How do I store dough balls? What is the best stackable dough proofing box that fits in a home fridge?

For storing dough balls in a home fridge, the goal is to prevent the surface from drying out, keep the balls from sticking together, and allow enough headroom for fermentation.

How to store dough balls

1. Ball the dough first

• After bulk fermentation, divide and shape into tight dough balls.
• Lightly oil the bottom of the container (or use a very thin coat of semolina/rice flour if you prefer).
• Leave space between balls because they will expand.

2. Cover tightly

• Use a dough box with a lid. Avoid loose plastic wrap if you are doing long cold fermentation; it tends to dry the surface over time.
• The lid should keep humidity in while still allowing the dough to ferment.

3. Cold ferment

• Most pizza dough improves after 24–72 hours in the refrigerator.
• Store around 37–40°F (3–4°C).
• Pull dough out about 1–3 hours before baking (depending on dough temperature, recipe, and room temperature).

4. Avoid stacking dough balls directly

• Stack the boxes, not the dough balls. Dough balls touching each other can merge and become harder to handle.

Best stackable dough boxes for a home refrigerator

Best overall: Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes

• Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes - $60.00 (Ooni USA)

Why they’re a strong choice:

• Designed specifically for pizza dough balls.
• Two boxes stack together and each box holds up to six 250 g dough balls (typical 12-inch pizza size).
• Low profile and refrigerator/freezer safe.
• Smooth tapered sides make removing fermented dough easier.

Best for: most home pizza makers making 2–12 pizzas at a time.

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Best “pizzeria style” option that still works at home: DoughMate Artisan Dough Proofing Box

• DoughMate Artisan Dough Proofing Box Tray Kit - $69.99 (Prepa Pizza)

Why:

• Mimics professional pizza shop dough trays.
• The Artisan size is intended for smaller/home setups and is designed to fit standard refrigerators better than full commercial trays.
• Durable and stackable.

Best for: serious home pizza makers who want a long-term setup.

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Best if fridge space is tight: individual containers

ZiiPa Spetina Dough Boxes are individual stackable dough containers, each sized for a single ~250 g dough ball.

Advantages:

• Grab one dough ball without disturbing the rest.
• Easier if you bake one or two pizzas at a time.
• Takes advantage of vertical fridge space.

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Avoid oversized commercial trays unless you have the room

Full-size restaurant boxes (around 26" × 18") are excellent but often too large for a normal refrigerator shelf. DoughMate They are better if you have a garage fridge, large side-by-side, or dedicated pizza setup.

My recommendation by use case

• 1–6 pizzas per week: Ooni dough boxes.
• Weekend pizza parties / 6–12 dough balls: Ooni or DoughMate Artisan.
• Very limited fridge space: individual stackable containers.
• Restaurant-style workflow: DoughMate commercial trays.

A good home setup is usually two stackable boxes holding 6 balls each—enough for a pizza night without taking over the fridge.

How to Store Dough Balls

1. Divide and round: Scale your dough into individual portions (typically 220g to 300g for pizza) and tightly round them to build exterior surface tension.
2. Lightly oil: Give the inside of your container or each individual dough ball a very thin sweep of olive oil or vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
3. Space them out: Place dough balls a couple of inches apart in your container so they don’t expand, merge, and stick together during the rise.
4. Seal airtight: Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. This traps humidity, stopping a dry, leathery "skin" from forming on the dough.
5. Cold ferment: Put them straight into the refrigerator. Tip: Leave the lid slightly unsealed for the first 1–2 hours so the initial burst of trapped room-temperature air doesn't build pressure and pop the lid off, then seal it completely for the rest of the cold fermentation.

