I have done a fair bit of research but I haven't found answers to my specific question. So has anyone had experience in bringing in the following sort of materials in their container?


We will be building our own house once landed. We have all sorts of odds and ends left over from previous projects here in the UK including boxes of tiles, rolls of wallpaper, kitchen cupboard doors, bits of carpeting. These were originally purchased because we really liked them and it seems a shame to get rid of them here if we can use them in Canada and we will have room in the container. The Canadian Govt guidelines state duty must be paid on
'other capital equipment to use in construction, contracting or manufacturing'. It also states that goods must have been 'owned and used' prior to import. If the construction is our own house would these items count as household goods, or construction goods? And can materials left over from a project be considered unused?

While not high on the priority list of goods CBSA are bothered about it will be up to the examining officer what they want to do with these types of goods depending on quantity and value. A few boxes of unused tiles and wallpaper won't raise eyebrows. You will make the decision if its worth it or not to bring them.
Any duties imposed would be cheaper than buying new.

Thanks for the sensible reply. Here's another Q...what about the container itself? We are looking into buying a container in the UK, filling it to the top with our stuff, then using it in Canada as a workshop or extra storage. I see there are restrictions on importing structures that could be used as habitation. Could that apply to the container?

Not really you would just declare that the container is staying. Check with your shipper if the container is owned by yourself as they might have restrictions on shipping owner owned containers.

Most shippers are reluctant to ship private containers I'm finding. But there have been some positive responses. We have land but no house in Canada, so the container will be useful for the short-term storage of our stuff, and the long-term potential as a shed.

You can always purchase a used container in Canada if having difficulty finding a shipper. Most major centres have them for sale.
Giant Container Services - Shipping Container Supplier
Container Sales and Rentals - GT Group

Yes, we've looked into that as well and it might be the sensible route. But having our own container removes some of the packing/unpacking time constraints at either end. Thanks for your suggestions.