A mini dabbi is a small stainless steel container with an airtight lid, made for one portion of something you want kept apart from the rest of the meal. The Four Brothers Mini Dabbi holds 110 ml, which is about 7 tablespoons. That's enough for chutney with four idlis, a side of poriyal, a child's share of dry fruits or three or four small sweets.
If coconut chutney has ever soaked through your chapatis by lunchtime, or a pickle has stained your plastic box yellow, a mini dabbi is the fix.
Quick answers
What is a dabbi? A dabbi (also written dabba, dibbi or dibba) is the everyday Indian word for a small container with a lid. Today it usually means a steel box for spices, chutney, snacks or sweets.
What size is a mini dabbi? Most mini dabbis sold in India are between 100 ml and 250 ml. Tiny dabbis for pickle and condiments are smaller. The Four Brothers Mini Dabbi is 110 ml.
Is it leak-proof? The Four Brothers Mini Dabbi has an airtight lid with an easy-open tab and is sold as leak-proof. Still do the 2-minute water test below before you send curd or gravy in a school bag.
Can it go in the microwave? No. Stainless steel shouldn't go in a microwave. Warm the food in a bowl and then pack it.
What people actually use a mini dabbi for
The 110 ml size covers most side portions in an Indian meal. In South Indian homes it's the poriyal box, holding dry sabzi so the rice doesn't go soggy. It also carries curd for curd rice, or chutney and podi for an idli or dosa tiffin. Up north, the same box carries achar, raita, salad or a couple of laddoos.
Outside the lunch bag, people use it for dry fruits and makhana for a child's break, saunf and mukhwas after meals, tea masala or sugar while travelling, and leftover ginger-garlic paste or tamarind in the fridge. Because it's small and stackable, a few of them take up less fridge space than one half-empty big container.
Mini dabbi vs tiny dabbi vs add-on tumbler vs storage box
Four Brothers makes these as one family with matching lids, so you can mix them in a lunch bag. Here's how they differ.
| Tiny Dabbi | Mini Dabbi | Add-on Tumbler | Ultra Storage Box | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Condiment size | 110 ml | 350 ml or 500 ml | Larger, for home storage |
| Best for | Pickle, sauce, salt, pepper, ghee | Chutney, poriyal, curd, sweets, dry fruits | Sambar, rasam, buttermilk, dal | Sweets, snacks and leftovers at home |
| Lid | Leak-proof seal | Airtight, BPA-free lid with easy-open tab | Airtight, BPA-free lid with easy-open tab | Steel lid, or see-through lid |
| Packs | Pack of 6 or 8 | Pack of 4 or 6 | Pack of 2 or 3 | Single |
| Price (sale) | From Rs 387.60 | Rs 455.99 (pack of 4), Rs 683.99 (pack of 6) | From Rs 323 | Rs 355.50 to Rs 361 |
If you're buying for the first time, a pack of mini dabbis covers daily lunch boxes. Add a tiny dabbi pack if someone at home carries pickle, ghee or tablets separately. For anything you'd pour, like rasam, use the add-on tumbler.
How much fits in 110 ml?
110 ml is a little more than a small tea cup holds. Fill it to about 80 percent, so roughly 90 ml of food, because a dabbi filled to the brim won't seal properly.
| Food | Roughly fits | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut or tomato chutney | Enough for 4 to 5 idlis or 2 dosas | One adult's tiffin |
| Curd or raita | 6 to 7 tablespoons | Curd rice add-on, a side for parathas |
| Dry poriyal or sabzi | A small side serving | Keeping rice dry till lunch |
| Almonds, cashews, raisins | A small handful | A child's snack break |
| Small sweets (mysore pak pieces, kaju katli, ladoo) | 3 to 4 pieces | A neighbour's Diwali share |
| Murukku, mixture, ribbon pakoda | A loose handful | Palaharam gifting |
For a full meal side like sambar or dal, 110 ml is too little. Use a 350 ml tumbler or the Captain Jar instead.
