Vending machines come in several different sizes. When shopping for soda vending machines, snack vending machines, or other types of refrigerated machines, you need to pay attention to the dimensions as you want to buy one that best suits the space available at your vending location. Further, the machine should fit in the area in a manner that complies with local and federal regulations.
Generally, a machine should be in a well-lit space that can be cleaned easily. You should plug in the machine away from any overhead leakage from pipes and drains. Also, there should be at least 4 to 6 inches of space between the back of the machine and the wall to ensure adequate air movement.
Why You Need to Take Notice of Vending Machine Size?
The importance of vending machine size is underscored by its impact on consumer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Vending machines hold a crucial role in providing convenient access to snacks and beverages. There are distinct types such as the snack machine and soda machine, tailored to varied preferences.
Notably, heavily refrigerated machines, compared to common snack vending machine, designed for perishable items necessitate a larger size due to the inclusion of a refrigerator unit. Individual units may vary of course, but in general they do need extra space to fit in available items and one larger unit. Unlike sodas, snack machines often demand less space to accommodate their product range. Soda machines, though generally compact, must have enough volume to meet the demand for popular beverages that tend to be larger in size.
Understanding the space requirements of vending machines is pivotal, especially in most locations where spatial constraints can influence the choice of machine. Ensuring adequate size allows for a broad selection of items, striking a harmonious balance between diverse offerings and spatial efficiency.
Vending Machine Dimensions
Below are the dimensions of some popular vending machines available for sale today.
- Snack Vending Machines
Vending Solutions is a full-service snack vending machine solution for all types of locations. They install, stock, and service snack vending machines. Their medium snack machines fall, which are representative of industry standard beverage vending machines, within the following dimensions:
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- Height - 68 to 72 inches
- Width - 29 to 41 inches
- Depth - 30 to 34 inches
There are other snack vending machine requirements as well. AMS Vendors had a popular snack vending machine first presented in 1997. The dimensions of a classic snack vending machine are as follows:
- Height - 72 inches
- Width - 35 or 39 inches
- Depth - 35 inches
Visit our recent piece to find out how many slots are in a vending machine on average.
- Beverage Vending Machines
Cranepi sells the BevMAX beverage vending machine, a popular beverage vending machine with the same footprint as a standard stack unit. BevMAX beverage vending machine comes in either a narrow or wide body like most soda vending machines. The beverage vending machines vary in size with the following dimensions:
- Height - 72 inches
- Width - 40 or 47 inches
- Depth - 33.5 inches
Narrower beverage vending machines vary in size little less slightly. For instance, the Evoke Series 10 Selection Drink Vending Machine has the following dimensions:
- Height - 72 inches
- Width - 31.25 inches
- Depth - 36.25 inches
Visit our recent piece to find out how many cans does a vending machine hold on average.
- Hot Drink Vending Machines
Unlike snack machines or beverage vending machines, hot drink vending machines vary in size widely depending on the manufacturer and how many cups of hot beverage they are designed to dispense in a day. A standard Coffeetek Coffee Machine that dispenses 250 cups a day has the following dimensions:
- Height - 72 inches
- Width - 23.6 inches
- Depth - 24.6 inches
- Combo Vending Machines
Crane Merchandising Systems sells the Merchant Combo Media2, a popular combo machine with modern features such as digital advertising, shopping cart, and suggestive selling. The combo machine has two variants, Merchant 4 and Merchant 6. The dimensions are as follows:
- Height - 72 inches
- Width - 35 inches (Merchant 4) or 46 inches (Merchant 6)
- Depth - 32 inches
Another popular combo machine is the Envision 5-Wide Combo produced by Seaga Manufacturing. The machine has the following dimensions:
- Height - 72 inches
- Width - 39 inches
- Depth - 36 inches
- Gumball Machines
Dimensions of gumball machines vary widely. They come in different designs, including tabletop, single-head, double-head, triple-head, vending racks, and spiral machines. A typical tabletop gumball machine, as is the case with the Titan Square machine, will be around 16 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and have a depth of 8 inches.
