Rust loot tables decide what drops from every barrel, crate and hackable box on the map. Each container has a fixed amount of scrap plus a list of possible items with a set drop chance, so knowing them tells you which crates are worth the walk. A road barrel gives 2 scrap and components, a military crate gives 8 scrap and gun parts, an elite crate gives 25 scrap and full guns, and a locked crate can roll 140 to 160 scrap on top of an Assault Rifle.
This guide lists every loot container in Rust: barrels, basic, brown and tool crates, military and elite crates, locked crates, airdrops, Bradley crates, oil barrels, medical and food crates and underwater crates. You get the guaranteed scrap, the best drops with their chances, where each one spawns and the fastest loot routes for a wipe.
- Crate Tiers
- Scrap per Crate
- Barrels
- Basic, Brown & Tool
- Military Crate
- Elite Crate
- Locked & Airdrop
- Other Containers
- Where They Spawn
- Respawn
- Loot Routes
- FAQ
How Loot Tables Work in Rust
Every container in Rust has a shortname (like crate_normal or crate_elite) and its own loot table. When a container spawns, the game fills it in two steps:
- Guaranteed items. Most crates always contain a fixed stack of scrap. A few, like the locked crate and the Bradley crate, have other guaranteed items instead.
- Random rolls. The remaining slots roll from a weighted list. The chances in this guide are the chance an item shows up in one container, taken from the Facepunch wiki loot tables.
The containers fall into clear tiers. Barrels and basic crates line the roads and small monuments. Brown crates and tool crates sit in every building. Military crates (green wood) guard the bigger monuments, elite crates (olive metal) sit behind red card doors and on the oil rigs, and locked crates need a 15 minute hack. The higher the tier, the more scrap and the better the guns, but the more scientists and players you have to fight for it.
| Container | Shortname | Guaranteed | Best for | Found at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow / Blue Barrel | loot_barrel_1 / 2 | 2 scrap | Rope, metal blades, sewing kits, tarp | Roads, small monuments |
| Basic Crate | crate_basic | 3 scrap | Early deployables and clothes | Houses, small monuments |
| Brown Crate | crate_normal_2 | 5 scrap | Gears, pipes, springs, road signs, fuses | Roads, every monument |
| Tool Crate | crate_tools | 5 scrap | Hatchets, pickaxes, bows, salvaged melee | Junkpiles, monuments |
| Military Crate | crate_normal | 8 scrap | Rifle and SMG bodies, HQM, tech trash | Medium and large monuments |
| Elite Crate | crate_elite | 25 scrap | HQM, guns, MLRS rockets, Blueprint Books | Red card rooms, oil rigs, Missile Silo |
| Locked Crate | codelockedhackablecrate | 2 Blueprint Books + metal insert | Armor, AKs, HQM, 140-160 scrap (33%) | Oil rigs, Cargo, Chinook drops |
| Airdrop | supply_drop | None | Ammo, explosives, armor, 140-160 scrap (56%) | Random drops, supply signals |
How Much Scrap Is in Each Crate?
The scrap in a crate is guaranteed, so it is the easiest number to plan around. These are the fixed amounts from the game’s loot tables:
| Container | Scrap | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow or Blue Barrel | 2 | 100% |
| Basic Crate | 3 | 100% |
| Brown Crate, Tool Crate, Underwater Basic Crate | 5 | 100% |
| Military Crate, Tech Parts and Vehicle Parts crates | 8 | 100% |
| Underwater Advanced Crate | 10 | 100% |
| Train Wagon Military Crate | 11 | 100% |
| Elite Crate (also in Underwater Labs) | 25 | 100% |
| Scientists (monument, patrol boat, RHIB) | 8 to 24 | 36.3% |
| Locked Crate | 140 to 160 | 33.3% |
| Airdrop | 140 to 160 | 55.6% |
The raw scrap is only half the value. Barrels and brown crates are full of components that you turn into far more scrap at a recycler: a Rifle Body recycles into 30 scrap and an SMG Body into 18 at a powered green recycler, which is why a military crate is worth much more than its 8 scrap. The full yield of every part is in our Rust components guide, and a Scrap Tea boosts the scrap you get from barrels.
