Quick Answer: A small shipping container is any steel box under 20ft long. Van Blanc’s recent stock runs from 5’7″ minis to 12ft units, with cargo doors, man doors, windows or roll-up doors. Stock rotates across our 4 Brantford yards, so call 519-754-6844 for current sizes. Ontario delivery takes 1-3 days.
What This Small Container Page Covers
- What Counts as a Small Shipping Container?
- Mini Container Sizes, 5 to 12 Feet
- Reading the 9ft’s Door Markings
- CSC Plates and the 7 Square Metre Rule
- Small Box Door Options
- Small Containers: New, Used or Cut-Down
- Fork Pockets, Forklifts and Trailers
- Small Storage Container Uses
- Small Sea Can Delivery From Brantford
- Price Drivers Under 12 Feet
- FAQs
Reading Time: 15 minutes
What Counts as a Small Shipping Container?
A small shipping container is a steel box shorter than the standard 20ft, with the same corrugated walls, corner castings and locking doors as the full-size units. The trade codes container length on the doors under ISO 6346. The shortest standard length code is 1, a 10ft box, which the Bureau International des Containers lists at 2,991 mm. Anything shorter than that is a mini. Some minis are built small from the start. Others are cut down from a longer box and closed with a new welded end.
Van Blanc carries small boxes across our Brantford yards, from minis that sit beside a garden shed to a 12ft with full cargo doors. The 10ft is the core size of that range, and it has its own page with the factory ten and cut-down ten side by side. This page covers everything around it: the minis under 7 feet, the 8ft and 9ft units with windows, and the 12ft.
Small stock turns over quickly. The September 2026 stock list from Paul and Christian LeBlanc shows it. Of the two 10ft boxes with an oversized man door, one had sold by the time the list went out. Every size below is recent stock, meaning the kinds of small units we carry. A call to 519-754-6844 tells you which are on the ground today.
Mini Container Sizes, 5 to 12 Feet
Small container sizes are less standard than the 20ft and 40ft. A 20ft follows the ISO length of 6,068 mm. A mini is built to whatever length its maker chose, so the table lists each unit as it was listed in our yards. Where only a length was listed, only a length is shown. For the full-size family, our guide to every container length from 10ft to 53ft has the ISO figures.
| Size | Listed size (imperial) | Metric | Doors and features in recent stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5’7″ mini (two units) | 5’7″ L x 4’10” W x 4’10” H | 1.70 x 1.47 x 1.47 m | Double cargo doors, lockbox, fork pockets |
| 5’10” small box | 5’10” long | 1.78 m long | Oversized man door, fork pockets |
| 6 1/2 ft mini | About 6 1/2 ft long, 5 1/2 ft wide, just under 6 ft tall | Exact figures on request | Double cargo doors, fork pockets |
| 8ft | 8′ long | 2.44 m long | Cargo doors, man door, barred window |
| 9ft | 9′ long | 2.74 m long | Cargo doors, man door and window; 13 cu m (460 cu ft) on the door markings |
| 10ft | 9’10” long (ISO length code 1) | 2,991 mm long | Factory true 10s, cut-downs, roll-up doors: see the 10ft dry container specs |
| 12ft | 12′ long | 3.66 m long | Cargo doors, lockbox, forklift pockets, repainted inside and out |
The 5’7″ and 6 1/2 ft Minis
The two grey 5’7″ minis are the smallest boxes on the list. At 5’7″ by 4’10”, each one covers about 27 sq ft (2.5 m2) of ground, roughly a third of an 8 by 10 shed footprint. Both have a pair of cargo doors with a lockbox welded between them and fork pockets along the base. The 6 1/2 ft mini is a step up in floor area, and its plywood floor sits behind the same kind of double doors. A push mower, a trimmer, bags of salt and a season of patio cushions all fit in a box this size, loaded from the doors.
The 5’10” Box and Its Big Door
The 5’10” small box trades cargo doors for one oversized man door on the end. A single wide door needs less swing room than a pair of cargo doors. That suits a narrow side yard or a spot against a fence. Fork pockets under the floor let a forklift set it where it needs to go. Buyers who want that same door on a longer box can look at what a framed man door adds to a container build.
8ft and 9ft Units With Windows
The 8ft and 9ft units in recent stock look like tiny site offices. Each has cargo doors on one end, plus a man door and a barred window along the side. One 9ft was repainted grey. The window lets daylight in, so a small shop or a parts room works without wiring on day one. Our write-up on how a window opening is framed in container steel shows what sits behind that frame.
