Rust Decay Calculator
Calculate decay times for structures and items in the Rust survival game. Plan your maintenance schedule and protect your base with accurate decay predictions.
Calculate Your Rust Decay Calculator
What is the Rust Decay Calculator?
The Rust Decay Calculator is a specialized tool for players of the survival game Rust to determine how long their structures and items will last before decaying completely. Decay is a critical mechanic in Rust that affects all player-built structures and dropped items, making resource management and base maintenance vital parts of gameplay.
This calculator helps you plan your maintenance cycles, understand how long your base will last during offline periods, and make informed decisions about resource storage to minimize losses due to decay.
Understanding Decay in Rust
Decay in Rust serves several important gameplay purposes:
- Prevents server performance issues by automatically removing abandoned structures
- Creates a need for continuous resource gathering and base maintenance
- Limits the ability of players to create permanent, unmaintained bases
- Adds strategic depth to base design and resource allocation
- Creates vulnerability windows for offline raids if maintenance is neglected
There are two primary decay systems in Rust: structure decay (affecting buildings) and item decay (affecting dropped or stored items). Each follows different rules and timelines.
Structure Decay System
Building decay in Rust is governed by these key principles:
Tool Cupboard (TC) Mechanics
The Tool Cupboard is the most important device for preventing decay. When active and stocked with resources, it significantly slows or completely prevents decay for all connected building blocks within its range.
- A TC with 100% upkeep resources prevents decay entirely
- A TC with partial upkeep slows decay proportionally
- Buildings without TC protection decay at the standard rate
- Each building tier has a different base decay rate
| Building Tier | Base Decay Time (No TC) | Upkeep Resource | Decay Start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twig | 3 hours | Wood | Immediate |
| Wood | 18 hours | Wood | After 6 hours* |
| Stone | 36 hours | Stone | After 12 hours* |
| Metal | 72 hours | Metal Fragments | After 24 hours* |
| Armored | 140 hours | High Quality Metal | After 48 hours* |
* With TC but without upkeep resources
Item Decay System
Items in Rust decay at different rates depending on their type and storage method:
| Item Type | Base Decay Time (On Ground) | In Storage Box | In Tool Cupboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 6 hours | 15 hours | 24 hours |
| Weapons & Tools | 72 hours | 180 hours | 288 hours |
| Ammunition | 120 hours | 300 hours | 480 hours |
| Components | 96 hours | 240 hours | 384 hours |
| Resources | 48 hours | 120 hours | 192 hours |
Note that some specialized storage containers provide additional protection:
- Refrigerator: 4× longer decay time (especially good for food)
- Vending Machine: 8× longer decay time (best protection)
How to Use the Rust Decay Calculator
Structure Decay Calculator:
- Select Structure Type: Choose the building material (twig, wood, stone, metal, or armored).
- Enter Server Decay Rate: Some servers modify the decay rate. Default is 1 (vanilla).
- Set Tool Cupboard Status: Indicate if you have an active TC.
- Input Upkeep Percentage: If you have a TC, specify how much of the required upkeep resources are present (0-100%).
- Calculate: The tool will show you how long until your structure fully decays.
Item Decay Calculator:
- Select Item Type: Choose the category of item (food, weapons, resources, etc.).
- Enter Quantity: Specify how many items you have.
- Select Storage Type: Choose where the items are stored (ground, box, TC, etc.).
- Enter Server Decay Rate: Adjust for modified server settings.
- Calculate: The tool will show total decay time, loss rate per hour, and time per individual item.
Tips for Managing Decay in Rust
- Always Use Tool Cupboards: Place a TC as soon as possible in your base and keep it stocked.
- Multi-TC Setup: For large bases, consider using multiple TCs to ensure full coverage and provide redundancy.
- Storage Management: Use the appropriate storage for different items - refrigerators for food, vending machines for your most valuable items.
- Decay-Resistant Airlocks: Build external doors/airlocks from higher-tier materials than the rest of your base to protect them longer during offline periods.
- High-Value Item Priority: Ensure your most valuable items have the best decay protection.
- Regular Maintenance: Use this calculator to determine your maximum safe offline time, and log in accordingly to maintain your base.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Tool Cupboard is the primary decay prevention mechanism in Rust:
- When properly stocked with resources, a TC prevents decay entirely for all building blocks within its range (typically a radius of about 16 foundation blocks)
- If a TC runs out of resources, buildings begin to decay at a slower rate than they would without any TC
- Each building grade (twig, wood, stone, etc.) requires different resources for upkeep
- Higher-tier buildings (metal, armored) have a longer grace period before decay starts after TC resources run out
- The TC interface shows exactly how many resources are needed for 24 hours of upkeep, and how long current resources will last
For maximum security, stock your TC with at least 72 hours worth of upkeep resources before logging off for extended periods.
The server decay rate multiplier is a setting that server administrators can adjust to modify how quickly things decay:
- A multiplier of 1 is the default (vanilla) rate
- A multiplier of 2 means everything decays twice as fast
- A multiplier of 0.5 would mean everything decays at half speed
Most official servers use the default multiplier, but modded servers often increase this value to accelerate decay for abandoned structures. Some PvE or low-population servers might decrease it to reduce maintenance pressure. You can usually find this information in the server description or by asking administrators.
No, different categories of items have different base decay rates:
- Food decays the fastest at 6 hours when on the ground
- Resources (wood, stone, metal) last about 48 hours
- Components last approximately 96 hours
- Weapons and Tools have a 72-hour decay timer
- Ammunition lasts the longest at 120 hours
These base rates are then modified by where the items are stored. For example, food on the ground lasts 6 hours, but in a refrigerator it lasts 24 hours.
Upkeep costs in Rust increase exponentially with base size to discourage massive bases:
- Small bases (up to 15 building blocks): 100% standard upkeep cost
- Medium bases (16-39 building blocks): 150% upkeep cost (50% tax)
- Large bases (40+ building blocks): 200% upkeep cost (100% tax)
This scaling means that two smaller bases often require fewer resources to maintain than one large base with the same total number of building blocks. Many experienced players design their bases with TC upkeep scaling in mind, sometimes using multiple separate structures with their own TCs to avoid the tax penalty.
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