Best Stackable Dough Proofing Boxes for a Home Fridge

The gold standard for home pizza makers is the **[DoughMate Artisan Dough Tray Kit Go to product viewer dialog for this item. ](https://www.amazon.com/DoughMate-Artisan-Dough-Tray-Kit/dp/B00449IEM4)**.[[1]](https://www.facebook.com/groups/gozneycommunity/posts/1739699313225148/)

• DoughMate Artisan Kit Go to product viewer dialog for this item.:
  • Dimensions: Approximately 17.75" L × 13" W × 3.25" H per tray.
  • Capacity: Fits about 6 standard pizza dough balls (250g–300g each) per tray.
  • Why it’s the best: It is a scaled-down version of commercial pizzeria boxes. The nested trays act as lids for each other (requiring only one top cover for the stack), it's made of heavy-duty, food-safe, NSF-certified copolymer polypropylene, and it slides seamlessly onto standard home refrigerator shelves.
• Alternative Top Contenders:
  • [Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes Go to product viewer dialog for this item. ](https://ooni.com/products/pizza-dough-boxes): Specifically designed to hold six 250g dough balls per box, made of lightweight, white plastic to prevent heat absorption, and fully stackable in a home fridge.
  • Brod & Taylor Proofing Container Go to product viewer dialog for this item.: Great if you do both bread and pizza; rectangular (12.8" × 10.5" × 4"), stackable, and features side volume markings to track your rise.
  • [Babadoh Silicone Containers Go to product viewer dialog for this item. ](https://www.amazon.com/Babadoh-Accessories-Proofing-Containers-Original/dp/B095YZZ84H): Individual flexible silicone pods if you prefer separate, modular cups rather than a single large tray.

Would you like recommendations on how long to cold ferment your specific dough recipe, or do you need help finding a container that matches exact fridge shelf measurements?

How to Store Dough Balls

1. Portion and Ball Properly : After your bulk fermentation, divide your dough into individual portions and shape them into tight, smooth balls . This builds surface tension, which helps the dough hold its shape and rise uniformly.
2. Lightly Oil the Vessel or Balls : Rub a tiny amount of olive oil or vegetable oil inside your storage container or directly onto the surface of the dough balls . This prevents the dough from sticking to the walls or forming a dry, crusty skin.
3. Control the Environment (Airtight vs. Breathable) : Seal the container with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap . An airtight seal stops the refrigerator's dry air from dehydrating the dough , though a tiny bit of headspace is necessary to accommodate expansion if they are still warm or active when entering the fridge.
4. Manage Temperature (The Cold Ferment) : Put the containers into the coldest part of your refrigerator (34° F - 38° F). Let them cold-ferment for 24 to 72 hours to develop complex flavors and a relaxed gluten structure.
5. Aclimatize Before Opening/Baking : Pull the dough balls out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you plan to stretch or bake them . This takes the chill off the dough, making it stretchy and easy to open without tearing.

Best Stackable Dough Proofing Boxes for a Home Fridge

Standard commercial restaurant dough trays (like 26 × 18 inches) are way too large for a standard residential refrigerator . Fortunately, several brands manufacture scaled-down, stackable home-fridge variants:

Specifically built for home use, these durable, BPA-free polypropylene boxes come in a set with tight-fitting lids . Each box holds up to six 250g dough balls (ideal for 12-inch pizzas). They are white to minimize heat absorption, feature smooth tapered walls for easy dough extraction, and nest compactly when empty . Dimensions fit standard refrigerator shelves easily.

Widely considered the gold standard by home pizza nerds. It includes two compact, professional-grade trays and one lid (the top tray doubles as a lid for the bottom one). The interior footprint of each tray is roughly 16" L × 11" W × 2.75" H, engineered precisely to slide cleanly into standard or counter-depth home refrigerators while holding up to six dough balls per tray.

A great mid-priced, compact alternative featuring a translucent design (so you can monitor the rise without opening the lid) and a handy single-hand carry profile . It measures roughly 14 × 11 inches, making it very accommodating for tighter fridge shelves while holding 4 to 6 individual balls.

Individual Silicone Pods (e.g., Babadoh Go to product viewer dialog for this item. or Kevjes Plus Go to product viewer dialog for this item.) : If you prefer not to crowd a large tray, individual modular silicone cups (often sold in packs of 4 to 6) snap together or stack vertically . They allow each dough ball to maintain a plump, perfectly round shape and make tipping the relaxed dough out onto your flour surface foolproof.

If you tell me how many dough balls you typically make at once and what size/style of pizza you are targeting, I can help you pick the exact container size that optimizes your fridge layout.

