Quick answer. Moving with a shipping container in Ontario works best when the container is one you actually keep. Buy a container from a Brantford yard like ours, we deliver it to your old address and set it on your driveway, you load it on your own schedule, and you unload it at the new place at your own pace. The transport of the loaded container from one city to another is arranged through an independent hauler, the same way a furniture mover you would otherwise hire or a flat-deck carrier handles long-distance freight. Van Blanc supplies and delivers the box; the cross-town or cross-region haul of a fully loaded container is a separate, third-party job you book. If you have a driveway at the new address and you want storage afterward, buying the container outright usually beats renting one for a month from a national company, because you keep a 20 ft steel box when the move is done. If the box will double as home storage for years after the move, a new (one-trip) container is the longest-life pick. Tell us the size and your postal code and we will quote real costs, no anchored numbers, just honest pricing.
The honest split up front: Van Blanc supplies and delivers the container, new (one-trip) or used. A licensed carrier moves it loaded. That division is the whole model.
How does moving with a shipping container work in Ontario?
Moving with a shipping container means you load one steel box once, at your own pace, instead of cramming a rented truck on the clock. A Brantford yard like Van Blanc delivers the empty container to your old address and sets it on the driveway. You load it, an independent hauler transports the loaded box to the new address, and you unload it. Buy it and the container stays as storage you own.
Search “container moving company” in Canada and the rank-1 result is BigSteelBox. Their whole product is rent-a-container-for-a-month: they deliver it to your old place, you load it, they transport it to your new place, you unload it, they take it back. PODS Canada and Cubeit do roughly the same thing in smaller container sizes. It is a real service and it works well for what it is.
What none of those companies will tell you is that for a similar outlay, sometimes less, you can buy the container from a yard like ours and use it for the move instead. We deliver it to your old place and set it down. You load it. When the loaded container needs to travel to the new address, an independent flat-deck or tilt-deck hauler moves it, the same kind of carrier any household relies on for long-distance freight. You unload it at the new place. And the box then stays on your property as a 20 ft storage container that is yours forever. Nobody picks it up. Nobody bills you next month. That same owner-supplied logic scales past Ontario: our breakdown of long-distance moving options across Canada weighs the full-service van lines, the rental-pod services, and the own-the-box freight route for every major interprovincial corridor.
The reason BigSteelBox does not tell you about the buy-it option is the same reason a car-rental company does not point you toward used-car dealers. They are in a different business. We are in the supply-and-deliver-from-the-yard business, not the moving business: we sell containers and we deliver the unit you choose, and we are happy to point you to the haulers people use when a loaded box has to change cities. Both models are legitimate. The trick is knowing which one fits you, and most people only ever hear about one.
One search-phrase note: moving containers for sale is the buy-side of this exact arrangement, a sea can you own outright, load once, and keep as storage at the new address after the move. That path is covered grade by grade on the sea cans for sale page.
Who handles each part of a container move?
A container move splits cleanly into two jobs, and it helps to keep them straight before you price anything. Van Blanc supplies the box and delivers it to your old address; an independent hauler handles the loaded haul from one property to another. Knowing who owns which leg keeps the quote honest.
| The job | Who handles it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Container supply (rent or buy) | Van Blanc (us) | You pick the unit at our Brantford yard and buy it outright; we do not rent. |
| Delivery of the empty container | Van Blanc (us) | Tilt-deck drop or crane placement of the unit you chose, set on your driveway at the old address. |
| Loading and unloading | You, on your schedule | Pack it like a Tetris board over a weekend, a week, however long your move takes. |
| Transport of the loaded container between addresses | An independent hauler you arrange | A flat-deck or tilt-deck carrier moves the fully loaded box from the old city to the new one. |
| After the move (if you bought) | You | The container stays on your property as storage, a shop, a studio, or resells later. |
The national rental brands bundle all of that into one invoice, which feels simpler but means you never own the box and you pay their margin on every leg. Buying the container from a yard and arranging the loaded haul separately costs more on moving day, but it leaves you with an asset instead of a return label.
