10ft Shipping Container in Canada: Sizes, Cost, Where to Buy

By Christian LeBlanc, second-generation operator, and Paul LeBlanc, owner, Van Blanc Ent. Inc.

Reading Time: about 13 minutes

Why does a 10ft shipping container cost more per cubic metre than a 20ft?

A 10ft shipping container costs more per cubic metre than a 20ft because the smaller box does not get a proportionally smaller price. The 10ft is roughly 60 to 70 percent of the 20ft’s price for half the interior volume, so the per-cubic-metre math runs against the smaller size. The reason is supply and steel, not a markup, and it surprises most buyers the first time they compare the two sizes side by side.

Christian LeBlanc, who walks our Brantford yard with buyers most days, puts it plainly: “People see a box half the length and expect half the price. The steel in the corners and rails barely changes, and almost nobody makes 10ft units, so the per-foot cost climbs. When a customer can fit a 20ft, I tell them so before they pay.” Three reasons the 10ft costs more per cubic metre than the 20ft:

1. Production volume. Global container manufacturers (CIMC, Singamas, Maersk Container Industry) produce 20ft and 40ft units in massive scale because those are the dominant intermodal shipping sizes. 10ft units are a niche product run on shorter production schedules with less amortized tooling cost per unit. The factory overhead per container is higher.
2. Steel-per-volume ratio. Containers are built mostly from corner castings, top and bottom rails, and corner posts. A 10ft has the same eight corner castings and four corner posts as a 20ft, plus full top and bottom rail structure. The structural steel does not scale linearly with internal volume. A 10ft uses about 60 percent of the steel of a 20ft for 48 percent of the volume.
3. Secondary market thinness. Used 10ft containers are harder to find because shipping lines retire fewer of them. The secondary market for 10ft Wind & Water Tight and Cargo Worthy units is thin compared to 20ft and 40ft, which means less downward price pressure from supply abundance.

This is honest pricing reality, not a markup. We sell 10ft containers because some Ontario buyers genuinely need them, and we keep every size on the row so you can compare a 10ft against a 20ft before you decide. We do not steer buyers toward 10ft when a 20ft would deliver better value. When the gap between the two sizes is small and the lot has room for the bigger box, the larger unit is almost always the smarter purchase. If you are leaning toward new condition either way, our lineup of factory-fresh One-Trip stock covers both lengths.

Do they make 10ft shipping containers? Yes, here is the spec

Google’s People Also Ask shows this question repeatedly: “Do they make 10 foot shipping containers?” The answer is yes, and the spec is well-defined under ISO 668. They are less common than 20ft and 40ft but they are a standard ISO size with consistent manufacturer specifications.

Note that the 10ft container is technically 9 feet 9.75 inches long externally, not exactly 10 feet. The “10ft” name is industry shorthand for “approximately 10 feet” the same way “8×10” is shorthand for the standard 8-foot-wide-by-10-foot-long pattern. Some buyers searching for “8×10 shipping container for sale” are looking for this exact size; we use the 10ft name to match the ISO standard but the product is the same.

10ft containers come almost exclusively in Standard height. 10ft High Cube units exist (9’6″ external height) but are very rare in the Ontario secondary market and usually need to be sourced as new One-Trip from manufacturer direct, which adds 4-8 weeks of lead time and 30-50 percent to the price.

What is the smallest shipping container you can buy?

The smallest standard shipping container is the 8ft unit, and it is rare enough in Canada that most buyers never see one outside a rail yard or a military surplus lot. The smallest size in regular Ontario circulation is the 10ft this page covers. The smallest size that is actually cheap is the 20ft, because the global fleet is built from 20s and 40s and everything else is a conversion or a special production run.

Buyers shopping a small shipping container in Canada therefore land on one of three answers: a 10ft where the footprint is the constraint, a 20ft where budget is the constraint, or a cut-down custom length where a fabrication shop shortens a 20ft to the exact feet the site allows. A small sea can and a small sea container are the same conversation with different words. Tell us the space you have and the quote comes back sized to it: call 519-754-6844 or request a quote.

