Quick Answer: BigSteelBox uses real all-steel shipping containers in 8, 10, 20 and 40 foot sizes across 34 Canadian locations. PODS uses lighter steel-frame aluminum-panel boxes in 7, 12 and 16 foot sizes across 8 Canadian metros. Van Blanc sells real ISO containers from our Brantford yard, since 1995.
In This Guide
Reading Time: 14 minutes
Most Canadians shopping for a storage container land on the same two names: BigSteelBox and PODS. Both have been advertised heavily across the country for years. Both promise convenient delivery, monthly rental, and a way to handle a renovation, a move, or a business that has outgrown its shed. Both are real, legitimate companies with thousands of customers; our rundown of Ontario container company reviews scores them alongside the rest of the market. And both are very different products from each other in ways the marketing pages do not always make clear.
This article walks through the honest factual comparison. What is each company actually delivering. What you pay each month. Where each one operates in Canada. What sizes they offer. Where their service areas leave gaps. And, because we have been delivering shipping containers across Ontario from our Brantford yard since 1995, where a third option fits better than either of the national franchises for buyers who want to own a container outright instead of renting one back and forth.
What is the difference between a BigSteelBox and a PODS?
A BigSteelBox is a real all-steel ISO shipping container, while a PODS is a lighter steel-frame box with aluminum wall panels and a translucent top built for residential moving. The two look similar from a distance but differ up close, and that build gap drives weight rating, durability, and outdoor lifespan.
What BigSteelBox Delivers
A BigSteelBox is a real shipping container. The standard 20 foot unit is built to the international ISO 6346 freight container specification, made of Corten weathering steel, with a the used-container inspection checklist certifying it for ocean shipping. Walls, roof and floor frame are all steel. It will sit on a piece of gravel in your back yard for 25 years and still be solid. That same box has typically already crossed an ocean.
What PODS Delivers
A PODS container is built differently. The structural frame is steel, but the skin panels on the walls are aluminum, and the top is a translucent panel that lets ambient light through. It is engineered as a moving and short-term storage product, not as a freight container. PODS is not built to be loaded onto a cargo ship, nor is it intended to live outside through 25 Canadian winters. For a three-month renovation in a Toronto driveway, that engineering is fine. For long-term outdoor storage on a working farm or a contractor’s yard, the difference matters.
The capacity math follows the build. A 20 foot BigSteelBox carries about 10,000 pounds of cargo. The largest PODS unit, the 16 foot, carries about 4,200 pounds. That is not a marketing claim. It is a physical consequence of using aluminum skin versus all-steel construction. Both are useful. They are useful for different jobs.
One more practical detail. A BigSteelBox 20 foot interior is roughly 160 square feet. A PODS 16 foot is roughly 128 square feet. The names are misleading because the units measure differently, so a 20 foot BigSteelBox is not just “4 feet more” than a 16 foot PODS. It is meaningfully more volume, more weight rating, and more durable steel.
Paul LeBlanc, Van Blanc owner: “We get calls from people who rented one of those aluminum-panel boxes for a reno and then realised they wanted to keep storage on site after the project ended. A real ISO container is a 25 year asset. The lighter boxes are a service. Different tools for different jobs.”
How do BigSteelBox and PODS pricing compare?
BigSteelBox and PODS price the same job in two different shapes. BigSteelBox quotes a predictable monthly rental and adds delivery on top. PODS layers three separate charges onto every transaction: a delivery fee, a monthly rental fee, and a pickup fee. Here is what drives each company’s bill in Canada in 2026, drawn from each company’s own public pricing pages and 2026 third-party reviews.
| Cost factor | BigSteelBox | PODS Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly rental, smallest unit | Flat monthly rate, quoted by city | Quoted by metro and unit, varies by date |
| Monthly rental, largest unit | Higher for the 40ft, varies by city | Higher for the 16ft, varies by location |
| Delivery fee | Quoted per location and distance | Quoted separately, charged on each move |
| Pickup fee | Quoted per location and distance | Quoted separately, charged on each move |
| Pricing model | Monthly rental, predictable | Pay-as-you-go: delivery + monthly + pickup |
| Used 20ft purchase | Sold (buy outright) | Not sold (rental only) |
| New 20ft purchase | Sold (buy outright) | Not sold (rental only) |
The pricing models work differently. BigSteelBox quotes a more predictable monthly rate and adds delivery on top. PODS layers three separate fees onto every transaction: a delivery charge when they drop the empty unit, a monthly rental charge while you have it, and a pickup charge when they retrieve it. Both companies will give you an honest quote if you ask. The total dollar amount over a typical three-month renovation tends to land in roughly the same neighbourhood. The shape of the bill is different.