The 12ft With Cargo Doors
The 12ft is the longest small box on the list. It has full cargo doors, a lockbox, forklift pockets, and fresh paint inside and out. At 12 feet it runs just over 2 feet longer than a 10ft. That extra floor takes long items like ladders, lumber and fence posts. A 12ft still fits sites where a 20ft will not, and it keeps a walkway beside the load. If two lengths both fit your site, our decision tree for picking a container length walks through the choice.
Reading the 9ft’s Door Markings
The light grey 9ft in recent stock carries its weight ratings painted on a cargo door, beside the container number. Van Blanc read those numbers off the box itself. Here they are as painted, and each one tells you something practical before the truck is booked. Full-size boxes carry the same lines, as our 20ft weight and dimension figures show.
| Marking on the door | Metric | Imperial (as painted) | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max gross | 3,900 kg | 8,590 lb | Box plus contents, the most it is rated to weigh |
| Tare | 900 kg | 1,980 lb | The empty box: what a forklift or trailer carries |
| Payload | 3,000 kg | 6,610 lb | The most cargo the 9ft is rated to hold |
| Cubic capacity | 13 cu m | 460 cu ft | Inside volume, floor to roof |
The 900 kg tare and the 3,000 kg payload add up to the 3,900 kg max gross, which is how the three numbers always relate. Tare is the figure to check against a rented forklift or a utility trailer. Our notes on forklift work around a container cover the handling side. Payload matters if the 9ft will hold anything dense, like fasteners, tile or bagged concrete. Boxes of clothes and patio furniture weigh far less.
This 9ft also has a window with security bars and a man door in the side wall, next to its cargo doors. The doors at the end handle the big items, and the side door handles daily trips. Our page on cutting a steel personnel door into a side wall explains how that opening is made.
CSC Plates and the 7 Square Metre Rule
A CSC plate is the safety approval plate required by the International Convention for Safe Containers, which the International Maritime Organization adopted in 1972. The convention text lists what the plate shows: maximum operating gross weight, allowable stacking weight, and a racking test load value, each in kilograms and pounds. Our guide to checking a CSC plate in the yard walks through each line.
Size decides whether the convention applies at all. The treaty defines a container by the area inside its four outer bottom corners. That area must be at least 14 sq m (150 sq ft), or at least 7 sq m (75 sq ft) with top corner fittings. A 10ft at 2,991 mm by 2,438 mm covers 7.29 sq m, just over the line. A 5’7″ mini covers about 2.5 m2, well under it.
What That Means When You Buy a Mini
A mini below 7 sq m falls outside the convention’s definition of a container. A CSC safety approval plate is not something to expect on it. For a box that stays on your property, what you can see and touch matters more. Look for doors that close square, rubber seals that meet all the way round, a dry floor and paint that is sound under the fresh coat. Van Blanc walks those points with you on the actual unit, and the convention’s own text is linked in our sources below.
Small Box Door Options
Small box doors come in four layouts in our recent stock, and the right one depends on what goes in and how often. Cargo doors open the whole end. A man door is a single hinged door, and a roll-up door coils up into the frame. Van Blanc also fits doors, windows, ventilation and lockboxes to order through the container features we build at our yards. A box can end up with more than one door type.
| Door layout | What it is | Where it works well | Seen in recent stock on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo doors | Two full-height doors with locking bars across one end | Bulky loads: mowers, shelving units, anything nearly as wide as the box | 5’7″ and 6 1/2 ft minis, 9ft, 12ft |
| Oversized man door | One wide hinged door on the end | Tight spots where two doors cannot swing | 5’10” box, 10ft |
| Man door plus window | Side-wall man door beside a barred window, cargo doors kept on the end | Small shops, parts rooms, a desk by the light | 8ft, 9ft, 10ft |
| Roll-up door with sill plate | Coiling door that rolls up inside the frame, with a plate across the threshold | Daily access with no door swing at all | 10ft in light grey and in charcoal |
A roll-up door needs no swing room, which suits a box parked against a fence or a building. The sill plate covers the threshold edge where a dolly or a wheelbarrow rolls in. Our comparison of roll-up and cargo doors on the same box covers sealing and security in more detail.
Lockboxes ship as standard on most new containers, according to our custom features page. On a used or repainted small box, a lockbox can be added. The two 5’7″ minis and the 12ft in recent stock already have one. Read why a lockbox protects the padlock itself before you choose a lock.
Small Containers: New, Used or Cut-Down
Small containers reach our yards three ways. Some arrive new. Some are used boxes, cleaned and often repainted. Others are cut down from a longer container. Each route produces a good storage box, and each has its own strengths.
The container trade grades boxes in four steps, from the top down.
