What Rust items return when recycled

A Rust recycler breaks an item into a fixed share of the resources it was made from — most usefully scrap, metal fragments and high quality metal. RustTools holds recycler output for 770 items across 14 categories, and the table below publishes the components, the category that produces the most scrap per stack.

Two recyclers exist and they are not equivalent. The Radtown recycler found at monuments runs a cycle every 5 seconds and gives the full yield. The Safe Zone recycler at Outpost and Bandit Camp runs slower, at 8 seconds a cycle, and returns a reduced amount — a dedicated lower yield where the item defines one, otherwise roughly two thirds of the Radtown figure.

Output is always rounded down. Recycling one item that returns a fractional amount can therefore give nothing at all, which is why recycling in full stacks returns noticeably more than recycling piece by piece.

Working out a specific case? Recycling calculator →

Quick answers

Items in the data set
770 recyclable items across 14 categories, including 57 components.
Radtown recycler
Full yield, one cycle every 5 seconds. Found at monuments; the recycler to use whenever it is safe to.
Safe Zone recycler
Reduced yield and one cycle every 8 seconds, at Outpost and Bandit Camp. Safe from other players, but noticeably worse per item.
Rounding
Rust floors recycler output. A part-resource result is dropped entirely, so partial stacks waste material.
Highest scrap yield
Jackhammer returns 36 scrap per item in a Radtown recycler — the most of anything in the game.
Cycle billing
Some items recycle several at a time in one cycle, so the time cost scales per cycle, not per item.

Recycler output for all 57 Rust components

Components are the densest scrap source in Rust and the items most often recycled deliberately. Radtown is the full monument recycler yield; Safe Zone is the reduced Outpost and Bandit Camp yield.

