About the Rust Raid Calculator

Planning a raid in Rust can be one of the most stressful and resource-intensive decisions you make on any wipe. Get it wrong and you waste thousands of sulfur with nothing to show for it. Get it right and you walk away with enough loot to dominate the rest of the wipe. This Rust Raid Calculator was built by experienced players to take the guesswork out of raiding. It gives you exact explosive quantities, sulfur costs, and raw material breakdowns for every raidable structure in the game.

Unlike basic calculators that only show one explosive type at a time, this tool compares all four raid methods side by side — C4 (Timed Explosive Charges), Rockets, Satchel Charges, and Explosive 5.56 Rifle Ammo. It automatically highlights the cheapest method so you can make smart decisions under pressure. Whether you are a solo player scraping together enough sulfur for a single door or a zerg clan planning a massive online raid, this calculator scales to fit your needs.

How It Works

Every structure in Rust has a fixed health pool measured in hit points (HP). Each explosive type deals a specific amount of damage per unit. By dividing the structure HP by damage per explosive and rounding up, we get the exact quantity needed. The sulfur calculation then accounts for the full crafting chain — from raw sulfur ore all the way through gunpowder, explosives, and the final item.

Sulfur Cost Per Explosive

• C4 (Timed Explosive Charge): 2,200 sulfur each — highest damage per unit, most sulfur-efficient for most structures.
• Rocket: 1,400 sulfur each — great splash damage, less efficient per target but excellent for grouped walls.
• Satchel Charge: 480 sulfur each — cheap to craft, no workbench Level 3 needed, but random fuse and sometimes duds.
• Explosive 5.56 Ammo: 25 sulfur each — silent raiding option, best for doors, slow against walls.

How to Use This Calculator

1. Pick a category — Walls, Doors, Floors, Foundations, External walls, or Deployables.
2. Select the structure you want to raid. Each card shows the HP value for reference.
3. Set the quantity — how many of that structure you need to break through.
4. Read the results — the calculator instantly shows all four explosive methods, highlights the cheapest, and gives you a full raw material breakdown including sulfur, charcoal, metal fragments, gunpowder, and more.
5. Share or export — copy results to clipboard, export as CSV, or share a direct link that preserves your exact calculation.

Tips & Best Practices

• Always raid the weakest point. A metal base with a wooden door is only as strong as that door. Always scout before you blow.
• Splash damage matters. Rockets deal splash damage to nearby structures. If two walls overlap, one rocket can damage both — making rockets more efficient in tight bases.
• Doors over walls. It almost always costs less to go through doors than walls. A sheet metal door costs 1 C4 while a metal wall costs 4 C4.
• Use eco raiding when possible. Wooden walls and doors can be flame-raided or soft-sided with tools for zero sulfur cost.
• Bring extra satchels. Satchels have a chance to be duds. Bring 10-20% extra to be safe.
• Silenced explosive ammo is the meta for online raiding doors without alerting the entire server.

Common Mistakes

• Not checking soft sides. Stone walls take 10x more damage from the soft (inside) side with pickaxes. Always check orientation before wasting explosives.
• Overcommitting sulfur. Calculate the full path first. Sometimes going through two wooden doors is cheaper than one stone wall.
• Ignoring the tool cupboard path. If you can get to the TC with fewer explosives, you can grief the base and force a rebuild.
• Not crafting in advance. Crafting C4 and rockets takes a long time. Start crafting before you leave base or you will be standing outside a base waiting.
• Carrying all your sulfur. Never carry your entire sulfur stockpile on a raid. If you get countered, you lose everything.

Frequently Asked Questions