the Cummins Onan QG 5500 is rated at 45.8 amps at 120 volts. Leave room for air conditioning, lights, the water pump and anything with a heating element.

Propane runs most gas cooking equipment. Cylinders must be secured, and the NFPA food truck fact sheet asks for daily visual checks and a leak test every time a cylinder is changed.

What service equipment does a food truck need?

A service window. The NACCHO factsheet caps openings at 216 square inches; Maricopa County allows 324.
A serving counter or shelf outside the window.
A point of sale.
Shelving and dry storage. Los Angeles County asks for at least 9 cubic feet for limited prep and 20 for full prep.
Beverage equipment if you sell drinks: espresso machine, grinder, ice machine or ice bin. In Los Angeles County, ice bins and product water tanks add to the required wastewater capacity.

How much does food truck equipment cost?

Prices change with brand, size and whether it’s new or used, so get quotes from dealers for your exact list. For a complete truck, Concession Nation quotes custom builds from $47,000 for a 14 ft truck, not counting the step van, to over $225,000 for a fully equipped 24 ft truck including the van.

Before you order, place every piece in the food truck layout maker at its real size. It keeps an equipment list with dimensions as you build the plan, and you can export it with the drawing for your builder. The how to design a food truck layout guide explains what to place first.