We sell containers. We do not rent.
Van Blanc sells shipping containers outright. We do not rent, we do not lease, and we do not offer rent-to-own. Renting comes up on this page because buyers compare it against owning, and that comparison is worth reading, but purchase is the only arrangement we offer. Stocked units deliver from our Brantford yards in 1 to 3 days. Request a sale quote or call the yard at 519-754-6844.
Quick Answer: Per Transport Canada. Van Blanc delivers shipping containers and refrigerated reefers to Markdale on a 135-kilometre Highway 10 run from our Brantford yard, typically 1-3 days from order to placement. Grey Highlands buyers (Chapman’s-area suppliers, hospital logistics, Beaver Valley cottages, rural farms) get the same honest pricing and grade ladder we deliver across Ontario since 1995.
Part of our Simcoe County, Muskoka and Georgian Bay service area. See the regional hub for the full lineup of container grades and delivery details plus nearby coverage including Barrie, Innisfil and Bradford.
In This Guide
- The Long Run Up Highway 10 to Grey Highlands
- Markdale, Where Canada’s Independent Ice Cream Capital Lives
- What does a Markdale reefer actually haul?
- The Chapman’s Effect on Container Demand
- Beyond the Plant: Hospital, Hardware, and the Beaver Valley Cottages
- Grades and What 135 Kilometres of Freight Adds
- Christian on Long-Haul Deliveries to Grey County
- Frequently Asked Questions
Reading Time: 12 minutes
The Long Run Up Highway 10 to Grey Highlands
Markdale is a 135-kilometre haul from our Brantford yard. The route is Highway 403 east, up the 410 through Brampton, then north on Highway 10 the long way: Caledon, Orangeville, Shelburne, Dundalk, Flesherton, and finally into Markdale. Two-lane country highway most of the way once you pass Orangeville, and the run takes our drivers about an hour and forty-five minutes one way without traffic.
The freight reality matters because it shapes what we charge for delivery and what we recommend for the load. Markdale is comfortably inside the 1-3 day delivery window we hold across Ontario. Most weeks we are running at least one truck up Highway 10 already, and a Markdale order can usually piggyback on a Dundalk, Flesherton, or Owen Sound run. We will tell you when there is a piggyback option and when there is not. Every quote includes a real lead time, not a hopeful one.
Save freight by timing the order with the route
If your placement schedule has any flexibility, ask us when our next Highway 10 run is going. Markdale orders that pair with another Grey County drop on the same day routinely save several hundred dollars on freight. We are not running a Highway 10 truck every single day, but we run that corridor often enough that flexible buyers usually catch a window inside a week.
Markdale, Where Canada’s Independent Ice Cream Capital Lives
Markdale is a village of about 1,200 people inside the Municipality of Grey Highlands. By raw population it is small. By industrial output it is one of the most consequential towns in this part of Ontario, because Chapman’s Ice Cream has been headquartered here since 1973 and is right now in the middle of a major expansion that adds 175,000 square feet of production capacity to two existing plants. Chapman’s is the largest independent ice cream and frozen yogurt company in Canada, the largest employer in Markdale, and one of the largest employers across all of Grey County.
That single fact reshapes who buys containers here. Chapman’s itself, the Chapman’s expansion construction crews, the trucking and logistics tier supplying the plant, the dairy supply chain feeding the lines, and the small contractors retrofitting equipment for the new facility all generate container demand that a town of 1,200 would not otherwise produce. Markdale is also home to Medike Leather Products and Bright Shores Health System’s 80-bed hospital, plus the typical rural Grey Highlands mix of working farms, hardware stores, and cottages within a thirty-minute drive of Beaver Valley and Blue Mountain.
Why this changes the conversation about size and grade
Most rural Grey Highlands towns this size buy 20ft Wind & Watertight bins for farm storage. Markdale buyers more often want a 40ft, sometimes a 40ft High Cube, sometimes a refrigerated reefer, because the use cases here run bigger. Industrial-supply staging needs floor space. Food-production cold-chain support needs refrigeration. Construction lockers for the Chapman’s expansion want secure office-grade space. The Markdale mix tilts heavier and more specialised than the surrounding countryside.
