9 Best 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Trash Can | Comfort You Can Feel

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A tight-sealed oval can that swallows a pizza box and keeps the smell inside.

Kitchens with a diaper pail nearby or a meat-tray habit need a lid that actually seals, and this one does. The sealed cover is built to lock odor in, and the oval shape gives it a look that reads more furniture than utility. There is an ABS hydraulic deceleration mechanism inside the hinge — that is a fluid dampener, essentially a small brake — so the lid eases shut the moment you lift your foot, with no clatter. The pedal responds to a light press, so you are never stomping to open it.

What holds up in daily use is the finish. The brushed surface is anti-fingerprint and stain-resistant, so smudges and spills wipe away instead of sticking. The inner bucket lifts straight out for cleaning. The oval body holds a surprising amount for its slim profile — owners mention fitting a whole pizza box flat, and one noted it fits better than their old narrower can because the width is uniform top to bottom. A tight seal also helps if the can lives in a room where smell travels.

The recurring gripe is movement. The base has no rubber feet, so owners note it slides toward the wall when you step on the pedal hard. That is a fixable annoyance — a couple of felt pads or a grippy mat under it settles it — but it is worth knowing before you set it down on smooth tile. Set it against the wall or on a rug edge and it behaves.

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Light enough to move with one hand, and it ships with fifteen liners already in the box.

Two numbers set this apart in the mid-range: 14.1 pounds and fifteen included bin liners. The first makes it the easiest can here to slide out for floor cleaning, and the second means you are not buying bags the same week you buy the can. It leans on the fingerprint-resistant finish and two side handles on the inner bucket, so empty and clean is genuinely a one-person job. For a household of one or two, the 50-liter body will not fill faster than you want to take it out.

What buyers come back to is the look and the lift. The appearance reads clean and modern, and by a wide margin that is the most-praised trait, with the easy empty-and-clean routine close behind. The foot pedal works without fuss, the soft-close lid eases down, and the stainless shell resists rust and fingerprints so you are not wiping it daily. It is also friendly to standard 13-gallon bags, so there is no proprietary liner tax.

The one real risk is shipping. A handful of these arrive dented even when the packaging looks sound, which is the most-cited downside. It is a transit problem, not a design flaw — the can itself is sturdy and tip-resistant. If a ding shows up, check it against the return window before you commit it to the kitchen corner.

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At 11.9 pounds, this is the lightest can on the list — and it still holds a full 13 gallons.

If you have ever dragged a heavy bin out from under a counter, you know why the weight matters. This one comes in at 11.9 pounds, which is a full 4.6 pounds lighter than the 16.5-pound simplehuman above, and it keeps a slim rectangular footprint that tucks into a corner or between cabinets. The lid closes quietly and seals in odors, so fruit flies and kitchen smells stay contained. It is a hands-free step-can with a fingerprint-resistant steel finish, built for a normal kitchen without the premium price tag.

What people notice first is how well the size works. Space is the most-praised trait by a wide margin, and lid closure is second — a soft-close that earns its name. The removable inner liner uses a hole to secure the bag, so it does not slip and the whole bucket lifts out for a quick rinse. There is also a rear handle, which nobody talks about until they need to move the can and are glad it is there. Owners describe it fitting standard high-capacity bags without drama, and the pedal opens easily even with slippers on.

The trade-off is stability feel. Light cans can wander if you shove them with your foot instead of pressing the step, and the thin steel means it does not have the planted heft of the Garvee or the ELPHECO. Treat it as a can you place once and press, not a barricade, and it stays exactly where you want it.

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The minimalist shell that slides under the counter and moves wherever you’re prepping.

Short countertop runs and open-plan kitchens are what this can is built for. It stands 24″H, which is the shortest here and the most likely to clear a lowered cabinet or a kitchen cart, and it weighs 14.8 pounds — light enough to reposition between the island and the sink. The lid closes quietly and is hinged so it does not swing back and clang into the wall, a detail that saves the backsplash paint. The base carries non-slip pads, so pets are unlikely to tip it over.

Design is the trait that gets the most love here, followed closely by appearance and value, and it depends on the trim, unadorned front. There is a handle at the back for relocating the can, and the inner bucket has built-in handles so lifting a full bag out does not involve digging. The wide, non-slip pedal gives you a comfortable step even in bare feet. For the stay-open function, you press the pedal, release it, then lift the lid to 90° — a two-motion move that some reviewers find fussy at first, but it holds the lid open without the can leaning on anything.

