Rust Smelting Calculator
Work out the wood and time to smelt any ore — pick the ore, furnace and amount.
Every ore smelts 1:1 into its output. Wood is the fuel; time is spread across the number of furnaces you run at once. Rates from the current game data.
Smelting rates — wood & time per 1,000 ore
| Ore | Furnace | Large Furnace | Electric Furnace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Ore | 55m 30s · 1,670 Wood | 11m 10s · 330 Wood | 33m 20s |
| Sulfur Ore | 27m 50s · 830 Wood | 5m 30s · 170 Wood | 16m 40s |
| High Quality Metal Ore | 1h 51m · 3,330 Wood | 22m 10s · 670 Wood | 1h 6m |
Per 1,000 ore in a single furnace. Rates sourced from current game data; every ore smelts 1:1 into its output.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much wood does it take to smelt metal ore in Rust?expand_more
In a standard Furnace it is about 1.67 wood per metal ore, so 1,000 ore needs roughly 1,670 wood. A Large Furnace is far more efficient at ~0.33 wood per ore, and the Electric Furnace uses no wood at all — it runs on power.
How long does it take to smelt 1000 metal ore?expand_more
About 55 minutes in a single Furnace (3.33 seconds per ore), or around 11 minutes in a Large Furnace. Running several furnaces at once splits the time — two furnaces halve it.
Is the Large Furnace worth it?expand_more
Yes, by a wide margin. It smelts far faster and uses less wood per ore than a standard Furnace. The catch is it costs more to build and can not be picked up, but for serious farming it is the standard.
What does the Electric Furnace do differently?expand_more
It smelts using electricity instead of wood — no fuel to feed and no charcoal produced. It is slower per ore than a Large Furnace and needs a power setup, but it is hands-off once wired.
Related guides
A wipe-day-to-endgame Rust progression roadmap: scrap first, WB1 to WB3, first gun to AK, then C4 raids. Do it in this order.
How Rust plant genetics actually work: the 6 genes, crossbreeding, cloning a god clone, and the best crops to farm. Real tactics, no fluff.