“People call us asking for a moving service and I have to gently correct them. We sell and deliver the box, that is our job, and we are good at it. The loaded haul between cities is a hauler’s job, and I will tell you exactly who to call. What you get out of it is a container that is still sitting on your driveway, paid for, a month after the truck is gone.”
Christian LeBlanc, second-generation operator, Van Blanc Ent. Inc., Brantford
What drives the cost of moving with a shipping container?
The cost of moving with a shipping container is driven by six things, and we do not post fixed prices because a real number depends on your specifics and a posted price goes stale the moment the steel market moves. Here is what actually moves the figure, so you know what to expect when you call for a quote.
| Cost driver | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Rent vs buy | A short rental for the move window is the lowest day-one cost. Buying costs more upfront but you keep the box and its resale value. |
| Container size | A 20 ft holds a one to two-bedroom load; a 40 ft High Cube holds most of a three to four-bedroom house. Bigger box, bigger number. |
| Grade | One-trip (new) costs the most and looks the best; Cargo Worthy and Wind and Watertight are used grades that cost less for a stationary post-move life. |
| Delivery distance from Brantford | Our delivery charge is calculated per kilometre from our Brantford yards to your old address. Closer is cheaper. |
| The loaded haul (third party) | The independent carrier who transports the loaded box between cities quotes on distance and access. This is separate from what you pay us. |
| Season and steel market | Container prices follow the global steel and shipping cycle, so the same box is not the same number every month. The same drivers shape every purchase, laid out in our container pricing guide for Canada. |
Compared with a one-month national rental, buying the container costs more on the day of the move. So why would anyone do it? Because at the end of the rental path you have moved your stuff and you own nothing. At the end of the buy path you have moved your stuff and you also own a 20 ft container with real resale value. And if you keep using it as storage afterward, you save a self-storage stall every month for as long as you own it.
The cross-region scenario, where the gap closes hard
The further you move, the more the loaded haul costs, and that haul is the same third-party carrier whether you rented or bought the box. So the part that changes with distance is roughly equal on both paths. What does not change is ownership: on the buy path the container is yours forever once it lands, while on the rental path it goes back. The minute you tip over into “I could use storage at the new place for a while,” the buying math takes over, because the box you already moved into doubles as the storage you would otherwise have rented.
This is why the broker-rental model only makes economic sense if you genuinely need the container for one month and zero days afterward. If there is any future use, storage, a workshop, gear you are not ready to part with, the container you bought for the move quietly pays for itself as the storage you no longer have to rent.
What size shipping container do I need to move a house?
Container size for a move comes down to bedroom count. A 20 ft holds a one to two-bedroom load; a 40 ft or 40 ft High Cube holds most of a three to four-bedroom house. If you are still deciding between lengths, our guide to container sizes and dimensions lays out every option. Here is the industry consensus on cubic capacity for an Ontario move:
| Container size | Floor area | Cubic capacity | Real-world fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft standard | ~160 sq ft | ~1,170 cu ft | 1 to 2-bedroom apartment. Most of a 3-bedroom if you pack tight. |
| 40 ft standard | ~320 sq ft | ~2,390 cu ft | 3 to 4-bedroom house. Tight on a 5-bedroom. |
| 40 ft High Cube | ~320 sq ft | ~2,700 cu ft | 3 to 4-bedroom house with attic, or 3-bedroom plus garage stuff. |
| 20 ft (rough rule) | ~160 sq ft | ~1,170 cu ft | About 1 standard moving truck load. |
| 40 ft (rough rule) | ~320 sq ft | ~2,390 cu ft | About 2 standard moving truck loads. |
If you are in a one-bed apartment, get a 20 ft. If you are leaving a three-bed bungalow with a finished basement, you want a 40 ft or two 20s. For the dimensional specifics see our 20 ft container dimensions guide.
How do you load a shipping container on moving day?
