Fifteen cubic metres is four to five Euro pallets on the floor — a small restaurant cold room you can stand outside and unplug. It is the size a village butcher, a farm shop, a game dealer holding a shoot’s venison, or a market trader working a pitch turns to when there is no room to build in brick. What none of them are buying is cost per cubic metre: that figure is poor on a 10ft, because the fridge unit costs almost as much on a small box as on a large one. You buy this size for its footprint and its entry ticket, not its economy.
And read the dimensions with care: a 10ft measures about 2.99 metres overall, not in usable length — on a box this small the insulation and fridge unit take a proportionally huge share of the shell.
Power is the question that decides whether you can install it
The standard supply is three-phase 380/400 V on a CEE 32 A five-pin socket. But the 10ft is the one format sometimes sold with a 230 V single-phase unit, because it is the only size a household or a high-street shop seriously considers — so settle the supply before you settle the price. Running cost follows the same logic: reckon on 50 to 70 kWh a day at +2°C, and apply your own electricity tariff. Run continuously through the year, the electricity bill lands in the same order as the purchase price — on this grade, the use weighs as much as the object. The range itself is the standard -25°C to +25°C, driven by a Carrier, Thermo King, Daikin or Star Cool unit. Compare grades and running figures on our prices page.
When this is the wrong box
Supply is thin on this format, so a 10ft Grade B near £2,500 is an opportunity, not a rate to wait for — widening your search radius usually beats haggling. Three cases send you elsewhere. If your need regularly tops five pallets, step up a size from the catalogue. If you only need to hold temperature for a few hours rather than make cold, an insulated non-operational unit costs less — no sense plugging in what you needn’t. And if the use is occasional, price the hire first: in the UK it starts around £12 a day on a long contract, though a 90-day minimum is common, and buying only takes over past 18 to 24 months of continuous use. Whichever way you go, Grade B is still a used box — a PTI under three months old is the minimum to ask for, not a bonus, and our used buying guide lists the checks. EuroReefer holds no stock; we pass your enquiry to specialist suppliers who contact you directly if they can meet your need.
Specifications
| Size | 10ft |
|---|---|
| Usable volume | ~15 m³ |
| Capacity | 4-5 |
| Internal dimensions | ≈ 2,99 m hors tout |
| Temperature range | -25 °C / +25 °C |
| Condition | Class B |
| Power supply | Three-phase 380/400 V, 32 A CEE plug (5-pin) |
| Common refrigeration units | Carrier, Thermo King, Daikin, Star Cool |
| Typical use | retail, food truck, hunting, private buyers |
What "Class B" means
Visible signs of use (dents, surface corrosion) but a working, tested refrigeration unit. The best cooling-to-price ratio for seasonal use.
A standard reefer covers both modes: it's a setpoint to adjust, not a different product. It also heats, up to +25°C (frost-free storage).
What drives the price
- The refrigeration unit's running hours — the top factor on the used market, body condition being equal.
- The make of the unit — parts availability matters more than the name itself.
- The condition of the body — corrosion, door seals, flooring marked by forklifts.
- The region and site access — delivery by crane lorry costs £700 to £1,700.
EuroReefer does not sell containers. We hold no stock and run no depot: the ranges above are ballpark figures observed on the European market, not an offer of sale. We pass your enquiry on to specialist suppliers, who contact you directly if they can meet it.
Similar references
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20ft Refrigerated Container — Used, Grade B
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40ft High-Cube Reefer, Used Grade B
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10ft Refrigerated Container — Used, Grade A
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10ft One-Trip Reefer (New)
Frequently asked questions
Can I run a 10ft reefer off an ordinary supply?
Not usually. The standard is a three-phase 380/400 V feed on a CEE 32 A five-pin socket, and most units need it. The 10ft is the one size sometimes offered with a 230 V single-phase unit, because it is the format a small shop or household considers — so ask which supply a box needs before you discuss price, not after. A tempting three-phase listing can cost more, once you add the connection, than a box matched to your board.
Why are used 10ft reefers so hard to find?
Because the world reefer fleet is built in 20ft and 40ft. A 10ft is usually made new for land use rather than retired from a sea career, so there is almost no pool of tired ex-shipping units on this size — the grade scale stops at B, and Grade C is scarce. Thin supply keeps prices firm: a 10ft Grade B near £2,500 is an opportunity, not a rate to wait for. Widening your search radius often does more than haggling.
On a 10ft, is it worth paying up to Grade A?
The step from Grade B to Grade A on a 10ft is roughly £2,000 to £2,500 — almost the floor price of Grade B itself. That premium buys real things: typically under twelve years of age, and a fridge unit whose refurbishment is not waiting for you. Whether it is worth it turns on how long you will keep the box, so insist on a PTI under three months old and judge the unit in front of you.