The Locked Crate is the best single loot box in Rust. It is the green military crate with a laptop strapped to the top, and you cannot open it until you hack it and wait out a 15 minute countdown. Every one holds 2 Advanced Blueprint Fragments and a Metal Armor Insert, and most of them pay out rifles, armor, targeting computers and stacks of scrap on top.
The catch is that the whole server can see what you are doing. This locked crate Rust guide covers where locked crates spawn, how hacking works, the full loot table with drop chances, the Chinook drop, what happens on the Oil Rigs and Cargo Ship, and how to actually hold one long enough to loot it.
- What It Is
- Stats
- Where to Find
- How to Hack
- Loot Table
- Chinook Drop
- Oil Rig and Cargo
- vs Other Loot
- Tips
- FAQ
What Is a Locked Crate in Rust?
A Locked Crate is a world loot container you cannot just open. It sits closed until a player starts the hack on its laptop, then counts down for 15 minutes before the lid unlocks. Players call it the hackable crate, the locked crate or the Chinook crate, and they all mean the same box.
The loot is why people fight over it. The hackable crate table is the richest in the game, with 19 slots and guaranteed Advanced Blueprint Fragments, the item you need for a Workbench Level 3. Facepunch reworked the hackable crate loot in the Meta Shift update (October 2, 2025) to cut some of the junk, so older loot lists from before then are out of date.
The danger is that it is loud. Starting a hack puts the crate on everyone’s map, an Oil Rig hack sets off sirens and calls in heavy scientists, and anyone who sees the Chinook fly over knows exactly where its crate landed.
Locked Crate Stats
| Stat | Locked Crate |
|---|---|
| Hack time | 15 minutes (900 seconds on default servers) |
| Keycard needed | None, just press E on the laptop |
| Despawn | 2 hours if nobody starts the hack |
| Loot slots | 19 |
| Guaranteed | 2 Advanced Blueprint Fragments, 1 Metal Armor Insert |
| Best rolls | Targeting Computer 55%, Metal Facemask 53%, Metal Chest Plate 53%, MLRS Aiming Module 50% |
| Scrap | 140 to 160 scrap, about a 33% chance |
| Where | Oil Rigs, Cargo Ship, Ghost Ships, Chinook drops at monuments |
| Map marker | Shows on every player’s map once the hack starts |
Server owners can change the hack time and despawn time, so community and modded servers often run shorter timers. Everything here is for default settings.
Where to Find Locked Crates in Rust
| Source | Crates | What you face |
|---|---|---|
| Small Oil Rig | 1, on the top level | 15 scientists, then 5 to 6 heavy scientists when you hack |
| Large Oil Rig | 1, on Level 6 by the helipad | 23 to 27 scientists, then 10 to 12 heavies when you hack |
| Cargo Ship | Up to 3 per run, one at a time | Scientists on deck and every boat on the server |
| Ghost Ships (Deep Sea) | Locked crates on the wrecks | Scientists on deck and patrol boats nearby |
| Chinook (CH47) drop | 1, dropped at a monument | Mostly other players |
The Oil Rigs are the only places with a fixed crate that respawns in the same spot. The Cargo Ship spawns its crates during the run, so a group that boards early can hack all of them. Submarines, a RHIB or a minicopter get you out to the water crates. Some missions also add a bonus objective for hacking one.
Not every monument is a Chinook drop spot. The Chinook does not drop crates at safe zones like Outpost or Bandit Camp, and there is no locked crate at the Underwater Labs, the Missile Silo or the Giant Excavator.
How to Hack a Locked Crate
- Find the crate. Look for the green crate with a laptop on top. On the rigs it sits on the top deck, on the Cargo Ship it appears on deck, and a Chinook crate floats down on a parachute.
- Start the hack. Look at the laptop and press E. No keycard, no fuse and no tool is needed. The screen shows a 15:00 countdown.
- Hold the area. The crate now shows on everyone’s map. You do not have to stand next to it, and the timer keeps running if you leave, so find cover with a view of it.
- Loot it. When the timer hits zero the crate unlocks for anyone, not just the player who hacked it. Grab the fragments and the insert first, then the guns.
The countdown is fixed. Nothing you or other players do will speed it up, which is also true on the rigs, where the Oil Rig guide walks through the full 15 minutes minute by minute.
Locked Crate Loot Table
These are the drop chances per crate from the Facepunch Rust Wiki loot table. Other loot sites round them a little differently, so treat them as close, not exact.
| Item | Amount | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Blueprint Fragment | 2 | 100% |
| Metal Armor Insert | 1 | 100% |
| Targeting Computer | 1 | About 55% |
| Metal Facemask | 1 | About 53% |
| Metal Chest Plate | 1 | About 53% |
| MLRS Aiming Module | 1 | 50% |
| CCTV Camera | 1 | About 46% |
| High Quality Metal | 15 to 40 | About 41% |
| Explosive 5.56 Ammo | Up to 30 | About 34% |
| Scrap | 140 to 160 | About 33% |
| Assault Rifle | 1 | About 32% |
| Gears | 5 to 10 | About 31% |
| LR-300 | 1 | About 28% |
| Auto Turret | 1 to 3 | About 16% |
| F1 Grenade | 1 to 4 | About 10% |
| Minigun | 1 | 10% |
| Rocket Launcher | 1 | About 8% |
The two Advanced Fragments are the real prize early in a wipe. A Workbench 3 costs 5 of them, so three locked crates unlock it with one to spare. After that, the crate is a gun and armor box: more than half of all crates hold a Metal Facemask, and about a third hold an AK.
