Quick Answer
A 20ft dry shipping container is the most-sold size in our Brantford yard. ISO 22G1 standard, 19 feet 4 inches long internally, 7 feet 8 inches wide, 7 feet 10 inches tall, holds 1,172 cubic feet, weighs 4,982 pounds empty, and carries up to 47,928 pounds of cargo. We stock 20ft units in One-Trip and Cargo Worthy grades across our four Brantford yards, with honest per-order quotes on every grade, One-Trip down to As-Is. Delivery in 1 to 3 business days across Ontario, family-run since 1995, and you can walk our 200-plus container inventory before you sign.
The 20ft container is the workhorse of our Brantford yard. About six out of every ten units that leave our gates on a tilt-deck truck are 20-footers, and the reason is mathematical. A 20ft fits on almost any property, on any access road our trucks can drive, and holds enough volume to handle every common residential, construction, agricultural, and small-commercial use case. Plenty of jobsite crews never buy at all: a rented 20-footer covers a single build season, and the rent-versus-buy math in Ontario is worth running before you commit either way. When buyers call uncertain about which size to pick, the answer 70 percent of the time is 20ft, the most common shipping container size in global trade for fifty years and counting.
This page covers the real specifications, the four grades we stock, the honest 2026 pricing, the use cases buyers actually choose this size for, and how delivery works from our Brantford yard to anywhere in Ontario. We are a family-owned independent supplier in business since 1995, and we let you walk the row of our 200-plus container inventory before any payment changes hands. No deposit on phantom inventory, no two-to-four-week generic-pool dispatch, no Facebook Marketplace fake-listing tricks. The 20ft container we show you in our yard is the 20ft container that lands at your site one to three business days later.
20ft Container Specifications, ISO 22G1 Standard
| Measurement | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| External length | 19 ft 10 in | 6.058 m |
| External width | 8 ft 0 in | 2.438 m |
| External height (standard) | 8 ft 6 in | 2.591 m |
| Internal length | 19 ft 4 in | 5.898 m |
| Internal width | 7 ft 8 in | 2.352 m |
| Internal height | 7 ft 10 in | 2.385 m |
| Door opening width | 7 ft 8 in | 2.343 m |
| Door opening height | 7 ft 5 in | 2.280 m |
| Internal volume | 1,172 cu ft | 33.2 m³ |
| Tare weight (empty) | 4,982 lb | 2,260 kg |
| Maximum payload | 47,928 lb | 21,740 kg |
| Maximum gross weight | 52,910 lb | 24,000 kg |
| ISO 6346 size + type code | 22G1 (standard 20ft, 8′6″ height, general-purpose) | |
Every 20ft container we sell carries an ISO 6346 marking on the side panel showing the size and type code, plus a CSC (Convention for Safe Containers) plate on the cargo door confirming structural certification for ocean transport. Both stay with the container for its lifetime. Buyers can verify the codes against the unit they are buying when they walk our Brantford yard.
Pallet and Practical Volume Math
The 20ft holds 11 standard North American 48-by-40-inch pallets in two rows of five plus one extra at the door end (with strap-down clearance). For Euro pallets at 1200 by 800 mm, the 20ft holds about 11 pallets in the same two-row configuration. Stacked-pallet height of 7 feet 4 inches works inside a standard 22G1 with about half a foot of clearance under the ceiling for strapping and load-shift tolerance.
In residential and homeowner terms, a 20ft container holds the contents of a typical one-bedroom apartment with room left over, or a two-car garage’s worth of seasonal storage (one car, motorcycles, snowblower, lawn equipment, deck furniture, the kids’ sports gear). The same footprint is also the standard box for sending a single vehicle abroad; our walkthrough of loading one sedan into a 20 ft container for ocean transit covers ramp angles, four-point tie-downs, and wheel chocking. Construction buyers fit a complete tradesperson’s tool inventory plus six months of finish-stage materials inside a single 20ft on a jobsite.
Container Grades We Stock for 20ft
Van Blanc carries four grades of 20ft container in our Brantford yards; around Brant County the same unit answers to 20ft sea can and c-can, and every name gets the same grade honesty. Each fits a specific buyer profile. We do not push the high-grade product when the lower grade is the right call, and we explain the trade-off honestly so the buyer can choose.
| Grade | What It Is | Best Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| One-Trip | Essentially new. Single voyage from Asia. Paint clean, doors tight, no rust, factory-original gaskets. Indistinguishable from new for most buyers. | Backyard residential storage, customer-visible commercial use, container conversions where appearance matters, retail backstock for visible lots. |
| Cargo Worthy (CW) | Used 8 to 15 years. CSC re-cert valid. Wind and water tight. Surface rust acceptable on exterior. Doors function with full seal. The most popular grade we sell. | Jobsite storage, agricultural equipment, workshop conversions, anywhere appearance is secondary to function. Default choice for working buyers. |
| Wind and Water Tight (WWT) | Used 12+ years. Roof and floor sealed. CSC may be expired. Heavier surface rust. Doors function but may need gasket replacement. | Long-term static storage where appearance does not matter. Back-of-property farms, secondary tool storage, equipment-yard overflow. |
| As-Is | Specific repair scope. Project box. We disclose all defects in writing before purchase. | Container modification builds where the shell will be reworked. Custom projects. Welders who want a baseline for cutting. |
Prices are bare container at our Brantford yard. Delivery across Ontario is quoted by distance and site access, stated up front with the container. Multi-bin orders get a per-box discount on delivery starting at three units, deeper discounts at five and ten. Modifications (paint, lockbox, vents, windows, doors, electrical) are priced separately and added during the quote.