- Smart Vending Machines
A significant number of the popular classic vending machines you’ve come to love now have smart variants. Several smart snack, drink, and combo vending machines are available for sale today. Manufacturers tend to maintain most of the hardware of their traditional vending machines and only add new vending software, cloud computing capabilities, mobile apps, and third-party integration capabilities to make their vending machines smarter.
Most smart drink and snack vending machines in the market today have the following dimensions:
- Height: 68 to 72 inches
- Width: 29 to 41 inches
- Depth: 30 to 36 inches
Smart combo vending machines tend to be wider than snacks and drink machines, with some topping 46 inches in width. For smaller spaces, you can find reasonably-sized combo machines with widths in the range of 35 inches.
- Hot Food Vending Machines
Automated Retail Technologies provides the Just Baked Smart Bistro, an automated kiosk that vends hot fresh foods. The hot food machine has the following dimensions:
- Height - 76 inches
- Width - 48 inches
- Depth - 39 inches
Another great hot food machine is the Bake Xpress machine manufactured by LBX Food Robotics. The machine’s dimensions are as follows:
- Height - 75 inches
- Width - 55 inches
- Depth - 38 inches
Pizza vending machines are some of the most popular hot food vending machines. When you need a great pizza vending machine, Basil Street Pizza machine is a great option. The machine is about 20 square feet in size. It can carry up to 150 pizzas.
Commonly Asked Questions about Vending Machines
How Do Vending Machines Work?
Vending machines, beverage vending machines and snack machines alike, carry products in rows. Each product is held by an electric coil. An electric motor controls the coils. When a customer selects and pays for a product, the electric motor activates and serves the product in the outermost coil on the row with the said product.
A vending machine can detect whether or not a product has been dropped on the tray. The tray has infrared beams to detect products. If you pay for a product and the vending machine serves it, but the product doesn’t reach the tray, the vending machine assumes it is stuck somewhere in the machine and will spin the coil again.
How to Reset a Vending Machine
You can reset a vending machine by draining it off the power. You do this by unplugging it and waiting some minutes before plugging it back in. For specific mechanical problems, it is best to follow the owner’s manual for that particular vending machine brand.
How much do vending machines weigh?
Vending machines typically weigh between 400 and 900 pounds. For instance, a common type with a glass front has a weight of 640 pounds, a height of 72 inches, and dimensions measuring 39 inches by 30 inches. To determine the exact weight of your vending machine, refer to its specifications, which can be found online if not readily available.
How to Move a Vending Machine?
You need the right tools to move a vending machine. A pallet jack will do the job. To move a vending machine, follow the steps below:
- Empty the vending machine
- Unplug the machine and tightly secure the power cord to the back of the machine
- On the front side, slide the forks of the pallet jack under the machine
- Crank the handle and hoist the vending machine off the ground
- Use ratchet straps or bungee cords to secure the vending machine to the jack
- Transport the vending machine to the desired location by pulling or pushing the handle of the jack
- When at the desired location, position the vending machine so that the front side is facing the desired direction
- Finally, lower the jack and release the load.
How to Use Card Readers for Vending Machines
You will need to install a card reader on your vending machine for it to be able to read credit and debit cards. The best card readers in the market today are Nayax and Cantaloupe. Your owner’s manual likely has instructions on how to install a card reader. Generally, you need to:
- Drill holes on the machine where you want to mount the card reader
- Use screws to mount the card reader
- Place the receiver on the vending machine (it mounts easily as it is magnetic)
- Plug the card reader, bill validator/acceptor, and network cable.
Closing Thoughts
Vending machines come in different dimensions, depending on brand and functionality. It is best to secure a vending location before you buy a machine. This way, you will buy a machine that suits the space available at the said location. If you need help securing a vending location, you can use our Vending Locator service to get a list of potential vending locations in your area. If you're looking to start yourself, you can head over to our ultimate list of locations to see your options.