Rust Barrel Loot Table
Barrels are the bread and butter of the early wipe. The yellow barrel (loot_barrel_1) and the blue barrel (loot_barrel_2) use the same loot table, sit in clusters along every road and around small monuments, and break in a few hits from any melee tool. Each one always drops 2 scrap and one random item:
| Item | Amount | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap | 2 | 100% |
| Rope | 1 to 3 | 15.4% |
| Metal Blade | 1 | 15.4% |
| Sewing Kit | 3 to 5 | 8.0% |
| Tarp | 1 to 2 | 8.0% |
| Empty Propane Tank | 1 | 8.0% |
| Gears, Metal Pipe, Metal Spring, Road Signs, Semi Body, Sheet Metal, Electric Fuse | 1 to 5 | 1.4% each |
| Basic clothes and deployables (caps, bandanas, binoculars, signs) | 1 | 1.1% each |
Barrels are the main source of road signs, sewing kits and tarp, which is why every early armor craft starts with a barrel run. Red oil barrels are a separate container and are covered further down.
Basic, Brown and Tool Crate Loot
Three wooden containers make up most of what you open on the way to a monument. They look alike, but their loot is very different.
Brown Crate (crate_normal_2)
The brown crate is the wooden crate you find beside roads, at gas stations, supermarkets and inside every monument. It always gives 5 scrap and rolls up to 6 slots, mostly components:
| Item | Amount | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap | 5 | 100% |
| Gears | 2 to 3 | 14.3% |
| Metal Pipe | 1 to 5 | 14.3% |
| Metal Spring | 1 to 2 | 14.3% |
| Road Signs | 2 to 4 | 14.3% |
| Semi Automatic Body | 1 | 14.3% |
| Sheet Metal | 1 to 2 | 14.3% |
| Electric Fuse | 1 | 14.3% |
| Diving Mask | 1 | 4.2% |
| Hazmat Suit | 1 | 4.0% |
| Diving Tank | 1 | 2.5% |
| Targeting Computer | 1 | 2.1% |
| CCTV Camera | 1 | 1.7% |
| Electrical parts (switches, timers, branches, batteries) | 1 | 1.3% each |
Basic Crate (crate_basic)
The basic crate is the small 2 slot wooden box found in houses, caves and small monuments. It always gives 3 scrap plus one of about 31 early items at 4.8% each: hats, a bandana, a balaclava, leather gloves, binoculars, signs, planter boxes, rugs, barricades, a table, a water barrel and similar furniture. It is the weakest crate in the game, so grab the scrap and move on.
Tool Crate (crate_tools)
The tool crate (toolbox) shows up in junkpiles and monuments and always gives 5 scrap. Its loot is early tools and weapons: binoculars, hatchets and pickaxes (7.8% each), wooden arrows (7.2%), longsleeve shirts, pants and wood armor (6.5%), bone and fire arrows, the hunting bow, mace, salvaged cleaver and salvaged sword (4.9% each), plus a 3.1% Targeting Computer and a 2.5% crossbow or CCTV Camera. On wipe day a tool crate can hand you a hatchet and a pickaxe in one stop.
Military Crate Loot Table
The military crate (crate_normal) is the green wooden crate at medium and large monuments. It always gives 8 scrap, rolls up to 6 slots and is the main source of weapon bodies. The full breakdown is in our military crate guide; these are the drops that matter:
| Item | Chance |
|---|---|
| Scrap (8) | 100% |
| Rifle Body | 16.7% |
| SMG Body | 16.7% |
| High Quality Metal | 16.7% |
| Metal Pipe | 16.7% |
| Tech Trash | 16.7% |
| Blueprint Page | 10.0% |
| Targeting Computer | 8.7% |
| CCTV Camera | 7.1% |
| Large Backpack | 5.0% |
| Metal Armor Insert | 5.0% |
| Auto Turret | 1.2% |
| Supply Signal | 1.0% |
Military crates on train wagons in the underground tunnels are a richer version with 11 scrap. Blueprint Pages from military crates are what pay for the Workbench 2 tier of the tech tree.