“The 20ft is the size we end up at in seven out of ten conversations. Buyers think they want a 40 because bigger is better, then they hear what 1,172 cubic feet actually holds, see the access challenge of a 40ft tilt-deck approach, and realize the 20 is the smarter buy for their actual use case. We will not push you to the bigger product if the smaller one fits.”
Christian LeBlanc, second-generation operator, Van Blanc Ent. Inc.
Six Most Common 20ft Container Use Cases
1. Backyard residential storage
The single largest segment of 20ft sales. Backyard, side-yard, or back-of-driveway placement, painted matte black, charcoal, or forest green, clad in cedar in some Muskoka-style installations. Holds the snowblower, the deck furniture, motorcycles, kids’ sports equipment, garden tools, and the family canoe. One-Trip grade is the residential default because the box is visible from the kitchen window for the next 20 years.
2. Construction jobsite storage
The residential GC and trades crew workhorse. Cargo Worthy grade with a welded lockbox is the default for 6-to-14 month subdivision and renovation builds. Holds tools, finish materials, mechanical inventory, and the small expensive items that walk away from an open jobsite. After the build, the 20ft is resold to the next GC or returned to us under a buyback arrangement.
3. Workshop or garage conversion
Cutting in a man-door, installing electrical (ESA-certified), insulating with closed-cell spray foam, and fitting a workbench produces a year-round workshop in a 20ft footprint. Welders, mechanics, carpenters, and small fabricators run their own shops out of converted 20-footers across Ontario. CW grade is the workshop default because the cutting and welding work happens regardless of original paint condition.
4. Mobile office or jobsite trailer replacement
A 20ft converts cleanly into a single-room office with desk, windows, HVAC mini-split, and 60-amp electrical sub-panel. ESA-certified electrical, one-trip grade exterior, painted in company colours. Common for surveying firms, construction site supervisors, parking-lot retail, and seasonal field operations. About 220 square feet of interior floor space.
5. Agricultural equipment and chemical storage
Working farms across Ontario use 20ft containers for tractor implement storage, seed staging, chemical handling, hay tools, and overflow inventory. CW grade is standard. Tilt-deck delivery onto packed gravel or hardwood mats at the farmyard edge. Multi-bin orders for larger operations.
6. Retail backstock and pop-up
Smaller retail operations use a 20ft as a back-of-store inventory bunker or, with a full-front roll-up door cut in, as a pop-up storefront for markets and festivals. One-Trip grade and painted in brand colours. About 220 square feet of selling space, comparable to a small kiosk or coffee-shop interior.
Real 2026 Pricing for a 20ft Container Landed in Ontario
Price a 20ft for your site
Grade, delivery distance, and placement set the number, and the market moves with steel and the season. Tell us which grade fits and where the box is landing, and we’ll send back the real all-in figure for your order, container, truck, and drop included, usually the same day.
Quotes hold 14 days. Pricing has not moved meaningfully in eighteen months despite container index pressure because our cost base is the same Brantford yard we have run since 1995. Final pricing on modifications is added to the base quote with the modification scope written down before any payment.
How Delivery Works from Our Brantford Yard
Every 20ft we sell leaves on one of our tilt-deck trucks from one of our four Brantford yards. Our standard service area covers all of southern Ontario from Windsor to Kingston, with delivery into Muskoka and the Almaguin Highlands on regular routes too. Drive time depends on destination, typically 1 to 3 hours for southern Ontario, 2.5 to 4 hours for cottage country.
The tilt-deck driver needs a 70-foot straight-line approach to the drop spot, a foot of clearance on either side, and a pad level enough that the container will not rock when the chains release. For residential drops, the pad is usually packed gravel, railway ties, or pressure-treated 6-by-6 cribbing under the four corner castings. For jobsite drops, packed gravel is the norm. For permanent commercial placement, concrete piers below the frost line are the right call.
We send a Google Earth pre-check for any delivery where the access is unclear. If the tilt-deck cannot reach the final drop spot, we coordinate a roadside drop and a forklift transfer with the customer’s local equipment operator, or we recommend a placement adjustment. Honest dispatch call the morning of delivery, not a surprise at the lot.