- New (one-trip): made one loaded voyage from the factory, original paint and a clean floor. See new containers at Van Blanc.
- Cargo worthy (CW): used, and sound enough to go back to sea.
- Wind and watertight (WWT): used, dry and lockable, with more wear on the panels.
- As-is: sold with its defects written down, usually for a project build.
Those grades apply cleanly to boxes that have been to sea. Our full walkthrough of container grades covers each step. A mini that was built for storage is judged on its doors, seals, floor and paint instead.
How a Cut-Down Container Is Built
A cut-down container starts life as a 20ft. The fabricator cuts the box to the new length, then welds a new end onto the shortened body. The original cargo doors stay on the other end, with their locking bars and handles. Recent stock included a new beige cut-down 10ft with an easy-open handle and extra vents, built from a new 20ft dry container.
That cut-down still wears 22G1 on its doors. In the ISO 6346 size code, the first 2 means a length of 6,068 mm, the 20ft. The second 2 means a height of 2,591 mm, or 8 ft 6 in. A factory-built ten carries a code that starts with 1. The code on the door tells you where the box began. Buyers comparing the two builds can see how tens trade across Canada.
Fork Pockets, Forklifts and Trailers
Fork pockets are the rectangular slots along the bottom rail of a small container, sized for forklift tines. The 5’10” box, the 12ft and the 10ft units on our list have them, and so do the 5’7″ and 6 1/2 ft minis. With pockets, an empty small box can be lifted and set by a forklift rated for its weight.
Van Blanc delivers the small container you buy and sets it where the truck can reach. Moving it again later is your job or a hauler’s, and fork pockets make that easier. Check the tare on the door, like the 900 kg on the 9ft, against the forklift’s rated capacity. Lift the box empty, with the tines all the way through both pockets.
A utility trailer can carry the lighter minis if its rated capacity is above the box’s tare. Tie the box down to the trailer before it moves an inch. Because a later move is on you, the first placement deserves the most thought. Our comparison of tilt-deck and HIAB placement on delivery day shows how a box gets set right the first time.
Small Storage Container Uses
A small storage container does the same job as a 20ft on a smaller patch of ground: dry, lockable steel that stays put. The table matches common jobs to the small sizes in recent stock. For a crew, a tool crib laid out inside a container is often the first build.
| Job | What goes in | Small sizes that suit it |
|---|---|---|
| Jobsite tool crib | Power tools, fasteners, fittings, consumables | 8ft or 9ft with a man door, 12ft with cargo doors |
| Backyard storage | Bikes, patio furniture, seasonal decorations | 5’7″ or 6 1/2 ft mini, 5’10” box |
| Garden storage | Tools, soil, planters, hoses | 5’10” box with its oversized man door |
| Pool and lawn equipment | Pool chemicals, pumps, mowers, trimmers | 6 1/2 ft mini, 10ft with a roll-up door |
| Farm parts and fencing | Fence rolls, posts, parts bins, small implements | 9ft or 12ft with cargo doors |
| Retail backstock | Seasonal stock, fixtures, display pieces for a small business buying its first container | 10ft with a roll-up door, 12ft |
Pool and Lawn Gear in a Mini
Pool chemicals and a gas mower are both worth keeping out of the house, and apart from each other. A 6 1/2 ft mini on a gravel pad by the pool fence holds the spare pump, the pool chemicals and the cleaning gear in one locked box. Keep pool chemicals away from fuel and anything with a gas engine, so the mower and its gas can go in a second box. Add vents at our yards so the box can breathe in summer heat. Where the vents go on a box this short is covered in our notes on venting a closed steel box.
Farms and retail stores use small boxes differently. On a farm, a 9ft or a 12ft beside the barn holds fence rolls and parts, close to where the work happens. A shop can put a 10ft with a roll-up door behind the building for seasonal stock. Shelving turns either into an organized room, and our notes on mounting shelves to container walls show how.
Ask What Small Sizes Are In
Small boxes rotate through our rows, and the quickest way to know what is in is a phone call. Tell us the job, the space and your postal code. We will tell you which minis, 8ft, 9ft or 12ft units fit it right now.
Small Sea Can Delivery From Brantford
A small sea can ships the same way as a big one, on a tilt-deck truck from our 4 Brantford yards. Stocked units without modifications get fast 1-3 day delivery to every region across Ontario. A box that gets a new door, window or vents ships when the build is finished, and the quote says so up front.
Site prep for a small box is simple. Pick a spot that is firm and level, because a mini on soft ground will rack and its doors will bind. A gravel pad works, and so do timbers under the corners. Our comparison of ties, blocks and gravel under a container covers each base. Decide which way the doors should face before the truck arrives, because turning a box on site is harder than placing it right the first time.
