- Protection
- Bullets, melee, bites, explosions, radiation, and cold each have their own stat.
- Layers
- Hoodie and Metal Chest Plate use different body layers.
- Heavy Plate
- Requires Workbench Level 2. All 3 pieces have negative Cold protection.
- Radiation
- Hazmat Suit gives 50% radiation protection and covers the whole body.
How to read clothing protection stats in Rust
Each damage type has its own protection percentage. Compare bullets with bullets and Cold with Cold, then check the stat that matters most for the threat you expect.
- Projectile shows protection against bullets.
- Melee shows protection against melee damage; Bite covers bites.
- Explosion shows protection against explosions.
- Radiation covers radiation protection.
- Cold shows protection against cold. A negative value means the item makes you colder.
A helmet protects your head, not your whole body. Compatible items worn in different layers stack their protection on the body parts they cover, so choose chest and leg gear separately.
Player-crafted armor can have one to three slots for armor inserts. The number of slots is random, but Crafting Quality Tea increases your chances of getting more. Inserts come in different types and provide different amounts of protection.
Don't add up the protection percentages from every item you're wearing into one overall character stat. Even if an item shows 100% Explosion protection, that only applies to the area it covers. Your total protection from explosions in-game is capped at 75%.
Which items can you wear together?
There are five equipment slots: head, torso, legs, hands, and feet. The head, torso, and legs each have two layers: clothing and armor. The hands and feet each have one slot for gloves or footwear. Full-body outfits like the Hazmat Suit occupy all the slots at once. You can wear two items that cover the same body part if they go in different layers.
| Item | Body part | Occupied layer |
|---|---|---|
| Hoodie | Body | Clothing |
| Metal Chest Plate | Body | Armor |
| Metal Facemask | Head | Clothing and armor |
You can wear Hoodie and Metal Chest Plate together because they use different body layers. Metal Facemask takes up both head layers. You can’t wear another item if it needs a layer that’s already occupied in the same slot.
Heavy Armor in Rust: Heavy Plate Protection and Cold
Heavy Plate Helmet, Heavy Plate Jacket, and Heavy Plate Pants require Workbench Level 2 and offer strong protection against bullets and melee. But all 3 pieces make you colder. Check Cold as carefully as Projectile.
| Item | Bullets | Melee | Explosions | Cold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Plate Helmet | 90% | 80% | 100% | -16% |
| Heavy Plate Jacket | 75% | 70% | 100% | -67% |
| Heavy Plate Pants | 75% | 70% | 100% | -17% |
Heavy Plate Jacket also gives 47% bite protection. Check the helmet, jacket, and pants separately: each covers a different area, and the jacket makes you especially cold. We wouldn’t pick it for bullet protection alone.
Cold isn't the only trade-off. Heavy Plate slows you down, the helmet limits your view, and you can't aim down sights while wearing the jacket. Since the Breach and Clear update (03.09.2026), the helmet also muffles in-game sounds, while other players can hear you walking if you're wearing the jacket or pants.
Metal Facemask, Chestplate, and Road Sign Armor
Metal Facemask and Metal Chest Plate require Workbench Level 3; Road Sign Jacket and Road Sign Kilt only need Level 2. Compare items that cover the same body part: the mask protects your head, while the chestplate protects your body.
What does Metal Facemask protect against?
Metal Facemask gives 50% bullet protection, 70% melee protection, and 50% explosion protection, but its Cold protection is -4%. The mask takes up both head layers, so keep that in mind when choosing the rest of your gear.
How is a chestplate different from Road Sign Jacket?
Metal Chest Plate gives 25% bullet protection and 20% melee protection. Road Sign Jacket gives 20% for both, plus 40% bite protection. Both are equally bad against the cold, with a Cold value of -34% each.
Road Sign Kilt gives 20% protection against both bullets and melee.
Early Armor: Wood, Bone, and Accessible Helmets
You can craft Wood Chestplate without a Workbench. Bucket Helmet and Riot Helmet require Workbench Level 1, while Coffee Can Helmet needs Level 2. Even early-game gear should match the threat you expect, so compare bullet and melee protection separately.
| Item | Bullets | Melee |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Chestplate | 10% | 40% |
| Wood Armor Helmet | 15% | 25% |
| Bone Helmet | 25% | 40% |
| Bone Armor | 25% | 40% |
| Bucket Helmet | 20% | 50% |
| Coffee Can Helmet | 35% | 50% |
| Riot Helmet | 25% | 80% |
Bullets and melee aren’t the only threats. Wood Chestplate gives 30% explosion protection, Bone Helmet gives 40%, and Bucket Helmet and Coffee Can Helmet each give 50%.