For pizza dough balls, the key is individual or separated dough balls, covered so they don’t skin over, with enough room to expand. For a home refrigerator, I’d favor a purpose-built shallow stackable box rather than individual tall containers.

My top pick: Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes

Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes

$60.00

The Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes are probably the best overall fit for a typical home pizza setup. You get two stackable boxes with lids, each holding up to six 250-g dough balls. Each box is 16.7 × 12.7 × 3.7 inches, and they're refrigerator/freezer-safe.

That's a much more home-fridge-friendly footprint than the common commercial 26 × 18-inch dough trays.

Other good choices

DoughMate Artisan Dough Proofing Box Tray Kit

$69.99

MoreBeer Stackable Pizza Dough Box

$21.99

Baking Steel 5L Dough Container

$39.00

Quantum FSB Artisan Dough Box

$58.68

• DoughMate Artisan — excellent if you want a more commercial-style tray. DoughMate specifically says its 18 × 13 × 3-inch Artisan size is intended to fit a standard home refrigerator.
• MoreBeer/KegLand box — 17.5 × 12.5 × 3.25 inches, stackable, with a tight-fitting lid; a good inexpensive option.
• Baking Steel 5L container — better for bulk fermentation or storing several dough portions together rather than individually balling them. It's 12.5 × 10.5 × 4 inches and designed specifically for refrigerator cold proofing.
• Individual silicone containers such as Babadoh are nice if you want to remove one dough ball at a time without disturbing the others, but they take up more fridge volume.

How I'd store the dough balls

For a typical 24–72 hour cold fermentation:

1. Mix and knead the dough.
2. Let it undergo the initial bulk fermentation.
3. Divide and ball the dough.
4. Lightly oil the dough box/tray if needed.
5. Put the balls in the box with a few inches of clearance between them so they can spread.
6. Cover with the lid.
7. Refrigerate at roughly 37–40°F.
8. When you're ready to bake, take out only what you need and let the balls warm up before stretching.

Don't put the dough balls directly against each other—they'll eventually merge. And don't leave the box uncovered; refrigerator air will form a dry skin surprisingly quickly.

For most home pizza makers, I'd buy the Ooni. It's the sweet spot between capacity, stackability, footprint, and ease of handling. If your refrigerator has particularly narrow shelves, I'd choose the MoreBeer 17.5 × 12.5-inch box instead.

If you tell me your dough-ball weight (e.g. 250g/280g/300g), how many balls you normally make, and the approximate usable shelf dimensions of your fridge, I can narrow it down to the best exact box size.

How to Store Dough Balls

Proper dough storage ensures a smooth fermentation, prevents crusting, and makes it easy to extract the ball without tearing the delicate gluten structure.

1. Lightly oil the container or balls: Wipe a tiny bit of olive oil or vegetable oil inside your proofing container or rub a thin layer directly onto each dough ball. This stops the dough from sticking to the walls.
2. Space them out: Leave about 2 inches of space between individual dough balls so they don't merge into one giant mass as they expand.
3. Control the initial temperature: If cold-fermenting in the fridge, leave the lid slightly cracked or unsealed for the first 1 to 2 hours. Dough is warm when it goes in; sealing it immediately traps heat, causing rapid yeast activity and potential blowouts.
4. Seal for the long haul: After the initial cooldown, snap the lid tightly or cover with plastic wrap to lock in humidity and prevent a dry skin from forming on the dough.
5. The extraction trick: When ready to bake, run a flexible dough scraper or a rubber spatula gently around the rim of the ball, invert the box or container, and let gravity gently pull the ball out rather than pulling it by hand, which tears the skin.

Best Stackable Dough Proofing Boxes for a Home Fridge

Commercial restaurant dough boxes (26'' × 18'') are far too large for a standard residential refrigerator. Instead, look for compact, home-optimized artisan trays.

• Dimensions: Exterior footprint is roughly 17.75'' L × 13'' W (Interior per tray: 16'' L × 11'' W × 2.75'' H).

• Why it's the best: Specifically engineered for home refrigerators. A kit typically includes two stackable trays and one top lid (the bottom tray acts as the lid for the top one). It holds up to six 225g to 280g dough balls per tray and is NSF-certified, food-grade plastic.