Who actually needs a 10ft (and who should buy a 20ft instead)

A common 10ft use case is the backyard shed setup. The 10ft makes operational sense for a specific set of buyers. Outside that set, the 20ft is the better value. Honest recommendations:

Buy a 10ft if:

• Your property has a narrow site. Suburban side yards 3.5m to 4m wide, urban backyards too small for a 20ft truck swing, rural cottage lots with tight access lanes. A 10ft fits where a 20ft cannot.
• You need under 16 m³ of secure dry storage. Small tool collection, off-season recreational gear, single-purpose storage like fishing equipment or hunting gear. 20ft at 33 m³ would sit half-empty.
• You are running a small construction trade on small job sites. A single plumber or electrician serving residential renovations does not need 33 m³ of tool storage. A 10ft on a tight residential job site is right-sized.
• You are running an event or pop-up application. Easy to brand, easy to relocate, fits inside event venues a 20ft would not.
• You are stacking or grouping multiple containers. Two 10ft units stacked equal one 20ft footprint but allow separated storage (one for tools, one for materials).

Buy a 20ft instead if:

• Your storage need is closer to 30 m³ than 16 m³
• The cost gap between the two sizes is modest and you have space for the 20ft
• You expect storage needs to grow within 2-3 years
• You want better resale value (20ft units have a much deeper secondary market)
• You may convert to a structure later (office, workshop) where 10ft is too tight

How big is a 10ft shipping container, inside and out?

A 10ft shipping container has a simple set of defining numbers. The footprint on your site is 2.99m by 2.44m (approximately 10ft by 8ft, hence the “8×10” name some buyers use). The empty container weighs 1,300 kg, the lightest of any standard ISO size, which makes 10ft delivery the easiest of any size in the Ontario market. If you want to set those numbers beside the 20ft and 40ft, our full breakdown of every container length and grade lays the specs out together.

Useful comparisons to common reference objects:

• A 10ft container has roughly the same footprint as a single-car driveway parking space (which is typically 2.5m x 6m, slightly longer but the same width)
• The interior at 6.65 m³ is about the size of a small bathroom or walk-in closet
• The internal volume of 16 m³ is equivalent to about 110 standard moving boxes (medium 18x18x16)
• The door opening is identical to a 20ft or 40ft (2.34m x 2.28m), so the same cargo that loads a 20ft door also loads a 10ft door
• The tare weight (1,300 kg) is lighter than most small cars (a Honda Civic weighs about 1,400 kg)

Where does a 10ft container fit that a 20ft cannot?

A 10ft container fits on sites where a 20ft simply cannot land, and that is its primary advantage over the larger box. Three Ontario site scenarios where this matters operationally:

Suburban side-of-house storage

Many Ontario suburban homes have side-of-house gateways 1.0 to 1.5m wide and side yards 3.0 to 4.0m wide. A 20ft container at 2.44m wide externally needs at least 3.0m of side-yard width to land and 2.5m+ of gateway clearance to back through during delivery. A 10ft container needs the same width clearances, but its 3.0m length fits inside side yards where a 20ft (6.0m length) would extend past the property line or into the rear yard. The 10ft is often the only container that legally and physically fits.

Urban backyard placement

Urban Ontario backyards (Toronto, Hamilton older neighbourhoods, Kingston, Ottawa downtown) are often 6m to 10m deep. A 20ft container takes up 6m of that depth, leaving the rest of the yard cramped. A 10ft takes 3m, leaving 50-70 percent of the yard usable. For homeowners wanting storage without sacrificing the entire backyard, the 10ft is the answer.

Tight rural cottage access

Cottage roads in Muskoka, Haliburton, and Bruce Peninsula often have tight turns, narrow access points, and overhanging trees. The 10ft on a tilt-deck truck can navigate access where a 20ft cannot reach without significant tree work. We have delivered 10ft containers to cottage properties where the buyer originally wanted a 20ft and our pre-delivery survey concluded the 20ft would not make it past the second turn.

