An ice cube tray is a plastic or metal tray divided into cubes. It is designed to be filled with water, then placed in a freezer until the water freezes to ice. Plastic trays are flexible, so that the frozen cubes can be easily removed by flexing the tray.

An alternative system is an aluminum tray with a lever that raises the ice cubes, freeing them from the tray. A motorized version of this is found in most automatic ice-making freezers.

While the usual shape is roughly cubical, there are trays that dispense hemispherical or cylindrical blocks as well. Some novelty trays produce blocks of ice in the shape of logos (such as some trays sold by Disney).

History

In 1914, Frederick Wolf Jr. invented a refrigeration device. Accompanying this device was the world's first recorded ice cube tray.

The first tray to be sold commercially was patented in 1932, being manufactured by the General Appliances Mfg. Company.