Shahrukh Sial is a gaming content writer at Sparked Host. He covers game guides, tips, and updates to help players improve their skills and enjoy a better gaming experience.

How To Craft C4 In Rust

If you want to dominate the landscape in the year 2026, you must master the art of the raid. I am here to tell you that nothing says power quite like the timed explosive charge. This high-tier tool allows you to break through the toughest defenses that other players build to protect their loot.

In the world of Rust, players often craft this item because it is incredibly effective for breaking into bases. Whether you are facing thick stone walls or reinforced metal doors, the timed explosive charge is designed to destroy them with surgical precision. It is the ultimate tool for serious raiders. 

I am going to walk you through every step so you can learn how to craft this item from scratch. You will find that having the ability to craft a timed explosive charge changes how you experience the game. It is time to focus on your path to victory. 

What Is C4 in Rust

In the game of Rust, C4 is officially known as the timed explosive charge. It is a powerful, throwable explosive that sticks to surfaces and is specifically designed for structural damage. While satchels are unreliable and rockets provide splash damage, C4 is a concentrated force. 

When you use a timed explosive charge, it does not hurt the surrounding walls as much as a rocket might, but it hits the target it is stuck to with massive force. This makes it ideal for breaking into bases when you know exactly which door or wall stands between you and the loot. It is one of the most respected items in the game because of its high cost and high impact. 

Requirements to Craft C4

Before you can even think about the crafting process, you must understand the steep requirements. You cannot simply find a few rocks and hope for the best. To craft a timed explosive charge, you need specific materials and a high-tier workstation. This is a late-game item, so you must be patient while you gather everything needed. 

What Do You Need to Craft C4 in Rust

To craft a single timed explosive charge, you need the following ingredients: 

  • 20 Explosives

  • 5 Cloth

  • 2 Tech Trash

You must also have a Workbench Level 3 to actually perform the craft. Without these specific resources and the correct workbench, you cannot create the item. 

How Much Gunpowder Is in 1 C4

To understand the gunpowder requirement, we have to look at the explosives. Since one timed explosive charge requires 20 explosives, and it takes 50 gunpowder to make one explosive, you will need a total of 1,000 gunpowder for a single C4. 

You can make gunpowder by combining sulfur and charcoal. I recommend using a mixing table for this part of the process. It is much faster and more efficient than crafting it by hand, especially when you are trying to craft multiple charges at once. 

How Much Sulfur for 1 C4

Sulfur is the most important raw material here. To get the 1,000 gunpowder needed, you will need 1,000 sulfur (1:1 ratio). However, the 20 explosives themselves also require an additional 10 sulfur each, totaling 200 sulfur. This means you need a total of 1,200 sulfur for every single timed explosive charge you want to craft. 

A good tip for farming is to look for sulfur ore nodes in the desert or mountain biomes. I am sure you will find that a jackhammer makes this job much faster. If you want to craft a lot of C4, you should focus your time on mining these yellow rocks as often as possible. 

Scrap Requirement

You cannot just start crafting because you have the materials. You must first learn the blueprint. If you find a timed explosive charge in the world, you can take it to a research table. It will cost you 500 scrap to learn the blueprint from that item. 

Alternatively, you can follow the tech tree on a Workbench Level 3. This is a very expensive path because you have to unlock many other items first. Regardless of the method, once you spend the scrap and learn the blueprint, you are set for the rest of the wipe. 

Crafting Process

Once you have the blueprint and the resources, the actual crafting is quite simple. However, you must follow the steps in order because some materials are items that you also need to craft first.

How to Make C4

The first step is to smelt your ore. You need to smelt your sulfur ore into sulfur and your metal ore into metal fragments. After that, follow these steps: 

  1. Craft 1,000 gunpowder at a mixing table or in your inventory.

  2. Gather 60 low grade fuel and 200 metal fragments.

  3. Go to a Workbench Level 3 and craft 20 explosives.

  4. Once the explosives are ready, ensure you have 5 cloth and 2 tech trash.

  5. Select the timed explosive charge in your crafting menu and click craft. 

Recipe for C4

The recipe is fixed and does not change. To make one timed explosive charge, you must combine 20 explosives, 5 cloth, and 2 tech trash. You should remember that the explosives are the hardest part to get. Tech trash is usually found by recycling items like CCTV cameras or targeting computers, which you can find in various crates around the map. 

How to Craft a C4

I want to clarify that you absolutely must be standing next to a Workbench Level 3. If you try to craft it while standing in the middle of a field or next to a Level 1 workbench, the option will be greyed out. This requirement ensures that only established players with a secure base can produce such a powerful item. 

How to Research C4

If you are lucky enough to find a timed explosive charge in a loot drop, do not use it immediately. Instead, take it to your research table. Put the charge in the slot and ensure you have 500 scrap in your inventory. When you click the research button, the item will be destroyed, but you will receive the blueprint. This is the most common way for players to learn the recipe. 

How to Get C4 in Rust

Crafting is not the only way to get your hands on this explosive. Sometimes, finding one is easier than gathering thousands of units of sulfur.

Getting C4

You can find a timed explosive charge in several high-tier crates. These include: 

  • Elite Crates

  • Locked Crates (from monuments or oil rigs)

  • Supply Drops

  • The Bradley APC Crate (which has a 25 percent chance to contain one) 

You can also get C4 by trading with other players. Sometimes, a group might have extra explosives and be willing to exchange them for high-quality metal or other rare resources. 