Since the Power Trip update (06.08.2026), the Bucket Helmet offers slightly more protection from bullets and bites than the table shows. It also costs less to craft: 20 metal fragments instead of 35. Facepunch hasn't published the new protection values.
Bone Armor gives 67% bite protection.
Hide gear can also be useful for specific situations. Hide Poncho gives 34% cold protection and 30% explosion protection.
What to wear for cold and radiation in Rust
For warmth, look for items with positive Cold values. Check Radiation separately: Hoodie, Jacket, Snow Jacket, and Wetsuit differ in more than warmth. Hazmat Suit has its own set of protection stats and covers the whole body.
| Item | Cold | Other stats |
|---|---|---|
| Hoodie | +34% | Bullets 20%, melee 15% |
| Jacket | +40% | Bullets 15%, melee 20% |
| Snow Jacket | +67% | Bullets 20%, melee 30%, radiation 20% |
| Wetsuit | +80% | Bites 30%, radiation 15% |
| Hazmat Suit | +50% | Bullets 30%, melee 30%, bites 50%, radiation 50%, explosions 30% |
Hoodie uses the clothing layer on your body, so you can wear it with Metal Chest Plate. Just account for both Cold values: Hoodie keeps you warm, while the chestplate makes you colder.
Since the Power Trip update (06.08.2026), the Snow Jacket offers much better protection from cold and bites than the tables show. Facepunch buffed it for the Arctic, but hasn't published the new values, and the wiki still lists the old ones.
When to choose Hazmat Suit
Hazmat Suit requires Workbench Level 2. We’d pick it mainly for runs where radiation protection matters: of the items listed here, it has the highest Radiation stat. It also protects against bullets, melee, bites, explosions, and cold.
How to choose a loadout from the item tables
As of 08.10.2026, the Facepunch Wiki lists 109 items with protection stats. The tables below show craftable items: armor first, then clothing. A dash means the item has no protection of that type in the data.
Two more sets are available only as loot and can't be crafted, so they aren't included in the tables. Ballistic Armour (helmet, vest, and leg protection, added on 04.06.2026) offers better protection than any craftable armor. Facepunch says it's comparable to metal armor with inserts. BDU (shirt and pants) offers slightly better protection than regular clothing.
| Item | Bullets | Melee | Explosions | Radiation | Cold | Slot | Workbench |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Armor | 25% | 40% | 40% | 4% | — | body, feet, hands, legs | no Workbench |
| Bone Helmet | 25% | 40% | 40% | 4% | — | — | no Workbench |
| Bucket Helmet | 20% | 50% | 50% | 4% | 6% | head | 1 |
| Clatter Helmet | 20% | 50% | 50% | 4% | 6% | head | no Workbench |
| Coffee Can Helmet | 35% | 50% | 50% | 5% | — | head | 2 |
| Heavy Plate Helmet | 90% | 80% | 100% | 7% | −16% | head | 2 |
| Heavy Plate Jacket | 75% | 70% | 100% | 7% | −67% | body | 2 |
| Heavy Plate Pants | 75% | 70% | 100% | 7% | −17% | legs | 2 |
| Hide Poncho | 10% | 15% | 30% | 8% | 34% | body | no Workbench |
| Jacket | 15% | 20% | — | 5% | 40% | body | 1 |
| Metal Chest Plate | 25% | 20% | — | — | −34% | body | 3 |
| Metal Facemask | 50% | 70% | 50% | — | −4% | head | 3 |
| Night Vision Goggles | 15% | 15% | — | — | 4% | head | 2 |
| Riot Helmet | 25% | 80% | 50% | 5% | 6% | head | 1 |
| Road Sign Jacket | 20% | 20% | — | — | −34% | body | 2 |
| Road Sign Kilt | 20% | 20% | — | — | −8% | legs | 2 |
| Snow Jacket | 20% | 30% | — | 20% | 67% | body | 1 |
| Wood Armor Gloves | 7% | 10% | — | 4% | 20% | hands | no Workbench |
| Wood Armor Helmet | 15% | 25% | — | 2% | 6% | head | no Workbench |
| Wood Armor Pants | 10% | 40% | 30% | 5% | — | legs | no Workbench |
| Wood Chestplate | 10% | 40% | 30% | 5% | — | — | no Workbench |
Facepunch Wiki, in-game data from 08.10.2026. Protection shows how much damage an item absorbs; negative cold means the item cools you down. Craftable items only.
