Rust 3x3 Base Design (2026)
For duos & trios · 3x3 footprint, two storeys, stone throughout
A classic mid-size core — nine ground tiles for workbenches, furnaces and storage, with room for a central loot room protected by honeycomb.
3x3 Base build cost
The reference build we cost is a 3x3 footprint, two storeys, stone throughout — 51 building blocks plus doors and a tool cupboard. Every rate below is what the game charges for that piece: the twig it is placed as, then the upgrade. A floor or roof costs half a wall, a doorway or window 70%.
| Piece | Qty | Cost each |
|---|---|---|
| Stone foundation | 9 | 50 wood + 300 stone |
| Stone floor | 9 | 25 wood + 150 stone |
| Stone wall | 21 | 50 wood + 300 stone |
| Stone doorway | 3 | 35 wood + 210 stone |
| Stone roof | 9 | 25 wood + 150 stone |
| Sheet metal door | 3 | 150 metal frags |
| Tool cupboard | 1 | 1,000 wood |
| Total | 12,330 stone · 450 metal frags · 3,055 wood | |
3x3 Base upkeep
Rust bills upkeep by building-block count: 10% of build cost per day for the first 15 blocks, 15% for the next 50, 20% for the next 125 and 33.3% after that. At 51 blocks this design pays a blended 13.5% a day, doors included; the tool cupboard itself costs nothing to keep.
Over a full seven-day wipe cycle that is 11,676 stone, 427 metal frags — the number worth checking before you commit to a size. Work out how long your TC lasts.
What it costs to raid
Cost of the cheapest route from outside to the loot room, searched by the base planner on the exact piece list above — doors included, because a door on the outside is what a raider actually breaks.
| Raider has to break | Rockets | C4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1× Sheet Metal Door | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 |
That is 2,800 sulfur in rockets, or 2,200 sulfur in C4. The cheapest method that can break the whole path is 63× explosive 5.56 ammo at 1,575 sulfur. Compare every explosive.
Pros
- checkGreat storage
- checkCentral protected loot room
- checkPopular, well-documented layouts
Cons
- closeMore upkeep than a 2x2
Keep the tool cupboard in an unreachable core tile so it can't be accessed early in a raid.
Building and raid data verified against Livestock. The piece list above is our reference build for this archetype, published so the totals can be checked — your own layout will differ.
Compare with other designs
Related guides
A no-BS Rust base building guide: building tiers, upkeep, tool cupboards, bunkers, airlocks and honeycomb, plus the raid costs that actually matter.
A real player's Rust raid guide: exact sulfur costs per structure, C4 vs rockets vs satchels vs eco raiding, online/offline tactics and defence.