Before Delivery Day
Send a phone photo of the drop spot and the path to it when you order. Gates, overhead wires and a tight turn at the end of a driveway all show up in a photo. The driver arrives knowing the site, and the box lands where you pictured it. For tight lots, read about delivery options for a narrow driveway.
Price Drivers Under 12 Feet
Van Blanc does not publish prices for small containers, because the inputs behind a quote shift through the year. These are the inputs that move the number for a box under 12 feet.
- Size and build: a mini, a 9ft with a side door and a 12ft with cargo doors are different builds.
- New, used or cut-down: the route the box took to our yards changes its cost.
- Doors and extras: a roll-up door, a window, vents or insulation each add to the quote.
- Distance and access from Brantford to your site.
- The steel market and the supply of small units at the time.
Tell us the size, the job and your postal code, and we will send back an all-in number with a real lead time. Compare it with how container cost scales by size if you are weighing a mini against a longer box. Every quote comes with a real lead time, not a hopeful one.
One warning belongs here. Many people call us saying they found a bin a thousand dollars cheaper on Facebook, and two weeks later they call back, scammed. A small container listed far under the market, with a deposit up front and no yard to visit, fits that pattern. See how the Facebook container scam works, then walk the real box at one of our Brantford yards before you pay. Van Blanc has operated since 1995 and holds 4.9 stars across 140+ Google reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the smallest shipping container size?
The smallest standard ISO length is the 10ft, coded 1 in ISO 6346 and listed at 2,991 mm. Minis go smaller. The smallest boxes in Van Blanc’s recent stock are two minis at 5’7″ L x 4’10” W x 4’10” H. Both have cargo doors, a lockbox and fork pockets. Call 519-754-6844 for what is in the yards today.
Are there shipping containers smaller than 20 feet?
Yes. The 10ft is the standard size below the 20ft, and minis and custom lengths fill in the rest. Van Blanc’s recent stock has included 5’7″, 5’10”, 6 1/2 ft, 8ft, 9ft, 10ft and 12ft units. Stock rotates, so one call confirms which small sizes are on the ground and ready for 1-3 day delivery.
How much is a mini shipping container?
Van Blanc quotes each mini per order rather than posting a price. The number depends on the size, whether the box is new, used or cut-down, the doors and extras, the distance to your site, and the steel market. Send the size you want and your postal code, and you get an all-in quote, usually the same day.
Where can I find a 10×10 shipping container for sale?
No standard container is 10 feet by 10 feet. The closest is the 10ft, which is 2,991 mm long and 2,438 mm (8 ft) wide under the ISO size codes. Van Blanc sells 10ft units, factory built and cut down, from our 4 Brantford yards with 1-3 day delivery across Ontario.
Where can I get a free shipping container?
Free containers are rare, and a free or near-free listing that asks for a delivery deposit is a warning sign. Many buyers who chase a bin far below market on Facebook lose the deposit. Van Blanc sells containers outright, and you can see the actual box at one of our Brantford yards before you pay anything.
Is a small sea can the same as a mini shipping container?
Yes. Sea can, c-can, mini container and small shipping container are names for the same short steel box. The name changes with the region and the buyer. The things that matter stay the same: the length, the doors, the floor, and whether the box sits on firm, level ground once it lands.
Can a small container be moved with a forklift?
Yes, when it has fork pockets and the forklift is rated above its empty weight. Lift it empty, with the tines all the way through the pockets. The 9ft in recent stock shows a 900 kg tare on its door. Van Blanc delivers the box you buy; any later move is arranged by you or a hauler.
How fast can Van Blanc deliver a small container?
Stocked small containers deliver in 1 to 3 days across Ontario from our 4 Brantford yards, on a tilt-deck truck. A box that gets a new door, window or vents ships when the build is finished. Each quote gives you a real lead time for your address.
Sources
- Bureau International des Containers, ISO 6346 Size and Type Code Tables 1 to 3, checked September 2026.
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC) 1972, treaty text, checked September 2026.
- International Maritime Organization, CSC convention page on safety approval plates and adoption, checked September 2026.
See Them in Person in Brantford
Small boxes are easier to judge in person than in a photo. Swing the doors, check the seals and step inside before you decide. Van Blanc has been selling containers across Ontario since 1995, and Paul or Christian can walk the small rows with you.
Van Blanc Ent. Inc. | 90 Morton Ave. East, Unit 1-B, Brantford, ON N3R 7J7 | 519-754-6844