Elite Crate Loot Table
The elite crate (crate_elite) is the olive green metal box with the chevron on the lid. It always gives 25 scrap and rolls up to 5 slots from a table of 137 items, including finished guns, raid tools and armor:
| Item | Amount | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap | 25 | 100% |
| High Quality Metal | 15 to 50 | 27.7% |
| Rifle Body / SMG Body | 1 to 2 | 27.7% each |
| Metal Pipe | 5 to 12 | 27.7% |
| Tech Trash | 2 to 8 | 27.7% |
| MLRS Rocket | 1 to 2 | 20.0% |
| Targeting Computer | 1 to 2 | 15.3% |
| CCTV Camera | 1 to 2 | 12.6% |
| Blueprint Book | 1 | 10.0% |
| F1 Grenade, Flame Thrower, Molotov, Semi-Automatic Pistol | 1 to 2 | 7.2% each |
| Assault Rifle, Bolt Action Rifle, MP5A4 | 1 to 2 | 4.4% each |
| Supply Signal | 1 to 2 | 3.7% |
| Timed Explosive Charge, Armored Door, HMLMG, Metal Facemask, Metal Chest Plate | 1 to 2 | 2.4% each |
| Auto Turret | 1 to 2 | 2.2% |
Blueprint Books are the big prize, since they pay for the Workbench 3 tech tree. The same elite loot table is used for the elite crates inside Underwater Labs.
Locked Crate, Airdrop and Bradley Crate Loot
Locked Crate
The locked crate (hackable crate) needs a 15 minute hack before it opens, and it rolls up to 19 slots. It always contains 2 Blueprint Books and a Metal Armor Insert, and the top rolls are a Targeting Computer (55.3%), Metal Chest Plate and Metal Facemask (52.8% each), MLRS Aiming Module (50%), CCTV Camera (45.7%), 15 to 40 HQM (41.1%), 140 to 160 scrap (33.3%) and an Assault Rifle (31.6%). You find them on both oil rigs, on the Cargo Ship and wherever the Chinook drops one at a monument.
Airdrop
An airdrop (supply_drop) has no guaranteed item but rolls up to 14 slots of combat loot: pistol ammo (94.2%), buckshot (81.1%), 5.56 ammo (70.1%), HQM and 140 to 160 scrap (55.6% each), F1 grenades and satchel charges (49% each), a Snow Jacket (43.6%), road sign armor (37.6% per piece), riot, bucket and coffee can helmets (36.3% each) and Timed Explosive Charges (26.5%). Drops come randomly or from a thrown supply signal, and every player on the server can see the smoke.
Bradley Crate
Destroying the Bradley APC at the Launch Site leaves burning crates with up to 7 slots. Each one always holds 1 to 4 MLRS rockets, then rolls a Targeting Computer (52.4%), attachments like the 8x scope, burst module, extended magazine and lasersight (50% each), a CCTV Camera (42.9%) and Timed Explosive Charges (27.3%). Our Bradley guide covers how to take it down. Patrol helicopter crates work the same way, see the patrol heli guide.
Oil Barrels, Medical, Food and Underwater Crates
- Oil barrel (
oil_barrel): the red barrel with the oil logo. It always gives 15 to 20 crude oil and 5 to 10 low grade fuel, no scrap. Great early fuel for your furnace and a quick source of crude for a small oil refinery. - Medical crate (
crate_medical): a bandage (50%), a large medkit (25%) or a medical syringe (25%). Open every one you pass before a monument fight. - Food crate: canned food and snacks, no scrap. Useful on wipe day when you have nothing to eat, see our Rust food guide.
- Underwater crates: the basic underwater crate gives 5 scrap, and the advanced one gives 10 scrap with metal blades and rope (62.8% each), sewing kits and tarp (37.7%), 15 to 25 HQM (25%) and a 10% Blueprint Page. You need a diving tank or a submarine to reach them.
- Tech Parts and Vehicle Parts crates: 8 scrap each, with tech trash, electrical parts or car modules.
Where Each Crate Spawns
| Container | Best spots |
|---|---|
| Barrels, basic and brown crates | Roads, gas stations, supermarkets, lighthouses, Junkyard |
| Military crates | Airfield, Train Yard, Power Plant, Water Treatment, Harbor, the Dome, train tunnels |
| Elite crates | Launch Site (3 behind the red door), Military Tunnels red room, Missile Silo (4), Large Oil Rig, Small Oil Rig, Arctic Research Base (1), Underwater Labs |
| Locked crates | Small and Large Oil Rig, Cargo Ship, Chinook drops at big monuments |
| Oil barrels | Airfield, Train Yard, Dome, roads near water, out at sea |
Most elite crates sit behind keycard puzzles, so check our monument puzzle solutions and the red keycard guide before you go. Every monument and its loot is listed in our Rust monuments guide.