The Chinook (CH47) Locked Crate Drop
The CH47 Chinook is a world event. It flies across the map to a monument, drops a locked crate on a parachute and leaves. On default servers this happens roughly every couple of hours, and server owners can change the timing.
The drop spots are the bigger monuments. Guides and wikis agree on the Airfield, The Dome, Harbor, Launch Site, Power Plant, Train Yard and Water Treatment Plant. Safe zones never get one.
Before October 2025 a bug made the Chinook pick the same monument most of the wipe. The Meta Shift update fixed that, so the drop is now a true random pick and you cannot camp one spot all week. The good news is that the Chinook crate is the easiest one to steal: it has no siren and no heavy scientists of its own, so the only threat is whoever else saw it land.
Locked Crates on the Oil Rig and Cargo Ship
Oil Rigs. Hacking the rig crate triggers alarms, and within about a minute a Chinook drops heavy scientists onto the rig: around 5 to 6 on the Small Oil Rig and 10 to 12 on the Large Oil Rig, each with 300 HP. Bring a red keycard for the loot rooms on the way up, but the crate itself needs no card. The rig loot table is the same as every other locked crate.
Cargo Ship. The ship spawns its locked crates one at a time while it sails, up to 3 per run. Every crate is a new 15 minute hack, so a full Cargo clear is a long stay in the open. Since the ship now docks at the Harbor, plenty of players walk on, so expect company.
Ghost Ships. The Naval Update (February 2026) added Ghost Ship wrecks in the Deep Sea. They hold locked crates too, guarded by scientists on deck and patrol boats nearby, and they pull the same crowd as the rigs.
Locked Crate vs Other Loot
| Container | Advanced Fragments | Lock | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locked Crate | 2, guaranteed | 15 minute hack | Workbench 3, rifles, armor, components |
| Elite Crate | About 1 in 10 | Behind keycard puzzles | Quiet runs with no timer |
| Airdrop | No | None, open on landing | Scrap and quick gear |
| Bradley APC crates | No | Wait for the fire to burn out | Targeting Computers, rockets, the L96 |
If you want a Workbench 3, the locked crate is the plan. The Missile Silo also gives 2 guaranteed fragments without a siren, but needs a full set of keycards.
Locked Crate Tips
- Do not stand on the crate. Start the hack and move to cover with a view of it. Everyone who comes for it runs straight to the laptop.
- Plan the 15 minutes. Bring armor, meds and more ammo than you think. Check the full kit list in our Oil Rig guide before a rig run.
- Let others do the work. A crate someone else hacked opens for anyone. Many groups wait for the last minute and push the hackers when the timer runs out.
- Loot in order. Fragments and the insert first, then guns, armor and components. Leave the junk if you are under fire.
- Use the map. A crate on the map means someone is there. If you see one far from you, it is often too late to contest it, but a Chinook flying overhead is a fresh crate nobody has reached yet.
Locked Crate Rust FAQ
How long does it take to hack a locked crate in Rust?
15 minutes on default servers. The timer starts when you press E on the laptop and cannot be sped up. Modded servers sometimes shorten it.
How do you hack a locked crate in Rust?
Look at the laptop on top of the crate and press E. You do not need a keycard or any item. Then hold the area until the 15 minute countdown finishes and the crate unlocks.
Where do locked crates spawn in Rust?
On the Small and Large Oil Rig, on the Cargo Ship (up to 3 a run), on Ghost Ships in the Deep Sea, and at monuments where the Chinook drops one, such as the Airfield, Dome, Harbor, Launch Site, Power Plant, Train Yard and Water Treatment Plant.
What is in a locked crate in Rust?
Every locked crate has 2 Advanced Blueprint Fragments and 1 Metal Armor Insert. It also has good odds of a Targeting Computer (about 55%), Metal Facemask and Chest Plate (about 53%), an MLRS Aiming Module (50%), 140 to 160 scrap (about 33%) and an Assault Rifle (about 32%).
Do locked crates always have Advanced Blueprint Fragments?
Yes. Every hackable locked crate has 2 Advanced Blueprint Fragments, including the ones on the Oil Rigs, the Cargo Ship and Chinook drops. Three crates are enough for a Workbench 3.
How long before a locked crate despawns?
An unhacked locked crate despawns after 2 hours on default settings. Once someone starts the hack it stays until the timer finishes and it is looted.
Can anyone loot a locked crate I hacked?
Yes. When the timer runs out the crate opens for every player, not just the one who hacked it, so you have to hold the area to keep the loot.
How often does the Chinook drop a locked crate?
Roughly every couple of hours on default servers, at a random monument. Since the Meta Shift update in October 2025 the monument is picked properly at random instead of repeating the same spot most of the wipe.