Rust raid calculator
Pick a target and an explosive. Every option is compared underneath so the cheapest route is obvious.
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Every option compared
How much sulfur to raid a sheet metal wall?
Two C4 at 2,200 sulfur each comes to 4,400 sulfur. The same wall takes four rockets at 1,400 each for 5,600, or ten satchel charges at 480 each for 4,800. C4 is usually the cheapest per wall on the harder tiers, though satchels win on wood.
Cheapest is not always best
The comparison panel sorts by sulfur, which is the right first question and the wrong last one.
Satchel charges are frequently cheapest by raw sulfur and are also the least reliable — they can fail to detonate, and on a hard target you may burn several before the wall goes. Rockets are fast and predictable but expensive and extremely loud. Explosive ammo is cheap per wall on some tiers but takes a rifle, a lot of time, and leaves you standing still.
C4 is usually the answer on stone and above, not because it is always cheapest but because it is reliable and quick, and time spent standing next to somebody else's base is the real cost.
How the cost is worked out
Quantity needed for the tier, times the raw sulfur to craft each.
total sulfur = quantity needed × sulfur per explosivesulfur to craft:Timed Explosive Charge (C4) 2,200Rocket 1,400Satchel Charge 480Explosive 5.56 ammo (each) 25sulfur ore to mine ≈ sulfur ÷ 0.5
Sulfur is not the only input. Explosives also need gunpowder, metal fragments, cloth and low grade fuel depending on the type, and those have their own farm time. The sulfur figure is the standard way raiders compare costs because it is the binding constraint, not because it is the whole cost.
Raw sulfur ore smelts at roughly two ore to one sulfur, so the ore figure shown is approximately double the sulfur requirement.
Worked example: two sheet metal walls
Getting through two sheet metal walls, comparing the routes.
- C4: 2 per wall × 2 walls = 48,800 sulfur
- Rockets: 4 per wall × 2 = 811,200 sulfur
- Satchels: 10 per wall × 2 = 209,600 sulfur
- Explosive ammo: 63 per wall × 2 = 1263,150 sulfur
Explosive ammo is cheapest by sulfur at 3,150, but takes far longer and needs a rifle.
This is the trade-off in miniature. Ammo raiding is the budget option and the slow one; C4 costs nearly three times the sulfur and gets you inside in seconds.
Things the sulfur figure leaves out
- Gunpowder, metal fragments and cloth, which every explosive also consumes
- Farm time, which is usually the real constraint rather than resources
- Satchel duds, which can add 20% or more to a satchel raid in practice
- Noise — rockets and C4 announce a raid across the map
- Whether the base is online, which changes everything about the plan
Assumptions and limits
- Figures are as at the verification date and change with balance patches
- Assumes standard structure health with no upgrades or repairs mid-raid
- Quantities are for destroying one wall of the stated tier outright
- Does not model soft-side raiding, which is often far cheaper
- Does not include the gunpowder and metal component of crafting cost
Common questions
How much sulfur for a C4?
2,200 sulfur to craft one Timed Explosive Charge, which is roughly 4,400 sulfur ore before smelting. That makes C4 the most sulfur-expensive single explosive but also the most efficient per wall on hard tiers.
How many C4 for a stone wall?
Two. The same wall takes four rockets or ten satchel charges. On sheet metal it is also two C4, which is why sheet metal is often considered poor value for the metal it costs to upgrade.
What is the cheapest way to raid?
By raw sulfur, explosive ammo is usually cheapest on most tiers, followed by satchels. By time and reliability, C4 wins comfortably. The comparison panel sorts by sulfur so you can see the trade-off directly.
Do these numbers change?
Yes. Facepunch adjusts explosive costs and structure health with balance patches, sometimes significantly. The verification date on this page tells you when the figures were last checked.
Why does explosive ammo differ so much between tiers?
Because damage against each material type is scaled separately. Explosive ammo performs relatively well against sheet metal and poorly against armoured, which is why the quantity does not scale evenly as you move up the tiers.
Where these numbers come from
- Rust — official site Official game site; patch notes announce balance changes to explosive costs and structure health.
Last verified 2026-08-01 Rates on this page are checked against the sources above at least once a year, and whenever the governing authority announces a change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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