Is a mini dabbi really leak-proof? A 2-minute test at home
Almost every small steel box online says leak-proof. The difference shows up when it's on its side in a school bag for four hours. Before trusting a new dabbi with wet food, test it:
- Fill it to 80 percent with water.
- Press the lid down all the way round, not just in the middle.
- Turn it upside down over the sink and hold for 30 seconds.
- Shake it a few times, the way it would move in a bag.
- Dry the outside and check the rim for drops.
If it stays dry, it's fine for chutney, curd and gravy sides. If a drop or two shows up, the lid isn't seated properly. Wash and dry the lid, press it on again and repeat. Keep anything that still seeps for dry foods.
Two habits make any airtight lid last longer. Don't close the lid on very hot food, because steam pushes the seal up and the lid can warp. And wash the lid by hand without scrubbing the rim with steel wool.
Steel dabbi or plastic box for chutney and pickle?
Small containers end up carrying the strongest foods in an Indian kitchen: oily pickle, tamarind, garlic chutney, lemon rice masala. These are exactly what stain and scent plastic.
| Steel mini dabbi | Plastic small box | |
|---|---|---|
| Food touches | Stainless steel | Plastic |
| Pickle oil and turmeric stains | Wash off | Turn the box yellow over time |
| Garlic or onion smell | Washes out | Often stays after washing |
| Warm food | Fine, let it cool a little before closing | Not ideal |
| How long it lasts | Years | Usually months |
| As a gift | Looks right and gets used | Looks cheap |
The Four Brothers Mini Dabbi has a steel body and a BPA-free lid, so the food sits in steel. It's not for the microwave. To learn more about steel storage, read our airtight steel storage containers buying guide.
Lunch box combinations that work
A mini dabbi works best when it's paired with the right main box. These are combinations we see families use every day.
Office South Indian lunch: put rice in the Square Lunch Box Double Decker, sambar in a 350 ml add-on tumbler, and poriyal or curd in a mini dabbi. If you need the sambar hot at 1 pm, the insulated Captain Jar does that job better than any plain box. Our sambar container for office guide covers it in more detail.
School tiffin: put chapati rolls or a sandwich in the Aura Snack Box, jam or chutney in a mini dabbi, and cut fruit in a second dabbi. A child can open the easy-open tab without help, which matters more than parents expect. Read our square lunch box for school guide too.
Idli or dosa tiffin: put idlis in the main box, coconut chutney in a mini dabbi, and podi with oil in a tiny dabbi. The podi stays dry until you mix it.
Mini dabbis for Diwali sweets and palaharam
Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Most families still send sweets in cardboard boxes that go into the bin the same evening. A steel dabbi carries the same sweets and stays in the other family's kitchen for years, and they'll remember who gave it.
In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, fill mini dabbis with murukku, thattai, ribbon pakoda, adhirasam or mixture for relatives and neighbours. In North and West India, three or four pieces of kaju katli, besan ladoo or soan papdi fit well, with a few almonds on top. For homemade gifts, put a portion of your own thokku, pickle or ghee in a tiny dabbi and tie it with a ribbon or thread.
A few packing tips that make a difference:
- Let fried snacks cool completely before you close the lid. Warm murukku sweats inside an airtight box and goes soft by the next morning.
- Line the dabbi with a square of butter paper for ghee sweets, so the ghee stays on the sweet and not on the steel.
- Put 3 or 4 dabbis with different snacks in a cloth bag. It makes a better hamper than one big box, and every piece gets used.
- The three lid colours (indigo blue, purple, sky blue) let you code the snacks: one colour for sweet, one for savoury.
If you're making snacks at home, our achu murukku mould guide covers rose cookies. For a bigger Diwali gift, the Matrix 4 in 1 Spice and Dry Fruit Box holds four kinds of dry fruits in one steel box. Planning purchases for the festival itself? Read what to buy on Dhanteras and our Diwali gift ideas in steel kitchenware.