• Dimensions: Roughly 13.7'' W × 15.7'' L with a shallow profile.

• Why it's great: Designed by a leading portable pizza oven brand, these come in a set of two stackable boxes with tight-fitting plastic lids. The white color minimizes heat absorption to prevent accidental over-proofing, and the walls are tapered to make sliding dough balls out seamless.

• Dimensions: 14'' L × 11'' W × 3'' H.

• Why it's great: A more compact footprint that easily slides into narrow fridge shelves. It features secure side clasps, a transparent lid so you can monitor the rise without opening it, and recessed handles for stable stacking.

If you'd like, let me know:

• How many dough balls you typically batch at once
• The approximate weight/size of each ball (e.g., 250g for Neapolitan vs. 400g for pan pizza)

I can give you a more specific recommendation on which box size will fit your exact workflow.

For storing pizza dough balls, the goal is to control moisture, prevent skin formation, and allow slow fermentation. A dedicated dough box is much better than a bowl covered with plastic wrap because you can stack it, avoid drying, and move the whole batch easily.

How to store dough balls

1. Ball the dough first

   • After bulk fermentation, divide and shape into tight balls.
   • Lightly coat the balls with a tiny amount of olive oil or flour (depending on your dough style) to prevent sticking.

2. Use a covered dough box

   • Place balls with enough space between them so they can expand.
   • A 250–300 g pizza dough ball usually needs about 3–4 inches of room around it.

3. Cold ferment

   • Put the covered box in the refrigerator at about 36–40°F.
   • Typical pizza dough schedules:
     • 24 hours: good flavor, easy handling
     • 48–72 hours: deeper flavor and better extensibility for many Neapolitan/NY styles
     • Longer times depend heavily on yeast amount and dough formula.

4. Before baking

   • Remove dough balls about 1–3 hours before cooking (depends on dough strength and room temperature).
   • Keep covered until stretching.

Best stackable dough boxes for a home fridge

Best overall: Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes

A very good fit for home pizza makers:

• Two stackable boxes
• Each box holds up to six ~250 g dough balls
• Designed specifically for pizza dough
• Refrigerator/freezer safe
• Smooth tapered sides make removing dough easier
  

Best for: weekly pizza nights, Neapolitan-style dough, people who want a true pizzeria workflow.

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Best value / compact option: MoreBeer Pizza Dough Box

Good if you want individual dough-ball storage without taking over your fridge:

• Tight-fitting lid
• Stackable
• Sized for home use
  

Best for: smaller batches (2–6 pizzas).

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Best premium small-footprint option: Baking Steel Dough Container

A different approach:

• Low-profile container that fits easily on refrigerator shelves
• Good for cold fermentation
• Can hold multiple dough balls or bulk dough
  

Best for: people with crowded refrigerators.

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Best if you make lots of pizza: DoughMate Artisan Dough Tray Kit

A more traditional pizzeria-style tray:

• Built for multiple dough balls
• Stackable
• More like commercial pizza shop workflow
  

Best for: 6–12+ pizzas at a time.

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What I would choose for a normal home fridge

• 1–6 pizzas/week: Ooni boxes
• Small apartment fridge: Baking Steel 5L container or compact box style
• Pizza parties: DoughMate Artisan or larger commercial trays
• Avoid: full-size 26" × 18" restaurant dough boxes unless you have a large refrigerator; many are too wide for typical home shelves.

A useful rule: for a standard home refrigerator, look for boxes around 17–18 inches wide or less unless you have a wide French-door or commercial-style fridge.

How to Store Dough Balls

1. Portion and shape: After your bulk fermentation, divide your dough into individual portions and tightly round them into smooth balls to build surface tension.
2. Oil the containers or balls: Lightly coat each dough ball or the inside of your storage compartment with a tiny bit of olive oil or vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
3. Space them out: Leave enough room between dough balls (or put them in individual compartments) so they don't expand, touch, and fuse together during the cold fermentation process.
4. Seal tightly: Cover the container with an airtight lid or plastic wrap to lock in humidity and prevent a dry, leathery "skin" from forming on the dough.
5. Cold retard: Place them straight into the refrigerator. Let them chill for the desired slow fermentation (24 to 72 hours for maximum flavor development).
6. Tempering: Pull the dough balls out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you plan to stretch or bake them, allowing them to relax and warm up slightly.

