Fifteen cubic metres of controlled temperature on a footprint barely bigger than a parking bay: the 10ft refrigerated container is the smallest reefer size in general circulation, and the one buyers most often misjudge. On the UK market a used 10ft changes hands at roughly £2,500 to £7,000 ex VAT depending on grade, while a new unit sits at £12,000 to £18,000. Every figure here is an indicative market observation quoted ex VAT — add 20% — rather than a quotation. It is also the one size where the price per cubic metre works against you.
Who buys a 10ft reefer
The 10ft earns its keep where space, not volume, sets the limit.
- Small food retail. Butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and farm shops buying overflow for the Christmas run, or cover during a cold-room refit.
- Street food and mobile catering. A fixed cold base at the depot, so the week’s stock does not depend on a daily restock run.
- Shoots, stalkers and game dealers. Larder capacity through the autumn and winter season, when carcasses arrive in bursts rather than evenly.
- Private buyers. Smallholdings and rural projects that want a walk-in cold store without building one.
At roughly 2.99 × 2.44 m it drops into a yard, a rear car park or a farmyard — ground a 40ft high cube would never reach.
Dimensions: read the 2.99 m carefully
| Measurement | 10ft reefer |
|---|---|
| External (L × W × H) | ≈ 2.99 × 2.44 × 2.59 m |
| Usable internal length | markedly shorter than the external figure |
| Usable volume | ≈ 15 m³ |
| Pallet capacity | 4–5 standard pallets |
| Operating range | −25 °C to +25 °C |
That 2.99 m is an over-all external length, measured across the refrigeration unit, and on a box this short the machinery and insulation take a proportionally large bite out of it. Every reefer is smaller inside than a dry container of the same size — insulation takes real thickness out of walls, ceiling and floor — and on the 10ft that penalty bites hardest.
What a 10ft costs in the UK
| Unit | Indicative UK price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|
| Used 10ft, Grade B | £2,500 – £4,500 |
| Used 10ft, Grade A | £4,500 – £7,000 |
| New 10ft | £12,000 – £18,000 |
| Insulated 10ft, no refrigeration | £1,250 – £3,150 |
| For comparison — used 20ft, working order | £4,500 – £7,500 |
The general UK bracket for a working used reefer, £4,500 to £7,500, covers the sizes that trade in volume. Broken down by size and grade the 10ft behaves differently: a Grade A unit sits squarely inside that bracket, a Grade B lands below it, and the gap between the two runs to roughly £2,000 to £2,500 on this format. New costs two to four times a Grade A, so that case rests on service life and presentation rather than arithmetic. Delivery by crane-equipped lorry is priced by distance and access — a separate line, not a rounding error. Our prices page sets out the wider UK picture.
Why the smallest box costs the most per cubic metre
The refrigeration unit costs much the same whatever size of box it is bolted to, and on a 10ft that cost is spread over about half the volume of a 20ft. That alone lifts the price per cubic metre.
Supply does the rest. Shipping lines run 20ft and 40ft reefers in vast numbers and 10ft reefers hardly at all, so a large share of the 10ft units on the market began life as 20ft boxes and were shortened — a new end wall, fresh insulation, a rebuilt door seal. On a converted unit that new end is the first thing to inspect: even insulation, a clean seal, no condensation tracking down the inside face.
Power supply and running costs
The standard reefer connection is three-phase 380/400 V through a 32 A five-pin CEE plug, though some small formats come with a 230 V single-phase unit — a genuine advantage on a site with no three-phase supply. Holding +2 °C, a 10ft draws around 2 to 3 kWh an hour, or 50 to 70 kWh a day; at an illustrative 25p per kWh that is £12.50 to £17.50 a day. Substitute your own contracted rate. The standard −25 °C to +25 °C range covers chilled and frozen duty alike. Allow for an annual service of the refrigeration unit too.
If you have the space, price a 20ft too
This is the honest part. A 20ft reefer holds around 28 m³ and 10 to 11 pallets — roughly double the capacity — for a used price that overlaps the 10ft’s almost entirely. If your yard, your access and a crane lorry can take the longer box, it is the more rational purchase in nearly every case, and the easier one to sell on afterwards.
The 10ft is the right answer when the 20ft is ruled out: a tight yard, an awkward approach, a boundary too close. Buy it for the constraint, not for the price.
Buying used: grades and the PTI
A sound used reefer still has 10 to 15 years of service ahead of it, which is why the second-hand route dominates. Grade A generally means under twelve years old with the machinery in strong order; lower grades show more wear and a longer history. Whatever the grade, ask for a PTI — Pre-Trip Inspection — report less than three months old, and to see the unit pull down to your intended set point. Carrier, Thermo King, Daikin and Star Cool are the main makes; they differ in parts availability and in which machines local engineers know best. Any warranty comes from the supplier, or not at all, so get the terms in writing. Our used buying pages cover the checks grade by grade.
Hire or buy
For a seasonal peak — a shoot season, a summer of events, cover during works — hiring is worth pricing first. UK long-term hire starts at around £12 a day ex VAT, though minimum terms of ninety days are common. Past roughly 18 to 24 months of continuous use, buying tends to win.
Getting real prices
Published brackets get you to a budget; a delivered quote settles it. Tell us the size, the set point and the delivery postcode through our quote form, and we pass your request to specialist suppliers, who contact you directly if they can meet your requirement. Compare on condition, PTI documentation and delivered cost, not the headline figure alone.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 10ft refrigerated container cost in the UK?
Expect roughly £2,500 to £4,500 ex VAT for a Grade B used unit and £4,500 to £7,000 for a Grade A, while a new 10ft sits at £12,000 to £18,000. These are indicative market observations rather than quotations, and VAT at 20% is added on top. Delivery by crane-equipped lorry is priced separately, according to distance and site access.
How many pallets fit in a 10ft reefer?
Four to five standard pallets on the floor, in roughly 15 m³ of insulated space. The 2.99 m external length is measured across the refrigeration unit, so the usable interior is markedly shorter — plan it as a four-to-five-pallet cold room rather than a three-metre one. If you regularly need more, a 20ft takes 10 to 11 pallets in around 28 m³.
Why does a 10ft reefer cost so much for its size?
Two reasons. The refrigeration unit costs much the same whatever size of box it is fitted to, so on a 10ft that cost is spread over about half the volume of a 20ft. And supply is thin: shipping lines run 20ft and 40ft reefers in vast numbers, so many 10ft units on the market were shortened from a 20ft — skilled work that ends up in the price.
Can a 10ft refrigerated container run on a 230 V supply?
Sometimes. The standard reefer connection is three-phase 380/400 V through a 32 A five-pin CEE plug, but some small formats are offered with a 230 V single-phase unit that runs from a suitably rated circuit. Confirm this before you buy rather than after: bringing three-phase power to a site afterwards means an electrician and, potentially, an upgraded supply.