The Hidden Math of Long Rentals
BigSteelBox notes openly on its own pricing pages that on its current rates, the break-even point between renting their 20 foot and buying a new one is “just over two years in most cities.” That is a useful number to keep in your head. If you know you will need a container for more than 24 months, you have likely already paid for one outright by renting it.
This is where the choice between rent and buy starts to matter. A homeowner who needs storage for an eight-week kitchen renovation rents. A farm operation, a contractor with active job sites, or a small business that has outgrown its retail backroom is usually better served buying a real ISO container and stopping the monthly cost altogether. Renting forever is the most expensive way to store anything.
Where do BigSteelBox and PODS operate in Canada?
BigSteelBox and PODS cover Canada very differently. BigSteelBox runs a wider depot network across the western provinces and Ontario, while PODS sticks to a handful of major metros. Coverage is where the two companies look most different on a map.
BigSteelBox operates 34 store locations across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, including a Brantford location at 1440 Colborne Street East and a Hamilton location at 650 Pritchard Road. Their Ontario service map covers most of Southern Ontario from those two depots.
PODS Canada operates 8 locations, all in major metropolitan areas, primarily Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, and a couple of others. PODS Ontario service is concentrated around the Toronto metro region. If you are calling from Norfolk County, Sudbury, Brockville, or a cottage on Lake Joseph, PODS may not be a real option, while BigSteelBox usually is, and a regional Ontario supplier like Van Blanc absolutely is.
What This Means in Ontario
For a buyer in Toronto proper, both BigSteelBox and PODS are live options, along with regional suppliers. For a buyer in Brantford, Cambridge, Welland, Brockville, or anywhere outside the GTA core, PODS often will not service you and BigSteelBox is the national-franchise option. That is the practical reality of national coverage in 2026: most of Ontario is BigSteelBox territory or regional-supplier territory, not PODS territory.
What container sizes do BigSteelBox and PODS offer?
BigSteelBox and PODS offer different size lineups because they sell different products. BigSteelBox stocks real ISO container sizes (8, 10, 20 and 40 foot), while PODS offers 7, 12 and 16 foot moving-style boxes. The two size ranges suit different jobs.
| Size class | BigSteelBox sizes | PODS Canada sizes | Van Blanc sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 8 ft, 10 ft | 7 ft, 12 ft | (custom only) |
| Standard | 20 ft | 16 ft | 20 ft ISO |
| Large | 40 ft | (not offered) | 40 ft, 40 ft High Cube, 45 ft High Cube |
| Refrigerated | (not offered) | (not offered) | 20 ft reefer, 40 ft HC reefer |
BigSteelBox offers the closest size lineup to a real container-supplier yard because their boxes are real containers. Their 20 and 40 foot units are the same ISO 6346 standard sizes the freight industry uses. Their 8 and 10 foot options are short, residential-friendly units.
PODS’ lineup is built for residential moving and short-term storage. The 16 foot is the largest unit. There is no 40 foot equivalent, no high cube option for taller cargo, and no refrigerated option. If you need a container for cold storage, a craft brewery, a greenhouse, or a food-service operation, PODS is not the product. Neither is BigSteelBox by default, although they can sometimes source one. A specialist supplier like Van Blanc keeps reefers in inventory because we ship them as part of our regular Ontario delivery mix.
What the Size Numbers Hide
Container size names are not standardised across companies. A 16 foot PODS is a different cubic-volume product than a 20 foot BigSteelBox, which is a different volume than a 20 foot ISO container with an extra foot of headroom in the high-cube variant. When you compare quotes, ask each supplier for the actual interior dimensions in feet and metres and the actual cubic volume. Knowing which questions to put to a supplier before you commit saves you from a box that looks right on paper and falls short in the driveway. The honest answer to “how much will my stuff fit” comes from the dimensions, not the name.
The Ontario Buyer’s Reality
Most of the comparison-shopping traffic for “BigSteelBox vs PODS” comes from one of three buyer profiles. The right answer depends on which one you are.
The Homeowner Renovator
You are renovating a kitchen, a basement, or building an addition in a Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton or Brantford home. You need somewhere to put the contents of three rooms for two to four months. You want the box on your driveway, you want delivery that does not crack the interlock, and you want a predictable monthly cost. PODS works for this in Toronto. BigSteelBox works for this almost anywhere in Southern Ontario. Buying outright is overkill for a single two-month project. Renting a unit by the month is the right tool. Either company is a reasonable answer.