| Item | Bullets | Melee | Explosions | Radiation | Cold | Slot | Workbench |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandana Mask | 5% | 10% | — | 3% | 10% | head | no Workbench |
| Baseball Cap | 10% | 10% | — | 1% | 6% | head | no Workbench |
| Beenie Hat | 10% | 10% | — | 1% | 6% | head | no Workbench |
| Boonie Hat | 15% | 15% | — | 2% | 6% | head | no Workbench |
| Boots | 10% | 10% | — | 3% | 8% | feet | 2 |
| Burlap Gloves | 5% | 5% | — | 3% | 17% | hands | no Workbench |
| Burlap Headwrap | 15% | 15% | — | 2% | 6% | — | no Workbench |
| Burlap Shirt | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 27% | body | no Workbench |
| Burlap Shoes | 5% | 5% | — | 2% | 3% | feet | no Workbench |
| Burlap Trousers | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 7% | legs | no Workbench |
| Frog Boots | — | — | — | 5% | 8% | feet | no Workbench |
| Hazmat Suit | 30% | 30% | 30% | 50% | 50% | whole body | 2 |
| Hide Boots | 5% | 5% | — | 2% | 5% | feet | no Workbench |
| Hide Halterneck | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 27% | body | no Workbench |
| Hide Pants | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 4% | legs | no Workbench |
| Hide Skirt | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 7% | legs | no Workbench |
| Hide Vest | 15% | 15% | — | 3% | 20% | body | no Workbench |
| Hoodie | 20% | 15% | — | 5% | 34% | body | 2 |
| Improvised Balaclava | 15% | 15% | 20% | 3% | 13% | head | no Workbench |
| Leather Gloves | 5% | 5% | — | 4% | 20% | hands | no Workbench |
| Longsleeve T-Shirt | 15% | 15% | — | 5% | 40% | body | 1 |
| Miners Hat | 20% | 25% | — | 5% | 10% | head | 1 |
| Pants | 15% | 15% | — | 5% | 8% | legs | 1 |
| Road Sign Gloves | 10% | 15% | — | — | −34% | hands | 2 |
| Shirt | 15% | 15% | — | 3% | 23% | body | 1 |
| Shorts | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 7% | legs | no Workbench |
| Surgeon Scrubs | 25% | 30% | 30% | 15% | 50% | — | no Workbench |
| T-Shirt | 15% | 15% | — | 3% | 23% | body | 1 |
| Tank Top | 10% | 10% | — | 2% | 7% | — | no Workbench |
Facepunch Wiki, in-game data from 08.10.2026.
- Identify the main threat and the protection type you need.
- Compare items that cover the same body part.
- Check the layers to make sure you can wear the items together.
- Check the Workbench requirements.
- Before heading out, check the Cold and Radiation stats on your gear.
We’d choose armor for the specific run. Compare bullet protection for each body part, and watch for negative Cold values if you’re heading somewhere cold.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best armor in Rust?
We wouldn’t name one loadout as the best for every situation. Heavy Plate offers strong bullet and melee protection, but all 3 pieces make you colder. Choose your gear based on the threat, compatible layers, and conditions for the run.
How much protection does Metal Facemask give?
Metal Facemask gives 50% bullet protection, 70% melee protection, and 50% explosion protection. Its Cold protection is negative: -4%. It requires Workbench Level 3 and occupies both head layers.
Why does heavy armor make you cold?
Every Heavy Plate piece makes you colder because it has a negative Cold value. Heavy Plate Helmet has -16%, Heavy Plate Jacket has -67%, and Heavy Plate Pants has -17%. Check the jacket especially carefully before a run in the cold.
What should you wear for radiation?
Hazmat Suit gives 50% radiation protection, covers your whole body, and requires Workbench Level 2. Snow Jacket gives 20%, and Wetsuit gives 15%. Compare Radiation values for a run where that matters.