How to Farm C4

Farming for a timed explosive charge means farming the components. You need to focus on sulfur nodes for the base power and barrels for the scrap. If you want to mass-produce them, you should set up a base near a monument with plenty of crates so you can find the tech trash you need. 

I am suggesting that you stay active on the map. The more crates you open and the more ore you smelt, the faster you can continue your progress toward a full box of explosives.

How to Get Explosives for C4

To get the 20 explosives required for one C4, you need to craft them at a Workbench Level 3. Each batch of explosives requires: 

  • 50 Gunpowder

  • 10 Sulfur

  • 10 Metal Fragments

  • 3 Low Grade Fuel 

Since you need 20 of these, you must multiply those numbers by 20. It is a long process, but it is the only way to get the primary ingredient for your timed explosive charge.

Using C4 in Rust

Using the timed explosive charge is where the excitement begins. However, if you do not know how it works, you might waste your hard-earned resources.

How to Use C4

To use the timed explosive charge, place it in your belt and select it. Walk up to the wall or door you want to destroy. When you are close enough, click the left mouse button to throw it. It will stick to the surface immediately. Once it is stuck, a timer begins. You have 10 seconds to move away before it will detonate. 

How to Throw C4

When you throw a timed explosive charge, it does not have a long range. It is a heavy item, so you need to be fairly close to the target. It will stick to the first thing it touches. If you accidentally hit a tree or a small deployable item, it will stay there and detonate on that object. Precision is very important here. 

Can You Pick Up a Deployed C4

This is a question many beginners ask. Once a timed explosive charge has been thrown and sticks to a surface, it can technically be picked up by anyone if it has not exploded yet, though it is dangerous. However, most players find it difficult to do once the timer is ticking. If you miss your target and it sticks to the wrong spot, you have likely wasted resources. 

How to Quick Throw C4

In a high-pressure raid, you might want to throw multiple charges quickly. To do this, have several timed explosive charges in your hotbar. After throwing one, you can quickly select the next slot and throw another. This is effective when you need to break through multiple layers of doors before the owners can react and repair the damage. 

C4 Damage in Rust

Knowing the damage values will help you plan your raid. You do not want to bring too little or too much.

How Much Damage Does a C4 Do

A timed explosive charge deals massive damage to a single point. It is C4 useful for breaking almost any structure in the game. A single charge deals 550 damage, making it one of the most destructive explosives for single-target use. 

How Many C4 for Armored Wall

Armored walls are the strongest defense in the game. To break through one armored wall, you will need 8 timed explosive charges. Because armored walls are so expensive to destroy, many raiders prefer to look for doors or weaker paths into the base. 

How Many C4 for Sheet Metal Door

Sheet metal doors are very common in mid-game bases. It only takes 1 timed explosive charge to destroy a sheet metal door. This makes C4 a very fast way to blow through a "door path" during a raid. 

How Many C4 for Stone Wall

Stone walls are the standard for most bases. You will need 2 timed explosive charges to break down one stone wall. While this is effective, some players find that using 4 rockets is a better value since rockets can damage multiple walls at once if they are close together. 

How Strong Is C4

In terms of raw damage to a single object, the timed explosive charge is the strongest item in the game. Compared to satchels, which can duds and have a random timer, C4 is 100 percent reliable. Compared to rockets, C4 is faster to deploy and does more damage to the specific item it is attached to. 

Tips and Strategies for C4

If you want to be a professional raider, you need more than just the items. You need a strategy.

Best Way to Use C4 in Raids

The best way to use a timed explosive charge is to target doors or the center of walls. If you are raiding an online player, you must be very fast. I am recommending that you use C4 for the final push into the core of the base. You can also use a Remote Frequency (RF) system to detonate them remotely if you want to be extra sneaky. 

How Much Does 1 C4 Cost

If we break down the total raw cost for one timed explosive charge, it looks like this: 

  • 1,200 Sulfur (including the gunpowder and explosives)

  • 1,500 Charcoal

  • 200 Metal Fragments

  • 60 Low Grade Fuel

  • 5 Cloth

  • 2 Tech Trash

This is a significant investment of time and resources. You should only use it when you are sure the loot inside the base is worth the cost of the craft.

What’s Cheaper: Explosive Rounds or C4

Explosive rounds are often cheaper for taking out doors, especially if you use a silencer to stay quiet. However, they take much longer to fire and create a lot of noise over a longer period. C4 is much faster. If you value your time and want to finish the raid before the rest of the server arrives to counter you, C4 is the better choice even if it costs a bit more in sulfur. 

Conclusion

Here covered everything you need to know about how to craft a timed explosive charge in Rust as of 2025. We have looked at the resource requirements, including the 1,200 sulfur and the 1,000 gunpowder needed for the explosives. You now know that a Workbench Level 3 is essential and that a research table is the best way to get that blueprint early on.

The timed explosive charge remains the king of raiding when it comes to speed and reliability. It is C4 useful for breaking through the strongest walls and doors that other players can build. Whether you are farming tech trash from crates or smelting thousands of sulfur, the effort is worth it when you finally detonate your way into a rich base.

Remember to be patient and careful when you throw your charges. I am sure that with this guide, you will have a much better experience in your next raid. If you have any more questions about the game or want to share your raiding stories, feel free to leave a comment below. Good luck out there in the world of Rust.