The Small Business Owner Who Has Outgrown the Backroom
You run a retail shop, a small manufacturing operation, an e-commerce business, or a contractor’s office. You are paying for warehouse space you do not need full-time, or you are out of room in your existing premises. You will need on-site storage for years, not months. This is where renting starts to lose to buying. Two years of monthly rental fees usually adds up to more than the cost of a used 20 foot container delivered and owned. After year two, every additional month is pure cost with no asset.
The Farmer or Trades Contractor
You are operating a Norfolk County farm, a Hamilton-area construction company, a Niagara winery, or a Wellington equestrian operation. You need a durable, weather-resistant, secure outdoor storage unit that lives on your property indefinitely. PODS is the wrong product for this. BigSteelBox will rent or sell you a real container. So will Van Blanc, and the buying conversation looks different. We tell you up front: at this scale, buy outright, expect a 25 year service life, and stop the monthly bill on day one.
Notice the pattern. The right answer is not always the same company. It depends on what you actually need and how long you need it. The honest supplier tells you which case is yours.
A Third Option Most Buyers Miss
The two-way “BigSteelBox vs PODS” comparison frames the choice as a national-franchise rental, and the same logic holds once you start weighing PODS against the other portable-storage names Ontario buyers run into. Most do not realise there is a third option that often fits their actual need better: buying a real ISO shipping container outright from a regional Ontario supplier. The same three-way logic applies when the box is for a relocation rather than storage; our comparison of long distance moving paths across Canada shows where the franchise pods, the van lines, and the own-the-box route each make sense.
Van Blanc has been doing this since 1995. We are a real Brantford yard at 90 Morton Avenue East, with 4.9 stars across 124+ verified Google reviews. We deliver 20 foot, 40 foot, 40 foot high cube, 45 foot high cube, and refrigerated containers across Ontario in 1 to 3 days from our 4 Brantford yards. We sell new (one-trip) and used (cargo worthy, wind and watertight) grades. We accept cash on delivery, which means you see the container in person on your property before any money changes hands.
When Buying Beats Renting
The rule of thumb borrowed from BigSteelBox’s own break-even math: if you will need the container for more than 24 months, you have likely paid for one already by renting. For farms, contractors, small businesses, cottage owners, and anyone using the container for long-term storage, buying outright from a regional supplier is usually the lower-total-cost answer. For an eight-week reno, rental still wins.
Paul LeBlanc has been operating Van Blanc since 1995. He started in import and export from Asia, four decades in that trade, before recognising that the steel boxes carrying the goods were more durable and more useful than most of what travelled inside them. Nineteen years specifically in the container business, and his son Christian, raised in the trade, now works the Brantford yard with him. When you visit, one of them walks the row of bins with you. You pick the one you want. You pay on delivery. That is how a regional, family-run yard works, and it is something neither national franchise can offer.
Paul LeBlanc, Van Blanc owner: “We have watched the container market through every cycle in my 19 years. The scam wave we see now is unlike anything I have seen in this trade. People call us saying they can get a bin cheaper on Facebook, two weeks later they call back saying they got scammed. Walk the yard. Pay on delivery. That is how you know you are not getting taken.”
Worth the Drive to Brantford
Buyers from across Ontario regularly drive to our Brantford yard to view bins before they buy. Toronto is 90 minutes. Hamilton is 30 minutes. Cambridge and Kitchener are under an hour. Brockville is a longer haul but the drive happens, because seeing the actual container you are buying before any money changes hands is the difference between a real purchase and a Facebook listing that turns into a scam two weeks later. Worth the drive for unbeatable quality, family customer service with 30 years of experience.
Honest Decision Grid
Here is the simple summary, no marketing varnish.
| Your situation | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Short renovation (under 6 months), in Toronto metro | PODS or BigSteelBox, whichever quotes lower for your dates |
| Short renovation, anywhere else in Southern Ontario | BigSteelBox (PODS likely does not service you) |
| Long-term outdoor storage on a farm or contractor yard | Buy a real ISO container outright, Van Blanc or BigSteelBox sale |
| Refrigerated storage (food, pharma, greenhouse) | Specialist supplier with reefer inventory, Van Blanc |
| 40 ft or 40 ft high cube container | BigSteelBox or Van Blanc (PODS does not offer) |
| Buyer wants to see the container before paying | Visit the Brantford yard, Van Blanc |
| You want a Brantford-area pickup and you want a real yard, not a depot | Van Blanc, 90 Morton Avenue E, 30 years in business |
Both national franchises are legitimate businesses. They are advertised heavily because they have spent two decades building national franchise networks. That is also why their pricing has to support a national overhead structure, regional managers, and depot leases in 34 cities. A regional Ontario supplier with a single Brantford yard and 30 years of family operating experience carries less overhead and tells you the truth on the phone. That is the entire competitive position. No marketing trick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BigSteelBox a Canadian company?