What does a Markdale reefer actually haul?
Refrigerated containers (reefers, in industry shorthand) are not common across most of rural Ontario. Markdale is one of the towns where they are a first-call option rather than a niche. The reason is the Chapman’s gravity well: ice cream production needs cold-chain support upstream and downstream, and the dairy and packaging suppliers feeding into the plant occasionally need their own on-site refrigerated buffer.
The food-production cold buffer
A 40ft HC refrigerated container sized for a packaging or ingredient supplier is a reasonable middle option between a permanent cold room and a full warehouse build-out. The unit holds 67 cubic metres of cold-chain space, can be set to standard refrigerator temperatures or freezer-grade depending on configuration, and runs on a dedicated 30-amp circuit. Suppliers running short-cycle inventory near the Chapman’s plant routinely use one of these as a buffer between truck and dock.
The Chapman’s expansion construction lockup
An expansion of this scale means real tools on-site for years. Site offices, secure parts storage, electrical-component lockers, the things a trade-package cannot afford to lose to overnight theft. A 20ft one-trip container with an office-conversion package and ESA-certified electrical solves that. We have delivered this configuration into similar large-industrial sites across Southwestern Ontario, and the Markdale expansion has already pulled multiple bins out of our yard for sub-trades on the project.
The Beaver Valley cottage cycle
Markdale sits about thirty minutes from Beaver Valley, half an hour to Blue Mountain, an hour to Wasaga Beach. Cottage owners across that arc use 20ft sea cans for off-season storage of Sea-Doos, snowmobiles, mountain bikes, and the seasonal kit that does not fit in a slope-side condo. Wind & Watertight is the right grade for this: the cosmetic surface rust does not matter when the bin is parked behind the cottage shed, and the price spread between WWT and one-trip is significant on a buyer who only needs winter dry-storage.
The Chapman’s Effect on Container Demand
Chapman’s announced its expansion publicly several years ago, secured provincial funding to support the build, and is in the process of standing up the new 175,000-square-foot production facility. From a container-demand standpoint, this has done two things to Markdale:
- It has pulled in a tier of construction sub-trades, equipment vendors, and materials handlers who all need short-to-medium-term storage and site-office capacity. Most of them have been quoted from us in the last 18 months at one point or another.
- It has made cold-chain-adjacent businesses around Markdale think harder about backup capacity. When the plant runs through a high-volume cycle, the local dairy and ingredient supply chain runs hot, and a refrigerated buffer container is increasingly part of the conversation.
None of this matters if you are a Markdale homeowner buying a 20ft sea can for the back lot. We deliver that order on the same Highway 10 run as the industrial drops. The grade ladder works the same way. Pricing scales the same way. The Chapman’s effect just means the local buyer base out here is unusually deep for a town of 1,200, and that is worth knowing.
Beyond the Plant: Hospital, Hardware, and the Beaver Valley Cottages
Bright Shores Health System operates the 80-bed Markdale hospital, which is the kind of small-town facility that occasionally needs surge or off-site storage during equipment refits, supply backlogs, or seasonal capacity events. We have not delivered there, but the conversation pattern is one we know well from other Ontario regional hospitals: a 20ft or 40ft Wind & Watertight unit, sometimes a reefer for biological-sample or pharmaceutical storage during a facility transition, parked at a discreet site-corner.
The hardware-store and farm-supply ecosystem around Markdale runs typical rural-Grey-County volume. Farm equipment storage, supply overflow, and the occasional used shipping container bought as a hunting-camp or sugar-shack base. Out here a buyer’s first sea can is often coming from word-of-mouth: someone in the next concession bought one, it has been sitting on their lot for six years without trouble, and the next family decides they need one too. That referral chain is part of why we have been delivering into Grey County for thirty years.
Storage container Markdale or shipping container Markdale?
Both terms describe the same product. “Storage container” is the search a buyer types when the use case is fixed and on-property: hay, equipment, ice fishing kit, hunting gear. “Shipping container” is the search when the buyer is thinking about the steel quality or knows they want intermodal-grade construction. We carry the same units either way. Most rural Markdale buyers ask for a 20ft sea can or a 40ft sea can in casual speech, and that is fine. Sea can, c-can, conex box, intermodal container, ISO container, sea container: all the same 8-foot-wide steel box that ships across oceans.