Mini dabbi as a return gift
Steel dabbis are one of the few return gifts that people use every week. Most return gifts end up in a cupboard.
At weddings and receptions, a pack of dabbis with a small thank-you card suits both sides of the family. For a housewarming (gruhapravesam), many families send kalkandu or sugar in a steel box as a sweet start for the guest's own home. At baby showers and naming ceremonies, a dabbi of dry fruits or sweets is a common choice. For children's birthday parties, a snack dabbi for each child replaces the plastic goodie bag, and parents notice.
More ideas: wedding return gifts under Rs 500, return gifts for housewarming, baby shower return gifts and kitchen gift items under Rs 500.
Shop the mini dabbi range
Stainless Steel Mini Dabbi, Airtight and Leak-Proof
110 ml, stackable, BPA-free lid with easy-open tab. Pack of 4 or 6.
From Rs 455.99
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Tiny Dabbi, Stainless Steel Leak-Proof Container
For pickle, sauce, salt, pepper and ghee. Pack of 6 or 8.
From Rs 387.60
View product
Add-on Tumbler with Airtight Leak-Proof Lid
350 ml or 500 ml for sambar, rasam and buttermilk. Same lid family as the mini dabbi.
From Rs 323
View product
Aura Lunch Box, Snack Box
A compact steel snack box for school and short breaks.
Rs 421.80
View product
Square Lunch Box, Double Decker
A full stainless steel lunch box; pair it with a mini dabbi for sides.
Rs 854.05
View product
Captain Jar, Insulated Steel Sambar and Rasam Container
For when the gravy needs to stay hot until lunch.
From Rs 969.15
View product
Ultra Storage Steel Box with See-Through Lid
For sweets and snacks at home; you can see what's inside without opening it.
From Rs 361
View productSee everything in our storage collection and lunch boxes collection.
Buying mini dabbis in bulk
Mini dabbis work well for bulk orders because they're light, they stack in a carton, and they cost little per piece compared with most steel gifts.
| Who buys in bulk | What they use it for |
|---|---|
| Companies | Diwali sweet or dry fruit packs for staff and dealers, where the steel box is the keepsake |
| Families | Wedding, housewarming, seemantham and birthday return gifts |
| Sweet shops and home bakers | Festive packing that customers will pay a little more for |
| Caterers and tiffin services | Individual chutney and side portions that come back to be washed, not thrown away |
| Restaurants and hotels | Chutney, pickle or ghee served at the table |
| Schools | Children's Day (14 November) and annual day gifts |
We handle bulk orders from about 25 pieces to 5,000 or more. Mention the following when you enquire:
- Product and pack size (mini dabbi, tiny dabbi or a mix)
- Quantity
- Occasion and the date you need them by
- Budget per piece
- Any packing or customisation you need
- The delivery address, or several addresses
Planning a bulk order for Diwali, a wedding or your office?
Send your requirement on our bulk order page, on WhatsApp at +91 97894 16196, or by email to support@fourbrothers.in. Timelines depend on quantity, stock and delivery location, so for Diwali, send bulk enquiries as early as you can in October.
Get a bulk quoteIf you're planning company gifts, read how to choose bulk Diwali gifts for your team and corporate gifts in bulk.
Where to buy a steel dabbi in Chennai
Four Brothers is a Chennai brand. Our office is at 77/30, V.O.C Salai, Wall Tax Road, Chennai 600001, close to Parrys and George Town, where Chennai families have shopped for steel vessels for generations. The mini dabbi was designed around Tamil lunch habits: rice, sambar, poriyal and curd, each in its own container.
We deliver steel dabbis, lunch boxes and storage containers to homes and offices across Chennai. That covers T. Nagar, Mylapore, Adyar, Anna Nagar, Velachery, Tambaram, Porur, Chromepet, OMR and the IT corridor, ECR, Ambattur and Avadi. Office lunch boxes and Diwali bulk orders for Chennai companies can go to one address or to several branches. Our products also reach shoppers through a large network of retail partners. Read about where to buy kitchen utensils in Chennai.