The 1,000 Dollar Facebook Container Scam Aimed at 20ft Buyers
First-time 20ft buyers are the most common targets for Facebook Marketplace and craigslist container scams in Ontario. The pattern is identical every time. A listing offers a 20ft One-Trip at $950 or a 20ft CW at $700. The seller claims to be in Toronto, Vaughan, or Hamilton, says delivery is included, and asks for an e-transfer deposit of $1,000 to hold the unit. The container does not exist. The seller account disappears within 48 hours of the deposit clearing.
The simplest defence for anyone looking to buy a 20ft container safely is to come walk our Brantford yard before you pay anything. We have 200-plus containers in stock at any time, including a steady inventory of 20ft One-Trip and CW units. You can read the CSC plate, check the cargo doors, inspect the interior, and pick the physical box you are buying. No supplier in Ontario whose price is half of market is going to let you inspect before payment because there is no inspection to do. The container is not there. Our policy is no deposit on phantom inventory, and that policy is older than most container buyers in Ontario.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a 20ft shipping container actually hold?
About 1,172 cubic feet of internal volume. Practically that is the contents of a one-bedroom apartment with room to spare, a two-car garage’s worth of seasonal residential storage, 11 standard 48×40-inch pallets in a two-row configuration, or a complete tradesperson’s tool inventory plus six months of finish-stage construction materials.
How much does a 20ft container cost in Ontario in 2026?
From Van Blanc in Brantford, 20ft containers are priced by grade, with One-Trip the premium option, Cargo Worthy the popular working grade, and Wind-and-Water-Tight the most affordable for static long-term storage. Delivery across Ontario is added based on destination distance, and a multi-bin discount starts at three units. Contact us for a current quote.
What is the difference between One-Trip and Cargo Worthy 20ft containers?
One-Trip is essentially new, single voyage from Asia, paint clean and doors tight. Cargo Worthy is used 8 to 15 years with valid CSC re-certification, surface rust on the exterior, fully functional doors and seal. For aesthetic-sensitive placements like residential backyards, One-Trip is worth the premium. For jobsite, agricultural, and workshop use, Cargo Worthy is the standard. Both carry the same structural rating.
How long does delivery take from your Brantford yard?
One to three business days for most Ontario destinations. Same-day quote, next-day dispatch on most orders. Southern Ontario destinations (Hamilton, Toronto, Niagara, Kitchener-Waterloo, London) typically arrive the next business day. Muskoka and northern destinations may take 2 to 3 days depending on route and weather.
Can a 20ft container be modified into a workshop or office?
Yes. 20ft conversions into workshops, offices, studios, and small commercial spaces are routine. Modifications include man-door cuts, windows, vents, electrical (ESA-certified), insulation, HVAC mini-split, interior finish, and exterior paint. We source the base container and refer modification work to local fabricators. Our customizing-containers guide covers the conversion process and typical cost ranges.
What weight can a 20ft container hold?
Maximum payload is 47,928 pounds (21,740 kg). Combined with the 4,982 pound tare weight, the maximum gross weight is 52,910 pounds (24,000 kg). For static storage on a residential or jobsite property, you will never approach these limits. The structural limit matters for international cargo shipping, not for stationary storage use.
Will a 20ft container fit on my residential lot?
Almost always. The external footprint is 20 feet by 8 feet (160 square feet, slightly smaller than a single-car garage footprint). What matters more than the lot size is the tilt-deck delivery access. The driver needs a 70-foot straight-line approach and a foot of clearance on each side. We send a Google Earth pre-check before scheduling to confirm fit. If the approach genuinely rules out a 20, the compact 10ft dry container exists for exactly that site.
Do I need a foundation for a 20ft container?
For temporary or short-term placement (under 12 months), packed gravel or direct-on-grade is fine. For permanent or long-term placement, railway ties or pressure-treated 6×6 cribbing under the four corner castings is the residential standard. For permanent commercial placement, concrete piers below the frost line. The container bears weight on the four corner castings only, not the entire floor area.
How does Van Blanc compare to BigSteelBox for a 20ft order?
BigSteelBox is a national franchise with central dispatch. Lead times typically run 2 to 4 weeks, pricing is higher on equivalent grades, and you do not see the physical box before it lands. Van Blanc is family-owned, four Brantford yards, 1 to 3 day lead times, walk-the-yard inventory inspection before purchase. BigSteelBox is a legitimate business; the difference is structural. We are the local independent option.
Do you offer rent-to-own on 20ft containers?
Yes. Rent-to-own structures the cost as monthly payments that build equity in the container. After 24 to 36 months the container is yours. Useful for jobsite GCs spreading capital across a build cycle, and for residential buyers who want to test the placement before committing to the full purchase.
Sources
Placement requirements vary by municipality. A quick call to your local planning office before delivery is the easiest way to confirm what works for your property.
Reach Van Blanc in Brantford
Van Blanc Ent. Inc.
90 Morton Ave. East, Unit 1-B, Brantford, ON N3R 7J7
Cell: 519-754-6844
Toll-free: 1-888-509-6658
Family-owned and operated since 1995. Thirty years in Ontario shipping containers, four Brantford yards, 200-plus boxes in inventory, and worth the drive from anywhere in Ontario to walk the row before you sign.