The National Museum of Denmark has recently commissioned a new, large nitrate cold store with specifications –5° &plusnm; 2 °C and 30 &plusnm; 5% relative humidity (RH). Changes in flexibility of negative on cooling were quantified to develop appropriate handling procedures. Because a cold room was not available, a sealed glove box was adapted to mimic storage conditions using isopropanol and conditioned filter paper. Highly deteriorated CN lost more flexibility (mean 36%) than partly deteriorated (24%) or negatives in good condition (30%) on cooling from ambient. Enclosing negative in polyethylene bags prior to cooling reduced loss in flexibility by 5–15% suggesting that dehydration contributed to stiffening. The risk of condensation forming on negatives during transfer to and from the cold store was assessed as low. It was concluded that CN negatives should not be handled while in the cold store due to the risk of physical failure, but should be returned to ambient before manipulating.