Steel dabbis across Tamil Nadu
We deliver small steel containers and return gifts to every district in Tamil Nadu. Families in Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode often order dabbis in bulk as wedding and housewarming return gifts. In Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli, they're popular for Deepavali palaharam and for school tiffins. We also ship to Salem, Vellore, Kanchipuram, Hosur and Puducherry.
Delivery across India
We ship mini dabbis to every major Indian city. In South India that includes Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mysuru, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. Elsewhere, we deliver to Mumbai, Pune, Delhi NCR (Gurugram and Noida included), Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Indore.
For a corporate Diwali order going to offices in several cities, for example Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, share all the addresses in one enquiry and we'll plan the dispatch together. For festival dates, order a little earlier than usual, because courier networks get busy in the week before Diwali.
| City or region | What people usually order dabbis for |
|---|---|
| Chennai | Office lunch sides, Deepavali palaharam, corporate Diwali gifts |
| Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode | Wedding and housewarming return gifts in bulk |
| Madurai, Trichy, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli | School tiffins, festival sweets for relatives |
| Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune | Office lunch boxes, corporate Diwali gifting for tech teams |
| Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram | Lunch box sides, Onam and Christmas snack gifting |
| Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Ahmedabad, Jaipur | Diwali mithai and dry fruit dabbis, mukhwas boxes, tiffin services |
Caring for your mini dabbi
Wash it with regular dishwash liquid and a soft sponge after each use. For a strong pickle or garlic smell, rub the inside with a pinch of baking soda or half a lemon, rinse, and leave it open to dry. Always dry the dabbi and the lid completely before closing, because trapped water is what causes smells and water spots. If you see white marks or spots on the steel, our guide on removing rust and stains from stainless steel explains what they are and how to remove them.
FAQs
What is the difference between a dabba and a dabbi?
They're the same word in different regions. Dabba usually means a bigger tin or lunch box, and dabbi or dibbi a smaller one. A mini dabbi is the small, single-portion kind.
How much is 110 ml?
About 7 tablespoons, or a little more than a small tea cup holds. It's enough for one portion of chutney, curd or a dry side dish.
Can I carry curd or chutney in a mini dabbi without leaks?
Yes. The Four Brothers Mini Dabbi has an airtight lid made for wet sides. Fill it to about 80 percent and press the lid shut all the way round. Do the upside-down water test once when it's new.
Can I put hot food in a steel dabbi?
Warm food is fine. Let very hot food cool for a few minutes before closing, so steam doesn't push against the lid.
Is a steel dabbi microwave-safe?
No. Never put stainless steel in a microwave. Heat the food in a microwave-safe bowl and then transfer it.
How do I get the pickle smell out of a steel box?
Wash it, rub the inside with baking soda or lemon, rinse and dry it fully before closing. Steel doesn't absorb smells the way plastic does, so it comes clean.
Are steel dabbis good for Diwali gifts?
Yes. Filled with sweets, palaharam or dry fruits, a steel dabbi replaces a disposable box, and the family keeps using it for years.
Where can I buy a steel dabbi in Chennai?
You can order online at fourbrothers.in and we'll deliver anywhere in Chennai, from T. Nagar and Anna Nagar to Velachery, Tambaram and OMR. Four Brothers is based at Wall Tax Road, Chennai 600001.
Do you deliver steel dabbis to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other cities?
Yes. We ship across India, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Kochi and every district in Tamil Nadu. For festival dates, order early.
Can I get return gifts in bulk in Coimbatore or Madurai?
Yes. We deliver bulk return gift orders across Tamil Nadu, including Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Salem and Tirunelveli. Share the quantity and function date on our bulk order page.
Can I order mini dabbis in bulk for a wedding or office?
Yes. Bulk orders start from about 25 pieces. Share the quantity, date and delivery location on our bulk order page or on WhatsApp at +91 97894 16196, and we'll come back with pricing and timelines.