What each of the 57 components in Rust returns when recycled, at a monument (Radtown) recycler and at the reduced-yield Safe Zone recyclers in Outpost and Bandit Camp. Output is always rounded down.
ComponentRadtown recyclerSafe Zone recycler
Accelerated Workbench Upgrade3 Gears2 Gears
Armored Cockpit Vehicle Module75 Metal Fragments, 2 High Quality Metal60 Metal Fragments, 2 High Quality Metal
Armored Passenger Vehicle Module75 Metal Fragments, 2 High Quality Metal60 Metal Fragments, 2 High Quality Metal
Burst Module6 High Quality Metal4 High Quality Metal
Camper Vehicle Module87 Metal Fragments, 62 Wood70 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood
Cockpit Vehicle Module75 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood60 Metal Fragments, 40 Wood
Cockpit With Engine Vehicle Module75 Metal Fragments, 2 High Quality Metal, 50 Wood60 Metal Fragments, 2 High Quality Metal, 40 Wood
Comfort Workbench Upgrade60 Wood, 18 Cloth40 Wood, 12 Cloth
Defensive Workbench Upgrade60 Metal Fragments40 Metal Fragments
Duct Tape3 Cloth2 Cloth
Efficiency Workbench Upgrade1 Gears1 Gears
Electric Fuse24 Scrap16 Scrap
Empty Propane Tank1 Scrap, 60 Metal Fragments40 Metal Fragments
Engine Vehicle Module50 Metal Fragments, 1 High Quality Metal40 Metal Fragments, 1 High Quality Metal
Flatbed Vehicle Module50 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood40 Metal Fragments, 40 Wood
Fuel Tank Vehicle Module87 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood70 Metal Fragments, 40 Wood
Gears12 Scrap, 15 Metal Fragments8 Scrap, 10 Metal Fragments
High Quality Carburetor102 Metal Fragments68 Metal Fragments
High Quality Crankshaft72 Metal Fragments48 Metal Fragments
High Quality Pistons72 Metal Fragments48 Metal Fragments
High Quality Spark Plugs72 Metal Fragments48 Metal Fragments
High Quality Valves72 Metal Fragments48 Metal Fragments
Large Flatbed Vehicle Module75 Metal Fragments, 75 Wood60 Metal Fragments, 60 Wood
Low Quality Carburetor24 Metal Fragments16 Metal Fragments
Low Quality Crankshaft15 Metal Fragments10 Metal Fragments
Low Quality Pistons15 Metal Fragments10 Metal Fragments
Low Quality Spark Plugs15 Metal Fragments10 Metal Fragments
Low Quality Valves15 Metal Fragments10 Metal Fragments
Medium Quality Carburetor60 Metal Fragments40 Metal Fragments
Medium Quality Crankshaft42 Metal Fragments28 Metal Fragments
Medium Quality Pistons42 Metal Fragments28 Metal Fragments
Medium Quality Spark Plugs42 Metal Fragments28 Metal Fragments
Medium Quality Valves42 Metal Fragments28 Metal Fragments
Metal Blade2 Scrap, 18 Metal Fragments1 Scrap, 12 Metal Fragments
Metal Pipe6 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal4 Scrap
Metal Spring12 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal8 Scrap
MLRS Aiming Module60 Metal Fragments, 2 Tech Trash40 Metal Fragments, 1 Tech Trash
Passenger Vehicle Module87 Metal Fragments, 62 Wood70 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood
Prototype Workbench Upgrade1 Tech Trash, 1 GearsNothing
Range Workbench Upgrade30 Metal Fragments20 Metal Fragments
Rear Seats Vehicle Module75 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood60 Metal Fragments, 40 Wood
Recycle Bin Workbench Upgrade60 Metal Fragments40 Metal Fragments
Reinforced Workbench Upgrade1 Sheet Metal1 Sheet Metal
Rifle Body30 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal20 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal
Road Signs6 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal4 Scrap
Rope18 Cloth12 Cloth
Salvage Workbench Upgrade24 Scrap, 3 Gears16 Scrap, 2 Gears
Semi Automatic Body18 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal, 90 Metal Fragments12 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal, 60 Metal Fragments
Sewing Kit12 Cloth, 1 Rope8 Cloth, 1 Rope
Sheet Metal9 Scrap, 120 Metal Fragments, 1 High Quality Metal6 Scrap, 80 Metal Fragments
SMG Body18 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal12 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal
Sticks12 Wood8 Wood
Storage Vehicle Module25 Metal Fragments, 62 Wood20 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood
Surplus Workbench Upgrade3 Gears, 1 Metal Spring2 Gears, 1 Metal Spring
Tarp60 Cloth40 Cloth
Taxi Vehicle Module87 Metal Fragments, 62 Wood, 2 High Quality Metal70 Metal Fragments, 50 Wood, 2 High Quality Metal
Tech Trash24 Scrap, 1 High Quality Metal16 Scrap

Frequently asked questions

What gives the most scrap when recycled in Rust?

Jackhammer gives the most scrap of any single item — 36 scrap in a Radtown recycler. After it, the highest scrap returns come from Rifle Body (30), Tree Lights (30), Electric Fuse (24), Salvage Workbench Upgrade (24).

Is the Safe Zone recycler worse than the one at monuments?

Yes, on both counts. The Safe Zone recyclers at Outpost and Bandit Camp return less material per item and run a cycle every 8 seconds instead of 5. You trade yield and time for not being shot while you use it.

Does recycling round up or down in Rust?

Down, always. A yield that works out to a fraction of a resource is discarded rather than rounded up, so recycling a single item can return nothing where a full stack of the same item returns a useful amount.

How long does a Rust recycler take?

One cycle every 5 seconds at a Radtown recycler and every 8 seconds at a Safe Zone recycler. Several items are processed per cycle for some stacks, so a full stack is much faster than the per-item time suggests.

Can you get high quality metal from recycling?

Yes. High quality metal is one of the standard recycler outputs and comes mainly from components and from tier-three items — the table on this page marks every component that returns it.

Do all items in Rust recycle?

No. 770 items have recycler output in this data set, but raw resources, most food, and a number of quest and cosmetic items return nothing. The recycling calculator shows an empty result for those rather than guessing.

Recycler yields are generated from the RustTools recycling data set and regenerated after each balance patch. Values are read from the RustTools game data set, the same data the calculators run on. Data on this page was last verified against Rust in August 2026. Facepunch balance patches can change these values — see the changelog for what has been re-checked. RustTools is an unofficial fan project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Facepunch Studios.