Best Stackable Dough Proofing Boxes for Home Fridges

Specifically engineered for home kitchens, this set includes two shallow, stackable white polypropylene boxes and two lids. Each box comfortably fits up to six 250g dough balls (ideal for 12-inch pizzas). The white color helps minimize heat absorption, and the smooth tapered walls make extracting the proofed dough seamless.

A professional-grade, downscaled residential option. The trays measure roughly 17.75 inches × 13 inches when stacked, fitting easily into standard home refrigerators. They are NSF-certified, BPA-free, extremely durable, and designed to nest/stack using a single top lid to maintain an ideal microclimate.

A fantastic low-profile modular container (5Qt or 6L capacity) that fits multiple dough balls, features translucent walls with clear volume tracking metrics, and stacks effortlessly inside home fridges or standard bread proofers.

If you prefer individual modular pots rather than a wide tray, these flexible, food-safe silicone containers stack neatly, allow individual dough balls to maintain a plump round shape, and pop the dough out effortlessly without tearing the skin.

If you want to narrow down the choice, let me know:

• How many dough balls do you typically make at once?
• What is the approximate weight/size of each ball?

I can recommend the exact size and container type that will fit best on your fridge shelf.

For pizza dough balls, the goal is to slow fermentation, prevent a skin from forming, and avoid the dough balls sticking together. A dedicated dough proofing box is usually better than a regular container because it is shallow, stackable, and sized for dough spacing.

How to store dough balls

1. After balling

1. Make your dough balls (commonly 230–280 g for 12-inch pizzas).
2. Lightly oil the dough box or dough balls (a very thin film).
3. Place balls smooth-side up with enough room that they can expand without touching.
4. Cover with a tight lid.
5. Refrigerate at about 36–40°F (2–4°C) for a cold ferment.

2. Cold fermentation timing

• 24–72 hours: common sweet spot for pizza dough flavor and texture.
• Take dough out 1–3 hours before baking (depending on dough strength and room temperature).
• Avoid leaving dough uncovered; the surface can dry and become harder to stretch.

3. Avoid these common mistakes

• ❌ Storing dough balls in a deep bowl: harder to remove and encourages uneven warming.
• ❌ Stacking balls directly on each other: they merge as they proof.
• ❌ Using a completely airtight container for very active fermentation: trapped gas can build up and the dough can over-expand.

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Best stackable dough proofing boxes for a home fridge

🥇 Best overall: Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes

Why it’s a great home choice

• Designed specifically for pizza dough balls.
• Two boxes stack together.
• Each box holds up to six 250 g dough balls.
• Smooth tapered sides make removing dough easier.
• Compact enough for most home refrigerators.

Best for: most home pizza makers making 2–12 pizzas at a time.

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🥈 Best “serious pizza hobbyist” option: DoughMate dough trays

Pros

• More like what pizzerias use.
• Extremely durable.
• Excellent stacking.
• Available in home-oriented kits as well as commercial sizes.

Cons

• Some commercial sizes are too large for typical refrigerator shelves. Their full-size trays are about 26 × 18 inches, so measure first.

Best for: people making large batches.

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🥉 Best compact fridge-friendly option: individual dough containers

Examples include silicone or small plastic containers such as Babadoh.

Pros

• Maximum flexibility.
• No risk of dough balls touching.
• Easy to grab one pizza at a time.

Cons

• Takes more vertical space.
• More pieces to wash.

Best for: small kitchens or baking only 1–4 pizzas.

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My pick for most home refrigerators

If you make 4–8 pizzas per week:
→ Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes are the easiest choice.

If you make 8–20+ pizzas for gatherings:
→ DoughMate-style trays are worth it, assuming your fridge can fit them.

If fridge space is tight:
→ Use individual containers.

A good rule: measure your fridge shelf depth and width before buying. Many “commercial” dough boxes are designed for restaurant reach-in refrigerators and are wider than a normal home fridge.

