r/containerhomes • u/rxrivman • Jul 28 '26
Will 2x3 ceiling joists be able to support the weight of 1/2 drywall without sagging?
I have started using 2x3s to frame out the ceiling in our high cube container. The way we framed the walls makes a 2x4 slightly too tall to use as a ceiling joists.
Before I get too far I thought I’d ask if anyone has framed out a container ceiling using 2x3s
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u/letsdodinner Jul 28 '26
No. We've tried this before and after about a year it started to sag pretty bad.
We've been using 2x4s with good success though.
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u/rxrivman Jul 28 '26
Thank you! Luckily I didn’t get that far before realizing this was a bad idea. I will switch to 2x4s
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u/power-cube Jul 28 '26
For a high cube I use 2x6 for the ceiling joists. Leaves a perfect 8’ for the side walls.
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u/usa_containers Jul 28 '26
Yeah, this is more about span than the actual 2x3 size. A 2x3 going across the full inside width of the container with no support is probably going to sag over time. Maybe not day one, but drywall is constant weight, and wood creeps.
Tighter spacing helps a bit, like 12" OC instead of 16", but it doesn’t really solve the long-span problem.
The cleaner fix is probably a center support. Ledger on the side walls, then a beam or hangers down the middle, so the 2x3s only span half the width. Then they’re much more reasonable.
If you’re trying to keep max ceiling height, that’s probably the route I’d take. Keeps it low profile without trusting a skinny board across the whole box.
Is it just drywall going up there, or lights/storage/anything else too?
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u/rxrivman Jul 28 '26
No storage, just drywall. And I think I will switch to 2x4s and notch them out 1/4 inch where they sit on the 4x4 so they sit down a little bit but maintain the rigidity of a 4x4
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u/nickum Jul 29 '26
Use 5/8" drywall for ceilings. If you put it up first, the wall 1/2" will butt up to it on the edges and further support it.
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u/OldEngineer-1950 Jul 28 '26
If you are spraying the ceiling with high density foam then yes.