Loading a shipping container on moving day is straightforward once the empty unit is placed, but a few things matter for the day we bring the empty box out and set it down:
- Driveway access. A tilt-deck truck needs roughly 60 ft of clear straight approach to drop a 20 ft container, more for a 40 ft. We can usually work around tight Toronto driveways, but the more turning room the easier the placement.
- Door swing space. Container doors swing 270 degrees. Make sure you have at least 8 ft of clearance at the back end where you will be loading.
- Ground. Level concrete or asphalt is ideal. Soft grass in spring is the worst case. We can leave the container on the truck’s runners for short-term loading if your driveway is small, or block it up if you are placing it longer.
- Pack tight. A 20 ft container holds more than people think, but only if you pack it like a Tetris board. Use furniture pads, fill voids, strap stacks. If you pack it like a U-Haul you will only fit half a 1-bed apartment.
When the loaded container has to travel to the new city, the independent hauler arrives with a flat-deck or tilt-deck trailer and lifts the loaded box for transport. Our guide to the way containers get delivered covers tilt-deck operation and the placement logistics in more depth.
The pick-your-box wedge matters more here than for pure storage
You are about to put all your possessions in this thing. Not boxes of business inventory. Not garden tools. Your kitchen, your books, your kid’s bed, your wedding photos.
BigSteelBox ships from a national pool. You do not see your container until it shows up. PODS does the same. If the unit has a soft spot in the floor or a leaky door gasket or worse, you find out after your stuff is inside.
Van Blanc is the only Ontario yard we know of that lets you walk our row, read the CSC plate on each container, inspect the floor and doors, and pick the unit you want before paying. We have around 200 containers at our Brantford yards at any given time. Customers regularly drive in from Toronto, KW, Hamilton, and London to walk the inventory the day before they pay. The drive is worth it because you know what you are loading your life into.
If you cannot make the drive, that is fine. We will FaceTime the row, walk the units on camera, and deliver the one you picked. The point is that you picked.
When a national rental brand is the right call (we will tell you honestly)
Three scenarios where the rental option genuinely beats buying from us:
1. A move that leaves Ontario
Van Blanc supplies and delivers across Ontario. We are an Ontario yard, so if your move ends in another province, a national brand with yards across the country is the simpler path: they hand the box off internally between provinces and the price stays predictable. For a move from Ontario to Alberta or Ontario to BC, a national rental brand is the easier call, and we will tell you the same thing if you phone us. If you still want to buy your container from us for an out-of-province move, you can, but you would arrange an independent long-distance carrier for the leg that leaves Ontario.
2. No driveway at the destination
If your new home is a downtown condo or a third-floor walkup, you cannot keep a container there. Buying only makes sense if you have somewhere to put the box after the move. Without that, a national rental brand takes the container back at the end and you do not need to solve the parking problem.
3. You genuinely only need it for the month of the move
If you are absolutely sure there is no future use for a container, no storage, no shop, no future move, then the rental math works. You rent for one month, they take it back, done. The buy path only wins economically if the container has a second life after the move.
VBinC vs BigSteelBox vs PODS vs Cubeit vs U-Haul: which is best for an Ontario move?
An Ontario buyer weighing how to move has five realistic options: buy a container from Van Blanc, rent from BigSteelBox, PODS, or Cubeit, or drive a U-Haul truck. The table below compares them on ownership, size range, who delivers, who hauls the loaded box, and what you are left with after the move.