Yes. BigSteelBox was founded in Penticton, British Columbia, and now operates 34 locations across Canada including stores in Brantford and Hamilton, Ontario. It is a national franchise built on real ISO shipping containers, with predictable monthly rental pricing.
Is PODS available everywhere in Ontario?
No. PODS Canada operates 8 locations nationally, with Ontario coverage concentrated in the Toronto metro area. If you are located outside the GTA core, in places like Brantford, Hamilton’s eastern suburbs, Niagara, Norfolk, or Eastern Ontario, PODS may not service you. BigSteelBox or a regional Ontario supplier like Van Blanc will.
What is the actual construction difference between a BigSteelBox and a PODS?
A BigSteelBox is a real ISO 6346 shipping container, made of Corten weathering steel, structurally rated for ocean transport. A PODS is a steel-frame box with aluminum skin panels and a translucent top, engineered for residential moving and short-term storage. The BigSteelBox carries roughly 10,000 pounds. The largest PODS carries about 4,200 pounds.
How much does a BigSteelBox rental cost per month in Canada?
BigSteelBox charges a flat monthly rate for its 20 foot storage container, plus delivery and pickup quoted separately. Larger 40 foot units cost more. The actual quote depends on your city, your dates, and the route from the nearest BigSteelBox depot. Call them directly for a current rate on your specific address.
How much does PODS cost per month in Toronto?
PODS Canada quotes a monthly rate per metro for the smallest unit, with the 16 foot, the largest PODS unit, costing more depending on location. PODS charges delivery and pickup as separate fees on top of the monthly rental, so the total over a 3 month project is the sum of all three. Ask PODS for a quote on your exact dates and address.
When does it make more sense to buy a container outright instead of renting?
BigSteelBox’s own pricing pages note that the rental-to-purchase break-even on their 20 foot unit is “just over two years in most cities.” If you will need the container for more than 24 months, buying outright costs less in total. For long-term outdoor storage, farm use, contractor yards, or business growth, buy. For a single short reno or move, rent.
Can I view a container before paying with Van Blanc?
Yes. Our Brantford yard at 90 Morton Avenue East is open to buyers, and we walk the rows with you to find the bin that matches your use. We accept cash on delivery, which means you can also wait and pay on the day the container lands at your property. No deposits, no upfront wire transfers, no Facebook-listing surprises.
Sources
- BigSteelBox. (2026). Compare BigSteelBox to PODS Moving and Storage Containers. bigsteelbox.com/resources/compare-bigsteelbox-pods
- PODS Canada. (2026). Toronto, Ontario Canada Storage and Moving Services. pods.ca/locations/canada/ontario/toronto
- International Organization for Standardization. (2022). ISO 6346:2022 Freight containers, Coding, identification and marking. iso.org/standard/82754.html
- MoveBuddha Editorial. (2026). PODS Cost in 2026: Prices by Size, Distance and Season. movebuddha.com/blog/pods-cost
- Transport Canada. (2025). Cargo Securement Standard 10, Containerized Cargo. tc.canada.ca
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 in 1 to 3 days on a cash-on-delivery basis. No surprise fees, no chase-the-paperwork, no national-franchise overhead built into your price.
Van Blanc Ent. Inc. 90 Morton Ave E Unit 1B, Brantford, ON N3R 7J7. 519-754-6844 (cell) or 1-888-509-6658 (toll-free).
If you have been comparing BigSteelBox and PODS for a renovation, a business storage need, or a farm operation, give us a call before you sign a national-franchise rental contract. A five-minute conversation usually surfaces whether renting or buying is the lower total-cost answer for your specific situation. Worth the drive for unbeatable quality, family customer service with 30 years of experience.
Related Reading
- Shipping Containers for Sale in Ontario
- All Container Sizes and Grades We Stock
- Shipping Containers in Toronto
- Shipping Containers in Hamilton
- Shipping Containers in Brantford
- Is BigSteelBox Legitimate?
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