Grades and What 135 Kilometres of Freight Adds
Container pricing has two big variables: the grade of the unit, and the freight cost from yard to placement. Markdale’s 135-kilometre run from our Brantford yard adds real freight cost compared to a closer regional drop, but it is still well inside our routine delivery window and we run that corridor often. Here is the working grade ladder, with delivered Markdale-ranges:
| Grade | Condition | Best Markdale use case | Relative cost (lowest to highest) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-Trip / New Build | Made one ocean crossing from Asia, essentially new condition, original factory paint, 25+ year functional life | Chapman’s expansion site offices, secure trade lockups, year-round basecamp storage | Highest |
| Cargo Worthy (CW) | Used, structurally re-inspected for international shipping, surface rust, occasional dents, doors operate cleanly | Industrial-supply staging near the plant, hospital surge storage, mid-grade farm use | Mid-high |
| Wind & Watertight (WWT) | Used, doors close, sealed against weather and rodents, surface rust on panels, faded paint, occasional small dents | Beaver Valley cottage off-season kit, farm storage, the most common rural Grey County pick | Mid |
| As-Is | Older units with structural questions: floor damage, frame issues, or door problems. Cheap. Honest about what you are getting. | Stationary dry storage where cosmetics and watertightness do not matter | Lowest |
The 40-foot tier is where most Markdale buyers actually land, given the use-case mix here. Industrial-supply storage near the Chapman’s plant, food-production cold-chain reefers, hospital surge units, and even Beaver Valley cottage-country buyers who want serious off-season capacity all tilt toward the 40-foot container rather than the 20. The cost-per-cubic-metre on a 40 is significantly better than on a 20.
The suspiciously cheap Facebook Marketplace problem
Markdale buyers, especially first-time rural buyers, occasionally call us saying they can find the same 40ft container far cheaper on a Facebook listing. Two weeks later we get the call back, and the bin has not arrived, and the listing has gone dark, and the deposit has gone with it. Paul has been operating Van Blanc since 1995 and has watched this exact pattern repeat across every Ontario region. The bin priced well below the market is the one that never arrives. The honest one shows up on a tilt-deck truck in the window we promised, with a real driver who places it where you wanted it.
Christian on Long-Haul Deliveries to Grey County
Christian LeBlanc, Paul’s son, has four years of direct yard experience plus nineteen years of indirect industry exposure from traveling to Asia with his father starting at age fifteen. He runs the day-to-day yard operations at our Brantford site and handles a lot of the inbound calls from Markdale, Owen Sound, and the broader Grey County corridor.
Christian LeBlanc, second-generation operator: “Highway 10 north past Orangeville is one of those drives where the buyer feels far from the supplier. Two hours each way, country highway, no national franchise yard within a reasonable distance. We have been delivering up that corridor for thirty years and our drivers know the curves on the 10 by feel. When a Markdale buyer asks me whether the freight is going to make sense, the answer is almost always yes, especially if we can pair the run. Worth the drive for unbeatable quality, family customer service, and three decades of operational experience.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a shipping container cost delivered to Markdale?
Your Markdale figure turns on grade, the size you pick (a 20ft, a 40ft, or a 40ft High Cube), the 135-kilometre Highway 10 run from our Brantford yard, and current steel and yard stock. A used Wind & Watertight unit sits at the affordable end, cargo-worthy steps up, and a one-trip premium box runs highest. Family-owned since 1995, we give one honest number, no hidden gate charges, cash on delivery. Drive down, walk the yard, choose the unit yourself, and a piggyback window lowers your freight. Call 519-754-6844 or request a same-day quote.
How fast can Van Blanc deliver to Markdale?
1 to 3 business days for most orders. We run the Highway 10 corridor often enough that a Markdale drop can usually piggyback on a same-day Dundalk, Flesherton, or Owen Sound delivery. If your timing has flexibility, ask us about the next outbound run when you call. Same-day is not promised on a 135-kilometre haul.
Can you deliver a refrigerated container near Chapman’s or to a food-production supplier?