How Fast Does Loot Respawn?
Rust has no fixed timer you can see in game. Barrels and roadside crates are part of a spawn population that tops itself back up across the whole map, so roads refill steadily and a road you cleared is worth a second pass after a while. Monument crates respawn on their own timers, roughly 30 to 60 minutes after they are emptied on vanilla servers, and a crate that still has items in it does not reset. Modded servers often change these timers, so watch for a “loot respawn” tag in the server name.
Everything resets on a map wipe, so the first hour after a force wipe is the best time to farm. Every crate on the map is full and most players are still running barrels.
Best Loot Routes by Stage of the Wipe
- Wipe day, no gear: run a road from barrel cluster to barrel cluster with a rock or hatchet, open every brown and tool crate on the way and finish at a recycler. You can easily make a few hundred scrap in your first half hour.
- First kit: hit small and medium monuments for brown and military crates. Military crates give the rifle and SMG bodies that turn into guns, see the best weapons tier list.
- Geared up: run the red card monuments and the oil rigs for elite crates and Blueprint Books. Bring meds, armor and a team.
- Late wipe: contest locked crates, airdrops and the Bradley. They are loud, so expect other players.
New to the game? Our Rust beginner’s guide walks through your first wipe, including the first barrel run.
Rust Loot Tables FAQ
How much scrap is in each crate in Rust?
A barrel gives 2 scrap, a basic crate 3, a brown crate and a tool crate 5, a military crate 8, an underwater advanced crate 10 and an elite crate 25. Locked crates and airdrops can roll 140 to 160 scrap.
What is the best loot crate in Rust?
The locked crate. It always has 2 Blueprint Books and a Metal Armor Insert, with a 31.6% Assault Rifle chance and a 33% chance at 140 to 160 scrap. The elite crate is the best crate you can open without a hack.
What is in an elite crate in Rust?
An elite crate always has 25 scrap. Its top rolls are HQM, rifle bodies, SMG bodies, metal pipes and tech trash at 27.7% each, MLRS rockets at 20%, a Targeting Computer at 15.3% and an Blueprint Book at 10%, plus full guns like the AK and Bolt Action Rifle.
Where do elite crates spawn in Rust?
Elite crates spawn at Launch Site, the Military Tunnels red room, the Missile Silo, both oil rigs, the Arctic Research Base and Underwater Labs. Most of them are behind a red keycard door.
What do barrels drop in Rust?
Yellow and blue barrels always drop 2 scrap plus one item. Rope and metal blades are the most common at 15.4% each, then sewing kits, tarp and propane tanks at 8%, with a small chance at gears, pipes, springs and road signs.
What is the difference between a military crate and an elite crate?
The military crate is the green wooden crate with 8 scrap and mostly gun parts. The elite crate is the olive metal crate with 25 scrap, more HQM, full guns, explosives and Blueprint Books.
What do oil barrels give in Rust?
Every red oil barrel gives 15 to 20 crude oil and 5 to 10 low grade fuel. They do not give scrap.
How long do crates take to respawn in Rust?
There is no fixed visible timer. Monument crates respawn roughly 30 to 60 minutes after they are emptied on vanilla servers, and roadside barrels and crates refill steadily across the map. Everything resets on a map wipe.
Do you need a keycard for elite crates?
For most of them, yes. The elite crates at Launch Site, Military Tunnels and the Missile Silo are behind red card doors. The oil rig elite crates also sit behind the rig’s keycard rooms.
Sources and Further Reading
- Loot tables and scrap amounts: Facepunch Wiki, Scrap sources, Elite Crate, Military Crate and Brown Crate
- Barrels, locked crate, airdrop and Bradley crate: Facepunch Wiki, Yellow Barrel, Locked Crate, Airdrop
- Container overview cross-check: Corrosion Hour, Rust scrap guide
