Resumo. The use of quality seedlings is essential for the establishment of forest plantations, which is achieved through the use of appropriate techniques from the nursery. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of substrate composition and volume of container (tubes) in the growth of seedlings of canjerana ( Cabralea canjerana ), in the nursery and field. In nursery, three compositions of peat substrates were evaluated (100% peat, peat + 20% rice hulls (RH) and peat + 40% RH) and combined with two sizes of containers (100 and 280 cm 3 ). Measurements of root collar diameter (DC) and height (H) were performed monthly during 330 days, and the ratio H/DC was also calculated. At 330 days, the root, air and total dry masses and Dickson’s quality index were assessed. The same treatments were evaluated in the field during a period of 360 days and DC and H were measured and H/DC was calculated in every 90-day period. In the nursery and field experiments were carried out with experimental design of random blocks, with four replications. Seedlings of canjerana can be produced in a substrate composed of 60% peat and 40% of rice hulls without harming its growth in the field, with a view that the economy is in nursery. The tube of the tube in the size 280 cm 3 only provided superior growth of seedlings during the field phase, where seedlings produced in these containers expressed a better performance in relation to root collar diameter and root dry mass.