Damage Calculator
Calculate how many explosives or dino attacks are needed to destroy any structure. All damage values are data-mined and verified. Select a weapon or dino to see per-tier damage and hits needed.
Select a Weapon or Dino
Choose an explosive weapon or a dino from the list to see how much damage it deals to each structure tier
About This Calculator
All damage values, structure health, tier adjusters, and damage type inheritance chains in this calculator are data-mined and verified against the live game. Nothing is manually entered or copied from other sources.
ARK's structure damage system works through a multiplicative adjuster formula. Each structure tier (Thatch, Wood, Stone, Metal, Tek) has its own set of damage type adjusters. When a weapon or dino attacks a structure, the game checks every adjuster entry against the incoming damage type's inheritance chain. All matching multipliers are multiplied together to produce the final damage value.
Displayed damage values assume official PvP server rates (1x damage multiplier). On unofficial servers with modified damage settings, multiply the shown values by your server's structure damage multiplier. Dino damage shown is the base attack value before melee damage percentage scaling. Actual damage goes up with the dino's melee stat.
Explosive Damage Per Tier
| Arma |  Thatch |  Wood |  Stone |  Metal |  Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 C4 Charge | 11,786 | 11,786 | 27,500 | 3,536 | 786 |
| Improvised Explosive Device | 3,525 | 3,525 | 8,225 | 1,058 | 235 |
| Grenade | 795 | 795 | 1,855 | 239 | 53 |
| Rocket Launcher | 7,350 | 7,350 | 17,150 | 2,205 | 490 |
| Tek Rifle | 1,260 | 536 | 294 | 28 | 185 |
| Tek Grenade | 2,625 | 1,116 | 613 | 59 | 385 |
| Cannon | 11,820 | 11,820 | 3,448 | 355 | 39 |
| Cluster Grenade | 795 | 795 | 1,855 | 239 | 53 |
| Explosive Spear | 795 | 795 | 1,855 | 239 | 53 |
Damage values at official 1x rates. C4 includes radial falloff. Dino damage uses base attack values before melee scaling.
Dinos That Can Damage Stone or Higher
Most tamed dinos can only scratch Thatch and Wood. The creatures below have at least one attack that breaks a tougher tier. Handy for offline raiding when you don't want to spend resources on explosives. Tier eligibility comes straight from each species' attack damage type chains, so a dino listed here might still whiff with its basic bite and only connect via a charged or special move.
Damages Tek (and everything below)
6 dinosThese creatures have at least one attack that breaks Tek. Their other attacks may still cap out at Wood or Stone, so the specific move matters (e.g. Magmasaur fireball, Voidwyrm tek beam, Arthropluera acid spit, Dreadnoughtus vomit cannon). Pick the calculator above for per-attack damage.
Damages Stone (max tier)
23 dinosMid-tier raid creatures. At least one of their attacks breaks Stone, but none can dent Metal or Tek. Bring explosives for those higher tiers.
Tier eligibility is the union over every attack a species has. Use the calculator above to see which specific attack delivers the damage against your chosen structure, since basic melee often lands in a lower tier than the flashy ability.
C4 Charges to Destroy a Wall
C4
C4
C4
C4
C4Frequently Asked Questions
How many C4 to destroy a metal wall in ARK?
It takes 3 C4 charges to destroy a metal wall (10,000 HP) in ARK: Survival Ascended. Each C4 deals approximately 3,536 damage to metal tier structures. Metal walls offer the best cost-to-defense ratio for most bases since C4 is the only practical raiding option against them.
What explosives work on Tek structures in ARK?
All explosives can damage Tek structures, but Tek weapons are far more efficient due to the TekProjectile damage multiplier. A Tek Grenade deals 385 damage to Tek (2.2x multiplier), while C4 only deals 786. For raiding Tek bases, prioritize Tek Grenades over conventional explosives.
Which dinos can damage metal structures in ARK?
Only Arthropluera (and its Aberrant variant) can reliably damage metal structures among tameable dinos, dealing 112.5 damage per hit with its corrosive spit. Wild Voidwyrm and the event-only DodoRex also have raid-tier attacks against metal. No other tamed dinos can break through metal or Tek.
How is explosive damage calculated in ARK?
ARK uses a multiplicative damage adjuster system. Each structure tier has a list of damage type adjusters. When an explosive hits, all matching adjusters in the damage type inheritance chain are multiplied together. For example, a Tek Rifle shot multiplies DmgType_Explosion (4.5x) by DmgType_Explosion_TekProjectile (0.075x) against metal, resulting in 0.3375x total.
Can a Giganotosaurus destroy stone structures?
Yes, the Giganotosaurus can damage stone structures, dealing approximately 187.5 damage per bite (1,000 base damage with a 0.1875x stone multiplier). This means a Giga needs around 67 bites to destroy a stone wall (12,500 HP). However, Gigas cannot damage metal or Tek structures at all.
What is the cheapest way to raid a metal base in ARK?
C4 is the most resource-efficient explosive against metal structures. It takes 3 C4 to destroy a metal wall and 15 C4 for a metal foundation. Rockets are an alternative at 4 rockets per metal wall but cost more per unit of damage. Grenades deal only 238.5 damage to metal, requiring 42 grenades per wall.