For pizza dough balls, the ideal storage method is:

1. Ball the dough after bulk fermentation (or immediately if your recipe calls for it).
2. Lightly oil the container or the tops of the dough balls.
3. Leave enough room for each ball to roughly double in size.
4. Cover with a lid that prevents drying while still trapping humidity.
5. Cold ferment at 36–40°F (2–4°C), then remove 2–4 hours before baking, depending on dough size and room temperature.

For home use, I prefer low-profile rectangular dough boxes over individual round containers because they make much better use of refrigerator shelves.

My top recommendation

Ooni Pizza Dough Boxes

$60.00

Why it's my favorite:

• Designed specifically to fit typical home refrigerators.
• Two stackable trays with two lids.
• Each tray holds six 250 g dough balls (12 total).
• Smooth interior releases dough easily.
• Excellent build quality and lots of positive user reviews.

Excellent alternatives

La Piazza Home Refrigerator Dough Proofing Box

$89.99

This is a commercial-style box scaled for domestic refrigerators. If you frequently make 6–12 pizzas, it's a fantastic option.

Baking Steel 5L Cold Proofing Box

$39.00

This is best if you usually cold ferment your dough in one large mass before dividing into balls.

If you want commercial quality

The gold standard in pizzerias is DoughMate. Their trays are extremely durable and stack perfectly, but most commercial sizes (26 × 18 inches) are too large for many home refrigerators. They do offer artisan/home-oriented kits, but measure your shelves first.

If you're on a budget

Restaurant-supply stores often sell 18 × 12 or 16 × 12 inch dough boxes that fit many refrigerators for around $15–25 per tray. They perform almost as well as premium brands if you don't mind buying the lid separately.

One tip that makes a big difference

Don't make the lid completely airtight. A nearly sealed container maintains humidity without excessive condensation, which helps prevent the dough surface from drying while avoiding puddles of moisture. Many pizza makers also lightly oil the dough balls before refrigerating. Community experience generally favors rectangular proofing boxes for multiple dough balls and individual containers only when making small batches or different dough recipes.

If you're making Neapolitan pizzas in an Ooni or Gozney, I'd recommend the Ooni boxes. If you're making Detroit, New York, or 12–16 dough balls at a time, I'd steer you toward a larger restaurant-style dough tray system instead.

To store dough balls properly for cold fermentation or resting, lightly oil each dough ball (or the bottom of the container) to prevent sticking, place them spaced slightly apart to allow for expansion, and seal them with an airtight lid or tight plastic wrap to lock in moisture and prevent a dry skin from forming . The best stackable proofing box designed specifically to fit standard residential home refrigerators is the DoughMate Artisan Dough Tray Kit Go to product viewer dialog for this item. , which typically runs around $50 to $75 for a multi-tray and lid set measuring roughly 17.5" x 12.5" x 3.25" per tray.

How to Store Dough Balls

1. Portion and round: Shape your fermented bulk dough into tight individual balls.
2. Oil lightly: Rub a tiny amount of olive oil over the surface of each ball or the container wells.
3. Space them out: Leave about 2 inches of space between balls as they will expand during the cold ferment.
4. Seal airtight: Snap on the lid or cover tightly to block out circulating fridge air.
5. Cold retard: Place in the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours for optimal flavor development.
6. Temperate before use: Pull the box from the fridge and let balls sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before stretching.

Top Stackable Proofing Boxes for Home Fridges

• DoughMate Artisan Dough Tray Kit: The gold standard; lightweight food-grade copolymer polypropylene trays measuring ~17.75" x 12.85" x 3.25" that nest securely to form a natural seal.
• Fiero Casa Residential Dough Tray: Sized explicitly at 17.5" x 13" x 3" to slide neatly into home refrigerators while holding multiple standard balls.
• La Piazza Pizza Dough Proofing Box Go to product viewer dialog for this item.: Commercial quality scaled down for home use, featuring dual stackable trays and tight-sealing lids at 17.5" x 12.5" x 3.5".

If you'd like, let me know:

• Your batch size or number of dough balls
• The dimensions of your fridge shelf space

I can help you choose the ideal size or alternative container setup.