The honest caveat is the one you would guess from a lid design like this: dogs. Owners of medium-to-large dogs note that a clever pet can nose the lid open, so if you keep the trash accessible, this is the pick to put in a cabinet or behind a gate. It is a household-fit note, not a flaw in the build.

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Built to align with a 36-inch island counter, right down to the lid opening height.

Two numbers tell you this can was engineered rather than assembled. The industrial-steel pedal is rated to endure 150,000+ steps, and the ABS hinge is rated to survive over 300,000 open-close cycles — that is a mechanical brake built to outlast most kitchens’ residents. The 410-grade ferritic stainless shell is specified to resist rust and scratches, and the thick ABS lid with a stainless overlay is meant to shrug off dents. The bucket is sized to hold up to 32×16.9 oz water bottles or 70×12 oz cans, so you know the usable volume before you buy.

The height is the clever part. Closed, the bin stands 25.98 in H and reaches 35.43 in H at full lid opening — sized to meet a standard 36 in island countertop, so you can scrape a cutting board straight over the lip without bending. The lid glides open to 80° and locks at 95° for hands-free stay-open use, and the liner ring grips any standard bag so it does not slip, bunch, or overhang. Anti-slip rubber feet hold it on tile, hardwood, or low-pile carpet, and a rear handle makes relocation easy.

The two honest caveats are worth naming. Some units show up with cosmetic dents from shipping, and a handful of owners note the bag can slide at the rim where the liner ring meets the bucket. Both are minor and fixable — the dent is a return-window call, and the bag slip settles with a quick re-tuck. The build itself, quality and lid closure above all, draws strong praise from people who use it daily in small kitchens.

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The one that hides spare bags behind the can and treats the lid against household odor.

Of all nine cans here, this is the one built for smell and for the small habit of running out of bags mid-kitchen. The lid and lid frame carry antimicrobial protection that inhibits odor-causing bacteria for the life of the can. Behind the can sits a rear bag compartment, so you dispense a fresh liner from the side without dragging the whole bin out. Bag rings tuck the slack neatly inside, and the soft-close lid means no banging when you step off the pedal.

Room and value are what buyers point to most. The capacity handles a full kitchen load, so the bag change is less frequent, and the stainless appearance earns its keep on looks alone. At 10.6 pounds it is the lightest steel can on the list — lighter than the 11.9-pound QUALIAZERO above and far below the 21.5-pound ELPHECO. The bag-retention rings are the sleeper win: customers note the bag staying put and coming out easily whether it is full or not. One practical note — the top of some versions is a dull-black finish rather than stainless, which one owner describes as better for hiding fingerprints.

The trade-off is lid behavior. The closure draws mixed feedback: some say it works cleanly, others say it lowers so slowly it feels like it hesitates, and one owner notes it does not hold itself up during a bag change, so you need a second hand. None of that affects the odor protection or the retention rings, but it is the part to check against your patience.

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A narrow, deep bin built to slide into the gaps between appliances and cabinets.

This is the can for a galley kitchen or a narrow slot beside the fridge. At 21.26″L x 11.89″W x 26.58″H it is the deepest and one of the slimmest footprints here, so it slides into a gap where a square bin would jam, and it still holds a full 13 gallons. The step pedal is tested to 200,000 steps, and its front mount lets you press from the narrow side without walking around the can. A CleanAura odor control pod in its own compartment fights kitchen odors, and a rubber band tucks excess bag material so it does not spill over the rim.

The lid design is the detail that separates it. The hinge is set flush so the lid does not swing back and scuff the wall, and the lid rods inside the can let it stand straight up without pulling away from the baseboard — you get full hands-free access without the can leaving its spot. The slow-close mechanism works quietly, and the full-width pedal is easy to hit even on a quick pass. Tall enough that most dogs cannot nose in, and slim enough to keep a small kitchen feeling open.

The two small catches: the base uses plastic discs instead of a rubber grip, so the can can slide if you push it, and 13-gallon bags vary in how they seat — some need a stretch over a wider bucket rim. Neither changes the quality of the shell or the quiet of the lid, and both are the kind of thing you stop noticing after the first week.