How is a 10ft container delivered to your site?

A 10ft container is delivered on a tilt-deck truck, and it is the easiest delivery of any standard size. The container weighs about 1,300 kg empty. Combined with a tilt-deck truck at 11,000 to 12,000 kg, total road weight during delivery is 12,300 to 13,300 kg. That is the lightest combined-weight delivery of any standard container, and Ontario driveways, rural bridges, and seasonal access roads handle it without issue.

Delivery from our Brantford yard reaches most of Southern Ontario, and the 10ft delivers slightly cheaper than the 20ft because the smaller unit allows a smaller tilt-deck class. Cottage country and Northern Ontario routes carry more freight cost the farther the drive runs. The honest variables are size, drop distance, and site access, so we quote each address on its own facts. Lead time is 1-3 business days from order for most addresses, and every quote comes with a real lead time, not a hopeful one. We can place the 10ft you buy from our in-stock Brantford inventory straight onto your prepared pad.

Site prep for a 10ft is minimal: a compacted stone pad (3/4-inch clear, 10-15 cm deep) with two corner blocks under each end. The 10ft is the easiest container to install correctly because the smaller footprint reduces the risk of uneven settling and freeze-thaw heave.

What drives the price of a 10ft container in Ontario?

The price of a 10ft container in Ontario is driven by grade first. Grade sets remaining service life and cosmetic condition, and it moves the number more than any other factor on a 10ft. Below grade, the price drivers are the same for every size: how far the box has to travel from Brantford, how tight your site access is, and where the global steel and container market sits the week you order. We post drivers instead of dollar figures because a number we print today goes stale next month and reads as false. Tell us the grade and your postal code and we send back an honest, all-in number.

Turnkey cost for a 10ft means the container plus delivery, and the delivery share climbs the farther you sit from Brantford. Cottage country and remote destinations carry the most freight. A 10ft advertised far below the going rate is almost always As-Is grade with structural questions or a Facebook listing that never arrives, the pattern Paul warns about: the box that is a thousand dollars cheaper online is the box you never see.

The 10ft grade decision has one twist. Because 10ft secondary supply is thin, the price gap between WWT and One-Trip is narrower than it is for 20ft or 40ft. That sometimes makes One-Trip the smarter buy on a 10ft, because the premium for new factory condition is proportionally smaller than on the larger sizes. Our plain-language walk-through of new versus used grades covers the grade decision in detail.

Should you buy a 10ft or a 20ft container?

The 10ft-versus-20ft decision comes down to whether your site space and storage volume genuinely favour the smaller box, or whether the 20ft is the smarter purchase despite its larger footprint. Use the side-by-side below, then weigh it against the one question that settles most orders: does the 20ft physically fit?

The decisive question is site fit. When a 20ft physically fits your site and the cost gap between the two sizes is modest, the 20ft is the smarter purchase on every other axis: more volume, better resale, more conversion room. When a 20ft does not fit your site, the 10ft is the only choice, and the per-cubic-metre premium is simply the price of fitting. Walk a 10ft and a 20ft beside each other on our row before you decide, or describe your site over the phone and we will tell you on the spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pick your 10ft container in person at our Brantford yard

10ft containers are harder to find in the Ontario secondary market than 20ft or 40ft units, which makes seeing the inventory before buying especially important. A 10ft Wind & Water Tight from a sketchy online listing might have hidden floor rot or door seal failure that the photos do not show. At our Brantford yard, you walk between every 10ft in stock, read the CSC plate, open and close the cargo doors, run the light test, and pick the unit you want delivered.

Van Blanc has been delivering 10ft, 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, and 53ft containers across Ontario since 1995. Paul and Christian LeBlanc walk our 200+ container Brantford yard with customers every week. We deliver across Ontario in 1-3 business days. Payment is COD on delivery, no wire transfers or deposits required.