| How they compare | VBinC (rent or buy) | BigSteelBox (rent) | PODS (rent) | Cubeit (rent) | U-Haul truck (DIY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You can own it after | Yes, if you buy | No | No | No | No |
| Container size | 20 / 40 / 53 ft ISO | 20 / 16 / 8 ft | 16 / 12 / 8 ft | 16 ft | 10 to 26 ft truck |
| Pick the actual unit? | Yes (walk the yard) | No (national pool) | No (national pool) | No (national pool) | No |
| Pack on your schedule? | Yes | Yes (monthly) | Yes (monthly) | Yes (monthly) | No (daily) |
| Who delivers the box | Van Blanc, Ontario-wide from Brantford | The brand | The brand | The brand | You drive it |
| Who hauls it loaded between cities | Independent carrier you arrange | The brand (bundled) | The brand (bundled) | The brand (bundled) | You drive it |
| Out-of-province move | National brand or independent carrier | Yes (their network) | Yes (their network) | Limited | Yes, but you drive |
| After-move use | Storage, shop, studio, resale | None | None | None | None |
The honest answer if you ask us for the right option
We get this call every week and the answer is genuinely “it depends.” Here is how we sort it on the phone:
- Are you moving inside Ontario? If you are leaving the province, a national rental brand is usually simpler. If you are staying in Ontario, keep going.
- Do you have a driveway or yard at the new address? If no, renting and handing the box back is cleaner. If yes, keep going.
- Do you have any use for a 20 ft container after the move? Workshop, storage, future tear-down material, a gift to your kid building their first house? If no, you might still rent. If yes, buy from us.
- Do you mind driving to Brantford to pick your container? If no, you are exactly the buyer we want. If yes, we will FaceTime the row.
Half the customers who call thinking they need a moving service end up buying a container, because they realize they have wanted a storage unit at home for two years anyway. The other half are doing a one-shot out-of-province move and we point them to a national brand without trying to talk them out of it.
“The container business has been good to us for 30 years partly because we are honest about when we are not the right answer. If you are leaving Ontario or you live in a condo with no parking spot, a national rental brand is a good fit, and we will say so. For everyone else, you walk our yard, pick a box that is yours forever, we deliver it to your door, and you keep it long after the move is done.”
Paul LeBlanc, founder, Van Blanc Ent. Inc., Brantford
What the math looks like ten years out
Imagine two identical families moving from a smaller Mississauga rental to a larger house in Hamilton. Family A rents a container from a national brand for the move. Family B buys one from us.
Family A pays the national brand for the move window. The container leaves at the end. Done, and they own nothing.
Family B buys a 20 ft Cargo Worthy container, we deliver it to Mississauga, an independent carrier hauls the loaded box to Hamilton, and the container then stays on the Hamilton property. Family B uses it as garage overflow for the next ten years, saving a self-storage stall every month they would otherwise have rented. Ten years later the box, now a decade older, still has real resale value.
The exact figures shift with your specifics, but the structural argument holds: when storage is part of your post-move life, buying beats renting, and the gap widens every year you keep the box.
How Do You Choose a Container Transport Carrier in Ontario?
Ask four questions before the loaded leg is booked. What equipment: a loaded 40ft exceeds most tilt-decks, so the long boxes ride flatbeds or HIAB crane trucks while a loaded 20ft has more options. What insurance: cargo-in-transit coverage for the contents, not just the carrier’s liability, in writing. What access: the carrier should ask about both driveways before quoting, and walk away from one who does not. What timeline: real carriers give a pickup window, not a promise. We hand Ontario buyers to carriers we have watched work for years, and the tilt-deck vs HIAB guide explains the equipment fork.
How Long Does a Container Move Take in Ontario?
Plan in three windows. Container delivery from our yards: 1 to 3 days to most of the province. Loading: most households take a weekend, most shops take longer than they think. The loaded haul: booked carriers typically run within a one-to-two-week window for in-province moves, tighter in winter’s slow season and looser in the June-to-September rush. Book the loaded leg when the delivery date is set, not after the box is full, and the whole move holds its schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to move with a shipping container in Ontario?
It depends on the container size, the grade, and how far you are from our Brantford yards. A short rental for the move window is the lowest day-one cost; buying costs more upfront but leaves you owning a 20 ft steel box afterward. On top of either, the transport of the loaded container between cities is quoted separately by an independent hauler. The rental-cost side in detail is in the storage container rental cost guide. Tell us the size and your postal code and we will send back an honest, all-in number for the container and our delivery, usually the same day.
Is a shipping container cheaper than a moving company?
