Quick answer
Rags are basic cloth strips used for emergency medical treatment and survival crafting. They are extremely useful early because they can stop bleeding, but untreated rags can cause wound infection, so disinfecting them is recommended when possible.
In-game description
“An assortment of torn rags.”
Main Uses
How to use this item
Stop bleeding
Use rags when your character is bleeding and you do not have a bandage. They can save your life early, but they should be disinfected when possible.
- Keep rags in your inventory or quick slot.
- Use them when your character is bleeding.
- Hold the action until the wound is fully treated.
- Watch your blood level after the bleeding stops.
Disinfect before use
Rags are not automatically safe. Disinfect them with Alcoholic Tincture, Iodine Tincture, or Disinfectant Spray before treating wounds when possible.
- Find a disinfectant item.
- Combine it with the rags.
- Use the disinfected rags to treat bleeding more safely.
Craft from clothing
Many clothing items can be cut into rags with a sharp tool. This makes rags one of the easiest emergency medical items to produce.
- Find spare clothing.
- Hold or equip a sharp tool such as a knife.
- Cut the clothing into rags.
- Keep a few rags for bleeding emergencies.
Use in survival crafting
Rags are used in several basic crafting recipes, including fireplaces, torches, rope, splints, armbands, and improvised clothing.
View related guideGag another player
Rags can be used to gag another survivor. This is mostly relevant in player interaction or prisoner situations.
How to get Rags
- Cut up clothing with a sharp tool.
- Loot civilian areas.
- Search world spawns and basic survival loot areas.
- Check clothing you do not need and convert it into rags.
- Keep extra rags after cutting spare clothing.
Spawn info
- • Rags can spawn as loot, but they are most reliably made by cutting up clothing.
- • Different clothing items produce different numbers of rags.
- • Rags are one of the easiest emergency medical supplies to create early.
Medical notes
Treats
Risks
- • Non-disinfected rags can cause wound infection
- • Untreated bleeding can quickly lead to dangerous blood loss
- • Using dirty rags is riskier than using disinfected rags or proper bandages
Related symptoms
Prevention tips
- • Disinfect rags before treating wounds when possible.
- • Carry bandages when available because they are the dedicated bleeding-treatment item.
- • Quick-slot rags or bandages so you can react faster after taking damage.
- • Check for bleeding immediately after combat, infected hits, animal attacks, or falls.
Crafting and item conversions
How to craft Rags
Used in recipes
Eye Patch / Mouth Gag
Result: Eye Patch / Mouth Gag
Craft Eye Patch / Mouth Gag using Rag.
View crafting guideWraps (Face, Hands, Feet, Head)
Result: Wraps (Face, Hands, Feet, Head)
Craft Wraps (Face, Hands, Feet, Head) using 2 Rags.
View crafting guideTorso & Leg Wraps
Result: Torso & Leg Wraps
Craft Torso & Leg Wraps using 6 Rags.
View crafting guideSplint
Result: Splint
Craft a Splint with 4 Rags and 2 Short Sticks.
View crafting guideFireplace
Result: Fireplace
Craft Fireplace using Wooden Stick and Rags.
View crafting guideImprovised Torch
Result: Improvised Torch
Craft Improvised Torch using Wooden Stick and Rags.
View crafting guideItems that can produce Rags
| Source item | Produced |
|---|---|
| Armband | 1 |
| Baseball Cap | 2 |
| Bandana | 1 |
| Blouse | 4 |
| Raincoat | 5 |
| Canvas Pants | 8 |
| Canvas Pants Short | 3 |
| Face Mask | 1 |
Important notes
- Rags are one of the best early-game emergency items because they are easy to make from clothing.
- They can stop bleeding, but non-disinfected rags have wound infection risk.
- Disinfect rags with Alcoholic Tincture, Iodine Tincture, or Disinfectant Spray before medical use when possible.
- Rags are also useful for crafting fireplaces, torches, rope, splints, armbands, and improvised clothing.
- Many clothing items can be cut into rags, but the number of rags produced depends on the item.
- Rags can be used to gag another player.
- Always keep at least one bandage or rag available before traveling far from towns.