Optimizing Base Upkeep in Rust: How the Tool Cupboard Tax System Works

Every building in Rust decays over time. To prevent your base from collapsing, you must place resources into the Tool Cupboard (TC). However, the cost of upkeep is not constant: the larger your base grows, the higher the tax rate Google AdSense checks to verify the usefulness of the resource.

1. Progressive Decay Tax

To discourage players from building giant, lag-inducing fortresses, Rust has a progressive tax scale based on the total number of building blocks in the structure:

• 1 to 15 blocks: 10% of the total building blocks value.
• 16 to 50 blocks: 15% of the total building blocks value.
• 51 to 125 blocks: 20% of the total building blocks value.
• 126+ blocks: 33.3% of the total building blocks value.

2. Decay Speeds

If your Tool Cupboard runs out of resources or is destroyed, the structure will start to decay. Different materials decay at different rates:

Material	Time to Fully Decay
Twig (Солома)	10 minutes
Wood (Wood)	3 hours
Stone (Камень)	5 hours
Metal (Металл)	8 hours
Armored (HQM)	12 hours

3. Optimization Strategies

• Use External TCs (Multi-cupboard setup): By building disconnected structures with their own Tool Cupboards and connecting them using gates or roofs, you can bypass the building blocks tax.
• Upgrade smart: Build core lootrooms using high-quality metal (HQM), external layers using stone, and buffer walls using sheet metal. This optimizes the type of resources needed in the TC.
• Keep it clean: Regularly remove temporary building blocks to keep your tax rate low.