Rust Despawn Times
How long dropped items, backpacks, corpses, and loot stay on the ground before disappearing. Plan your body runs and loot priority.
Despawn Tiers
| Item | Category | Despawn Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assault Rifle (AK-47) | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| LR-300 | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Bolt Action Rifle | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| M249 | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| MP5A4 | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Thompson | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Custom SMG | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Semi-Auto Rifle | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Semi-Auto Pistol | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Python Revolver | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Pump Shotgun | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Spas-12 | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| M92 Pistol | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Compound Bow | Weapons | 20 min | - |
| Crossbow | Weapons | 20 min | - |
| Hunting Bow | Weapons | 5 min | - |
| Eoka Pistol | Weapons | 5 min | - |
| Waterpipe Shotgun | Weapons | 5 min | - |
| Double Barrel Shotgun | Weapons | 20 min | - |
| Revolver | Weapons | 20 min | - |
| Rocket Launcher | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Timed Explosive (C4) | Explosives | 60 min | - |
| Rocket | Explosives | 60 min | - |
| Incendiary Rocket | Explosives | 60 min | - |
| Satchel Charge | Explosives | 20 min | - |
| Explosive 5.56 Ammo | Explosives | 20 min | - |
| Bean Can Grenade | Explosives | 5 min | - |
| F1 Grenade | Explosives | 5 min | - |
| Gunpowder | Explosives | 5 min | - |
| Explosives | Explosives | 60 min | - |
| Sulfur Ore | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Sulfur | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Metal Ore | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Metal Fragments | Resources | 5 min | - |
| HQM Ore | Resources | 5 min | - |
| High Quality Metal | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Wood | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Stone | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Cloth | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Leather | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Low Grade Fuel | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Crude Oil | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Charcoal | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Scrap | Resources | 5 min | - |
| Rifle Body | Components | 60 min | - |
| SMG Body | Components | 60 min | - |
| Semi Auto Body | Components | 60 min | - |
| Metal Spring | Components | 60 min | - |
| Metal Pipe | Components | 20 min | - |
| Gears | Components | 20 min | - |
| Tech Trash | Components | 60 min | - |
| Tarp | Components | 20 min | - |
| Road Signs | Components | 20 min | - |
| Sewing Kit | Components | 20 min | - |
| Rope | Components | 5 min | - |
| CCTV Camera | Components | 60 min | - |
| Targeting Computer | Components | 60 min | - |
| Metal Facemask | Attire | 60 min | - |
| Metal Chest Plate | Attire | 60 min | - |
| Roadsign Armor | Attire | 20 min | - |
| Coffee Can Helmet | Attire | 20 min | - |
| Hazmat Suit | Attire | 20 min | - |
| Burlap Clothing | Attire | 5 min | - |
| Auto Turret | Deployable | 60 min | - |
| Flame Turret | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Shotgun Trap | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| SAM Site | Deployable | 60 min | - |
| Large Box | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Small Box | Deployable | 5 min | - |
| Sleeping Bag | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Tool Cupboard | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Player Corpse | Other | 5 min | Contains backpack |
| Backpack | Other | 5 min | Spawns when corpse looted |
| Dropped Item Bag | Other | 5 min | - |
| Supply Drop | Other | 60 min | After landing |
| Locked Crate | Other | 120 min | 2h after spawning |
| Oil Rig Locked Crate | Other | 120 min | Respawn ~25 min |
| Hackable Crate | Other | 120 min | 15 min hack time |
| Horse | Other | 180 min | After death |
| Minicopter | Other | 120 min | After destruction |
| RHIB | Other | 120 min | After destruction |
| Rowboat | Other | 120 min | After destruction |
| L96 Rifle | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| M39 Rifle | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| HMLMG | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Multiple Grenade Launcher | Weapons | 60 min | - |
| Nailgun | Weapons | 5 min | - |
| Electric Fuse | Components | 20 min | - |
| Laptop | Components | 60 min | - |
| Wind Turbine | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Solar Panel | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Vending Machine | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Research Table | Deployable | 20 min | - |
| Workbench | Deployable | 20 min | - |
Important Notes
- Despawn timers start when an item hits the ground (dropped or from destroyed container).
- Items inside a corpse follow the corpse timer (5 min). Once looted, a backpack spawns with its own 5 min timer.
- Stacking items into an existing ground pile resets the despawn timer for that pile.
- Items in water despawn at the same rate as on land. However, items dropped in deep ocean (no ground beneath) will sink and become unreachable, effectively despawning instantly from a player perspective.
- Some modded servers have different despawn rates — these times are for vanilla Rust.
Understanding Despawn in Rust
When items are dropped in Rust — whether from a player's inventory, a destroyed container, or a player's death — they begin a despawn countdown timer. Once the timer expires, the item is permanently removed from the game world. Understanding despawn times is critical for body recovery after deaths and prioritizing what to grab first.
Despawn Tiers Explained
Rust uses a tiered despawn system based on item rarity and value. Basic resources like wood, stone, and ores despawn in just 5 minutes. Mid-tier items like components and T1-T2 weapons last 20 minutes. Top-tier items including T3 weapons, C4, rockets, and component bodies persist for a full 60 minutes. Special world items like locked crates and supply drops can last up to 2 hours.
Body Recovery Priority
When you die, your corpse despawns in 5 minutes. If someone loots your corpse, a backpack spawns with the remaining items — also with a 5-minute timer. Always prioritize grabbing your most valuable items first: guns, explosives, and rare components. Resources can be re-farmed easily but a lost AK takes real effort to replace.