Yes. We carry 20ft and 40ft HC reefers and deliver across Grey County. Food-production cold-chain support is one of the most common reefer use cases out of the Markdale corridor. Plan for a dedicated 30-amp electrical circuit at the placement site. Quote includes the freight from our Brantford yard, the reefer unit itself, and the placement on your pad.
Is BigSteelBox available in Markdale?
BigSteelBox sells nationally and may serve Markdale via a regional dispatch, but they do not have a real Ontario yard a buyer can walk before purchase. Van Blanc is family-run from Brantford since 1995, with the only Brantford-area yard you can visit, 4.9 stars across 140+ verified Google reviews. Most Grey County buyers comparing the two end up with us when they want to see the bin first.
What size sea can fits a Beaver Valley cottage off-season storage need?
For most cottage owners storing Sea-Doos, snowmobiles, mountain bikes, and the slope-season kit, a 20ft Wind & Watertight is the right unit. The 33 cubic metres of dry, sealed, lockable space holds a season’s worth of recreational equipment with room for a small workbench. If the cottage doubles as a year-round basecamp, a 40ft starts to make more sense.
How long does a shipping container last on a rural Grey County property?
Properly placed on gravel or wood blocking, a Wind & Watertight container will hold up for 15 to 25 years on a Grey County property without major issue. Surface rust will progress and the paint will fade. The structural shell is engineered to cross oceans repeatedly under load, so a stationary placement on a cottage or farm lot is a comfortable use case for the steel. One-trip units last longer (25+ years) because they start with full factory paint and minimal corrosion baseline.
Can I rent a shipping container in Markdale for the Chapman’s expansion or a farm season?
No. Van Blanc sells containers outright and does not rent, lease, or offer rent-to-own. For a need measured in weeks, a mobile-storage pod or a self-storage unit is usually the better call, and we will say so. Past a few months, buying a used wind-and-watertight box normally costs less than renting one, and you can sell it on or ask us about buyback when you are done.
Is there a container store near Markdale, or do you ship from Brantford?
There is no Van Blanc yard in Markdale; we ship from our Brantford yards. The closest container store you can walk before buying is Brantford at 90 Morton Avenue East, where you pick the exact box and read the CSC plate.
Is BigSteelBox or PODS available in Markdale, or is there a local alternative?
BigSteelBox and PODS operate as portable-storage options around Markdale, but Van Blanc is the local family-run alternative: a real steel container you buy or rent outright and inspect at our Brantford yard first, instead of franchise monthly billing.
Ready to price your container?
Tell us the size and your postal code and we’ll send back an honest, all-in number, container, delivery, and placement, usually within 1-3 days. No pressure, no mystery fees.
Family-run in Brantford since 1995 · 200+ containers in stock · 4.9★ across 140+ Google reviews · every box graded by a person, walk it before it lands.
Sources
- Chapman’s Ice Cream. (n.d.). About and Careers, Markdale, Ontario. chapmans.ca
- CollingwoodToday. (2024). Chapman’s Ice Cream planning massive expansion in Markdale. collingwoodtoday.ca
- NewmarketToday. (2023). Chapman’s churning up production thanks to provincial funding. newmarkettoday.ca
- Statistics Canada. (2016). Census Profile, Markdale [Population centre]. statcan.gc.ca
- International Organization for Standardization. (2022). ISO 6346:2022, Freight containers, Coding, identification and marking. iso.org/standard/82754.html
- Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Ontario Highway 10. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Highway_10
Reach Van Blanc in Brantford
We have been supplying shipping containers across Ontario since 1995. Our warehouse is at 90 Morton Avenue East in Brantford, and we deliver across the province on a cash-on-delivery basis. No surprise fees, no chase-the-paperwork.
Van Blanc Ent. Inc., 90 Morton Ave E Unit 1B, Brantford, ON N3R 7J7. +1 888-509-6658
Markdale is about an hour and forty-five minutes south of us via Highway 10. Many Grey County buyers drive down before they purchase to walk the bin in person, especially on larger industrial or reefer orders where the grade and the door configuration matter. Worth the drive for unbeatable quality, family customer service, and 30 years of operational experience.