The Chainsaw is the fastest wood tool in Rust. Rev it up next to a tree and it chews through the trunk in a fraction of the time any axe takes, without you having to hunt for the X. The catch is that it costs real components to build, it only runs on low grade fuel, and it is loud enough that half the server knows where you are.
This Rust chainsaw guide covers the exact recipe, how to fuel and start it, how much faster it really is than a Hatchet or Salvaged Axe, every place you can loot or buy one, what it recycles into, and the tricks that make a full tank of fuel go further.
What Is the Chainsaw in Rust?
In the game files the Chainsaw is chainsaw with item ID 1104520648. It is a Rare tool, stacks to 1 and despawns 40 minutes after it hits the ground. Facepunch describes it as very effective against trees and flesh, and that is exactly how it plays: a held power tool that saws continuously while you hold the attack button.
It is the wood half of Rust’s two power tools. The Jackhammer eats ore nodes and runs on its own condition bar, while the Chainsaw eats trees and burns Low Grade Fuel. The other big difference is that you can craft a Chainsaw, while the Jackhammer is loot only. Look up any other short name in our Rust item IDs list.
How to Craft a Chainsaw in Rust
- Get the blueprint. Put a Chainsaw in a Research Table with 100 scrap, or unlock it on the Workbench 2 branch of the tech tree.
- Stand at a Workbench 2. The Chainsaw needs a Workbench Level 2 or higher. A Workbench 3 halves the craft time to 15 seconds.
- Collect the parts. 5 High Quality Metal, 2 Gears and 6 Metal Blades. Blades are the bottleneck, but you can craft them at a Workbench 2 from 30 metal fragments and 10 scrap each.
- Craft it. One craft makes one Chainsaw in 30 seconds. It comes out empty, so bring fuel.
| Chainsaw stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | 5 High Quality Metal, 2 Gears, 6 Metal Blades |
| Workbench | Level 2 |
| Craft time | 30 s (15 s at a Workbench 3) |
| Research cost | 100 scrap |
| Fuel | Low Grade Fuel only, 50 in the tank |
| Tree gather damage | 30 a hit, about 5 hits a second |
| Player damage | 12 a hit, x2 headshot |
| Stack / despawn | 1 / 40 minutes |
| Short name / ID | chainsaw / 1104520648 |
If you craft every blade yourself, the blades alone cost 60 scrap and 180 metal fragments, so a Chainsaw is a mid-wipe purchase rather than a day one tool. Server admins can skip all of that:
inventory.give chainsaw 1How to Use a Chainsaw in Rust
- Equip it and load fuel. With Low Grade Fuel in your inventory, press the reload key (R on PC) and the Chainsaw fills its tank, up to 50 fuel.
- Pull start it. Press or hold the right mouse button to pull the cord. It does not always catch first time, so keep pulling until the engine idles.
- Cut. Hold the left mouse button against a tree. The Chainsaw saws continuously and does not need the X marker that axes rely on, so you can just hold it on the trunk.
- Refill on the go. When it sputters out, press reload again. As long as you carry fuel you never need to go home.
It also harvests cactus, and you can saw through wooden deployables and a sleeping bag in seconds. On console the same steps apply with your platform’s reload and aim buttons.
Chainsaw Fuel: How Much Does It Use?
The Chainsaw only takes Low Grade Fuel. Diesel, crude oil and anything else will not go in. The tank holds 50, and it only burns fuel while the engine is running, so switch it off between trees on a long walk.
Facepunch does not publish a burn rate, but player tests put it at roughly 15 Low Grade Fuel per minute of running, which makes a full tank about 3 minutes of cutting. That is enough for a big pile of wood, but a serious farm run with a tea needs 100 or more fuel in your pockets.
| Fuel source | What you get |
|---|---|
| Craft (no workbench) | 3 animal fat + 1 cloth = 4 Low Grade Fuel |
| Small Oil Refinery | 1 crude oil = 3 Low Grade Fuel |
| Red and blue barrels, roads | Low grade drops alongside scrap |
| Outpost | Sold for scrap at the resource vendor |
The cheapest steady supply is a Small Oil Refinery fed with crude oil. If you farm a lot of wood, a refinery pays for itself quickly.
Chainsaw vs Salvaged Axe, Hatchet and Stone Hatchet
We multiplied each tool’s tree gather damage by its attack rate from the Facepunch item stats. The gap is bigger than most players expect:
| Tool | Tree damage a hit | Hits a second | Tree damage a second | Wear per hit | Tree damage per 1 condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Hatchet | 20 | 1.1 | 22 | 0.3 | ~67 |
| Hatchet | 30 | 1.1 | 33 | 0.3 | 100 |
| Salvaged Axe | 50 | 0.8 | 40 | 0.3 | ~167 |
| Chainsaw | 30 | 5 | 150 | 0.1 | 300 |
Two things stand out. First, the Chainsaw does about 3.75x the tree damage per second of a Salvaged Axe and about 4.5x a Hatchet, before you even count the time axes lose lining up the X. Second, it only loses 0.1 condition per hit, so it cuts about twice as much tree per point of durability as a Salvaged Axe and three times as much as a Hatchet. The real cost is fuel, not wear.
Where to Find a Chainsaw in Rust
| Source | Chance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airdrop | 26.5% | Best regular source |
| Christmas present drops | 14.3% | Christmas event only |
| Scarecrows | 11.8% | Halloween event only |
| Locked crate | 5.6% | Chinook, Oil Rigs, Ghost Ship |
| Mission loot box | 1.6% | Basic mission reward box |
| Tool crate | 1.0% | Roadside and underwater lab toolboxes |
| Elite crate | 0.8% | Can roll 1 to 2 |
| Military crate | 0.4% | Rare |
| Scientists | 0.1% to 0.3% | Rare corpse drop |
| Outpost | ~125 scrap | Tools vending machine, price moves with demand |
Halloween scarecrows carry chainsaws as weapons, which is why they drop them so often during the event. Outside the events, an airdrop or the Outpost vending machine is the realistic way to get one before you can craft it.
How to Repair and Recycle a Chainsaw
Repair: at a Repair Bench a full repair costs 46 metal fragments and 1 High Quality Metal, and each repair takes 20% off the maximum condition. Because it wears so slowly, one Chainsaw lasts a long time.
Recycle: a spare Chainsaw is worth breaking down for its components.
| Recycler | High Quality Metal | Metal Blades | Gears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monument recycler | 3 | 3, + 60% for a 4th | 1, + 20% for a 2nd |
| Safe zone recycler | 2 | 2, + 40% for a 3rd | 80% for 1 |
That is more than half of a new Chainsaw back, so if you loot a second one from an airdrop, recycling it is a good way to fund an axe and an icepick.
Chainsaw Tips
- Stack it with a tea. A Pure Wood Tea gives +200% wood from trees for 30 minutes, and a chainsaw is the tool that gets the most out of that timer.
- Carry spare fuel. Bring at least 100 Low Grade Fuel for a full tea run so you never walk home to refill.
- Turn it off between trees. It burns fuel while it idles, so cut the engine on longer walks.
- Pick a dense forest near base. Less walking means more of the tank goes into wood.
- It is loud. Anyone nearby can hear a running chainsaw, so farm with a teammate on watch or in a quiet part of the map.
- It cuts more than trees. A small stash or a sleeping bag goes in about 6 seconds. A wooden door takes about 4 minutes and 19 seconds, the fastest melee option, but still a last resort.
- As a weapon it is a gimmick. 12 damage a hit adds up at point blank, but any gun wins. Keep it for farming.
- Krieg Chainsword. The game also has a Krieg Chainsword, a skin of the Chainsaw with the same recipe and stats.
Fast wood matters most in the first hours after a wipe. See when your server resets on our Rust force wipe countdown, and plan your wood run for wipe day.
Chainsaw FAQ
How do you craft a chainsaw in Rust?
Craft a Chainsaw from 5 High Quality Metal, 2 Gears and 6 Metal Blades at a Workbench Level 2. It takes 30 seconds, or 15 seconds at a Workbench 3. Researching it costs 100 scrap at a Research Table.
What fuel does the chainsaw use in Rust?
Only Low Grade Fuel. The tank holds 50, and you refill it by carrying Low Grade Fuel and pressing the reload key. Diesel and crude oil do not work.
How do you start a chainsaw in Rust?
Load Low Grade Fuel with the reload key, then press or hold the right mouse button to pull the start cord. It can take a few pulls. Once it idles, hold the left mouse button to cut.
How much fuel does a chainsaw use?
Facepunch does not list a rate, but player tests put it at roughly 15 Low Grade Fuel a minute while running, so a full 50 fuel tank lasts about 3 minutes. Carry 100 or more for a long wood run.
Is the chainsaw better than the salvaged axe?
For speed, yes. The Chainsaw does about 150 tree damage a second against about 40 for the Salvaged Axe, and it wears out slower per hit. The Salvaged Axe needs no fuel and is quieter, so it is the better everyday tool.
Where can you find a chainsaw in Rust?
Airdrops have a 26.5% chance, locked crates 5.6% and tool crates 1%. During events, Christmas presents (14.3%) and Halloween scarecrows (11.8%) drop them too. The Outpost tools vending machine sells one for about 125 scrap.
Can you recycle a chainsaw in Rust?
Yes. A monument recycler returns 3 High Quality Metal, 3 Metal Blades with a 60% chance of a fourth, and 1 Gear with a 20% chance of a second. A safe zone recycler returns a bit less.
Does the chainsaw need to hit the X on trees?
No. The Chainsaw cuts continuously wherever you hold it on the trunk, so you do not need to line up the X marker like you do with an axe.
What is the item ID of the chainsaw in Rust?
The short name is chainsaw and the item ID is 1104520648. Admins can spawn one with inventory.give chainsaw 1.
Sources
- Rust game files (items and crafting data, October 2026)
- Facepunch Rust wiki: Chainsaw
- Facepunch Rust wiki: Salvaged Axe and Hatchet
- RustClash wiki: Chainsaw