The locker is the storage item built for your gear. It holds three full sets of clothing, armour and hotbar items, and one button swaps a whole set onto your character in a single click. If you die a lot, roam with different kits, or share a base with teammates, it saves a lot of dragging items around.
This Rust locker guide covers what a locker costs, how its 42 slots are laid out, how the loadout swap works, how to lock it, how much health it has, what it takes to destroy one, and how it compares to a large wood box.
Locker Cost in Rust
The locker is a Workbench Level 2 item, so it usually shows up in a base a day or two into a wipe.
| Stat | Locker |
|---|---|
| Craft cost | 100 metal fragments + 50 wood |
| Workbench | Level 2 |
| Craft time | 30 seconds (15 seconds at a Workbench Level 3) |
| Research cost | 30 scrap |
| Slots | 42 (3 loadouts of 14) |
| Health | 500 HP |
| Lockable | Yes, code lock or key lock |
| Storage adaptors | Up to 3 |
| Stack size | 1 |
| Repair cost | 20 metal fragments + 10 wood |
| Recycler | 60 metal fragments + 30 wood (40 + 20 at a safe zone recycler) |
| Decay | About 4 days outside tool cupboard range |
| Despawn time (dropped) | 20 minutes |
| Item shortname | locker (ID -110921842) |
Locker Blueprint
The locker is not a default blueprint. You can learn it two ways:
- Research table: put a locker and 30 scrap into a research table. A teammate who already knows it can craft one for you to research.
- Tech tree: unlock it on the Workbench Level 2 tech tree. The node costs the same 30 scrap, but you have to buy the nodes before it first.
Since November 2025 research prices are 15, 30, 60 or 120 scrap, and the locker sits in the 30 scrap group. Older guides that say 75 scrap are from before that change.
How Many Slots Does a Locker Have?
A locker has 42 slots. They are split into three loadouts, and each loadout has 14 slots that mirror your character:
| Part of each loadout | Slots | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | 7 | Only clothing and armour, like a metal facemask, chest plate, kilt, boots and gloves |
| Backpack | 1 | Only a backpack, such as the large backpack |
| Belt | 6 | Anything, usually your gun, meds, food and tools |
| Total per loadout | 14 | |
| Total locker | 42 | 3 loadouts |
When lockers were added in 2017 they had 36 slots (3 groups of 12). The backpack slot came in 2023 and 2024 with parachutes and backpacks, which brought it to 42. The clothing slots only take clothing, so a locker is a poor place to dump loose loot. Use a box for that.
How the Locker Loadout Swap Works
- Open the locker by looking at it and pressing your use key.
- Pick a loadout. Each of the three rows has its own swap button.
- Press swap. Everything you are wearing and everything on your belt goes into that row, and whatever was stored there goes onto your character.
The swap goes both ways, so your old gear is never lost: it just moves into the locker. That makes it easy to keep a farming kit, a PvP kit and a roaming armour kit side by side, and to gear up straight after a death. Items in your main inventory (the 24 slots above your belt) do not move.
Locking a Locker
A locker takes a code lock or a key lock, just like a box. Opening it does not need tool cupboard access, so an unlocked locker in a base anyone can walk into is free gear for them. Always lock it.
Lockers also accept up to three storage adaptors, one per loadout row, so an industrial conveyor can fill or empty them. Most players never need that, but clans use it to restock kits automatically.
How to Destroy a Locker
| Tool | Amount | Sulfur / note |
|---|---|---|
| Molotov Cocktail | 2 | No sulfur, about 19 seconds of burning |
| Fire arrows | 12 | No sulfur, from a hunting bow |
| Satchel Charge | 1 | 480 sulfur |
| F1 Grenade | 7 | 420 sulfur |
| Beancan Grenade | 8 | 960 sulfur |
| Explosive 5.56 ammo | 50 | 1,250 sulfur from an AK |
| C4 | 1 | 2,200 sulfur, overkill |
| Rocket | 2 | 2,800 sulfur, overkill |
| Hatchet | 1 | About 36 seconds of hits |
| Salvaged Hammer | 1 | About 17 seconds of hits |
| Jackhammer | 1 | About 10 seconds |
In a raid you are already inside, so melee is the cheap way through: a salvaged hammer kills a locker in about 17 seconds. Destroying a locker destroys part of the gear inside it, so raiders usually break it with melee rather than explosives. If you are defending, that also means the locker buys you very little time.
Locker vs Large Wood Box vs Wood Storage Box
| Item | Cost | Workbench | Slots | HP | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locker | 100 frags, 50 wood | Level 2 | 42 (gear only in 21 of them) | 500 | Kits and armour |
| Large Wood Box | 250 wood, 50 frags | None | 48 | 300 | Bulk loot |
| Wood Storage Box | 100 wood | None | 18 | 150 | Early wipe, small stashes |
| Drop Box | 200 frags | Level 1 | 16 + 1 | 100 | Mail and shared deposits |
A large wood box holds more and is cheaper, so it stays the best place for resources and loot. The locker wins for gear: it has more health, it keeps each kit in order, and the swap button saves time after every fight.
Rust Locker Tips
- Locker by the bed. Put it right next to the bed or sleeping bag you respawn on in your base, so you can kit up in one click.
- Always code lock it. No TC access is needed to open it.
- Three kits. A common setup is PvP, farming and a cheap roam kit.
- One per teammate. In a group, give each player their own locker so kits do not get mixed.
- Recycle spares. A locker recycles into 60 metal fragments and 30 wood.
- Not for loose loot. Half the slots only take clothing, so use a large box for resources.
Lockers can be skinned. The Apotheosis of War Locker was on the Rust Item Store in September 2026, and there are more on the Steam Workshop. See the Rust skins guide for how skins work. The Apartment Complex rooms also come with a locker, see the Apartment Complex guide.
Rust Locker FAQ
How much does a locker cost in Rust?
A locker costs 100 metal fragments and 50 wood at a Workbench Level 2. It takes 30 seconds to craft, or 15 seconds at a Workbench Level 3.
How many slots does a locker have in Rust?
42 slots, split into 3 loadouts of 14. Each loadout has 7 clothing slots, 1 backpack slot and 6 belt slots.
How do you use the locker swap in Rust?
Open the locker and press the swap button on one of the three loadouts. Your worn clothing and belt go into that loadout, and the gear stored there goes onto your character.
How much scrap is the locker to research?
30 scrap at a research table. It is also on the Workbench Level 2 tech tree for the same 30 scrap node price.
Can you put a code lock on a locker in Rust?
Yes. A locker takes a code lock or a key lock. Opening it does not need tool cupboard access, so always lock it.
How many HP does a locker have in Rust?
500 HP. It takes 1 satchel charge, 1 C4, 2 rockets, 2 molotovs or about 17 seconds with a salvaged hammer to destroy.
Is a locker better than a large wood box?
For gear, yes: it keeps kits in order, has 500 HP and swaps a full kit in one click. For loot, no: a large wood box has 48 open slots and costs less.
Sources and Further Reading
- Recipes, recycling, health and damage numbers: rustlabs item data
- Facepunch Rust Wiki, Locker
- Facepunch Devblog 151, lockers added
- Physgun, Locker
- Every item ID: Rust item IDs list