For local Ontario moves, using a container often costs less than full-service movers because you do the loading on your own schedule. Renting a container for the move window is the cheapest day one; buying one costs more upfront but leaves you with a 20 ft steel structure you keep. The “cheaper” answer depends on what you need after the move and whether you keep the box.
Can I buy a shipping container instead of renting one for moving?
Yes. Most Ontario buyers who use a container for a move buy it outright from a yard like Van Blanc. We deliver the unit to your old address, you load it, an independent carrier transports the loaded box to the new address, and you unload it. The container then stays on your property after the move as storage you own. See our buy-versus-rent breakdown for the deeper math.
How big a container do I need to move a 3-bedroom house?
A 40 ft High Cube container holds roughly 2,700 cubic feet, which fits most 3-bedroom homes if packed properly. A 40 ft standard at 2,390 cubic feet works for a tight 3-bedroom. Two 20 ft containers totalling about 2,340 cubic feet are also a valid option. For a 4-bedroom you want a 40 ft High Cube or two 40 ft standards.
What is the difference between PODS and a shipping container?
PODS containers are 8, 12 or 16 ft purpose-built moving boxes made of a steel frame with a translucent roof and removable side panels. They are not ISO shipping containers. Real ISO containers (which is what we sell) are 20, 40, 45 or 53 ft and built for ocean cargo. ISO containers are larger, heavier-duty, weather-rated for decades, and meaningfully cheaper per cubic foot of capacity. PODS work well for short-distance, lighter, climate-aware moves. ISO containers work for everything else.
Does Van Blanc move a container between two Ontario addresses?
Van Blanc supplies and delivers containers; we set the unit you buy on your driveway. Transporting a fully loaded container from one address to another, or relocating a container that is already placed, is handled by an independent flat-deck or tilt-deck hauler that you arrange. We are happy to explain what that haul involves and point you in the right direction, but the relocation itself is a third-party service, not ours. See our delivery and site placement.
How long does a shipping container last after a move?
A Cargo Worthy 20 ft container has another 25 to 35 years of useful life left when you receive it. The marine coating was built for ocean service. A backyard storage application after a move is among the easiest jobs that container will ever do. Many customers report containers still watertight after 30 years on the same property.
What if I already need a storage container at the new house too?
This is the scenario where buying clearly beats renting. If you would have needed storage at the destination anyway (renting a self-storage stall, building a shed, parking a shipping container regardless), then the container you used for the move was free storage. Compare against our self-storage vs container Ontario guide for the cumulative math.
The bigger picture
Containers exist because they are the structural backbone of global trade. Around 90 percent of everything on earth moves by sea inside ISO shipping containers, per Rose George’s reporting in Ninety Percent of Everything (2013). The container you would buy from our yard has lived its first decade or two as part of that system, engineered to survive Atlantic crossings with eight other containers stacked on top of it. Using it for a one-time move and then leaving it on your driveway as storage is the easiest job that container will ever do. The hard work was done by the time it got to our yard. Read our container terminology glossary if you want the rest of the vocabulary.
Come walk the yard before you decide
If you are moving inside Ontario and you have a driveway at the new place, the cheapest 10-year outcome is almost always to buy from us and keep the box. The walking-the-yard part is free. We are at 90 Morton Ave East in Brantford. Drop us a line first so we can have Christian or me ready, and bring measurements of your new driveway if you have them.
Call Van Blanc, Brantford, Ontario, 519-754-6844
Van Blanc Ent. Inc. has been delivering containers across Ontario since 1995. 4.9-star rating across 140+ Google reviews. Brantford yard with 200+ containers in stock, the only Ontario yard we know of that lets you walk the row before you pay.
Moving with a shipping container comes down to one advantage: the box loads once, at your pace, and travels once. If the move has a gap between homes, renting the container for the in-between weeks usually beats double-handling into storage.
Ready to price your container?
Tell us the size and your postal code and we’ll send back an honest, all-in number for the 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 & References
Authoritative external sources cited or referenced in this guide: