Crates/Crate values

This page is devoted to figuring the value of crate contents. If you're not into the subtotals, you can skip to the Recap at the end. Wiki editors can examine the formulas in the source.

Crate contents
Crates of all types have contents according to a loose formula. Few of the contents are guaranteed, but when opening many crates, all of them will show up in the gathered loot.


 * Coins can be found in any crate, and for all types of crates, the average coins received exceeds the average sale price of all other contents.
 * Metal ores and bars:
 * Any crate can contain bars, but only Wooden crates contain ores.
 * Before Hardmode, only pre-Hardmode metals will be dropped; in Hardmode, the odds and numbers for all metals will change drastically, but Hardmode metals will not only appear, but be favored.This raises the average metal value for Hardmode crates.
 * Wooden and Iron crates can contain any metal, but higher-tier crates omit low-tier metals. Biome crates lack Copper/Tin, while Golden crates lack not only those but also Iron/Lead and Cobalt/Palladium.  This raises their metal value, especially for Golden crates in Hardmode.
 * For any given tier of crate, all pre-Hardmode metals which do appear, will appear with equal chance and number, and likewise for all Hardmode metals.  This includes the "alternate" metals for each tier.
 * Buff potions. The particular potions and their number vary, but all such buff potions sell for.
 * Wooden and biome crates can contain one item from a list of rare "special" items. In the case of the Dungeon crate, this item comes by way of a Golden Lock Box, which can also offer more money (averaging about half a gold per crate) and other items.  These items mostly duplicate the items offered by corresponding chests placed in the world; while many of them are significant to early-game progression, they are still pre-Hardmode items, and not hugely valuable, even before prorating for their chance to appear.
 * Various miscellaneous items, including Healing and Mana potions and Fishing Bait, both of various tiers according to the crate tier. This subtotal also includes any other "rare" items which have their own drop chance, instead of being part of the "special" list -- these add significant value only for the iron and gold crates, which lack a "special" list entirely.
 * In Hardmode, beside the above changes in metals, some crates will offer additional items with their own drop chances.

Initial values for ores, bars, and "special list" items are simple averages of the list -- that is, one item from the list. Again, healing/mana potions aren't on the main potion list, but go with the "misc" items; similarly, "specials" are only the main list for the crate type, anything with its own chance to appear goes in "misc". "Pro-rated" values are adjusted for chance-to-hit and number given. Crate values are averages per crate.

Partial Sums

 * average of 1 ore, all pre-hardmode "basic" metals:
 * average of 1 ore, all Hardmode "basic" metals:
 * average of 1 bar, all pre-hardmode "basic" metals:
 * average of 1 bar, all Hardmode "basic" metals:
 * average of 1 "special item", wood-crate list:
 * pro-rated share for cash in a wood crate:
 * pro-rated share for other items in a wood crate:
 * pro-rated share for Hardmode-only items (besides ores/bars) in a wood crate:
 * Metal average yield for wood crate, Pre-Hardmode:  ore and  bars among 8 metals
 * Metal average yield for wood crate, Hardmode:  ore and  bars among 8 early metals,  ore and  bars among 6 late metals

Final Values

 * Wooden Crate, pre-hardmode average value:
 * Wooden Crate, Hardmode average value:

Partial Sums

 * Iron Specials: No list items
 * Iron Cash, pro-rated:
 * Iron Misc, pro-rated:
 * Iron Hard, pro-rated:
 * Metal average yield for Iron crate, Pre-Hardmode: bars among 8 metals
 * Metal average yield for Iron crate, Hardmode: bars among 8 early metals,  bars among 6 late metals

Final Values

 * Iron Crate pre-Hard:
 * Iron Crate Hardmode:

Biome Crates

 * Jungle Crate
 * Sky Crate
 * Corrupt Crate
 * Crimson Crate
 * Hallowed Crate
 * Dungeon Crate

Partial Sums
Biome crates don't include Tin or Copper.
 * Early bars (no Tin/Copper):
 * Late Bars: Same as Wood/Iron
 * Biome Potions: Same as Iron
 * Hardmode: None in common except the bars, some biomes have hardmode bonuses (see below).
 * Biome (common) Misc, pro-rated:
 * Biome (common) Cash, pro-rated:
 * Metal average yield for Biome crate, Pre-Hardmode: bars among 6 metals
 * Metal average yield for Biome crate, Hardmode: bars among 6 early metals,  bars among 6 late metals


 * Biome (common) Value, pre-Hard:
 * Biome (common) Value, Hardmode:


 * Jungle Specials:
 * Sky Specials:
 * Corrupt Specials:
 * Crimson Specials:
 * Hallowed Specials: none
 * Dungeon Specials: via Lockbox.
 * Lockbox Specials
 * Lockbox Potions:
 * Lockbox Misc pro-rated:
 * Lockbox Cash pro-rated:
 * Lockbox value:
 * Corrupt Hard, pro-rated:
 * Crimson Hard, pro-rated:
 * Hallowed Hard, pro-rated:

Final Values

 * Jungle Value:  /
 * Sky Value:  /
 * Dungeon Value: /
 * Corrupt Value: /
 * Crimson Value: /
 * Hallowed Value: /

Partial Sums
Golden crates provide only the top four (two tiers) of pre-Hardmode and Hardmode metals.
 * Average 1 bar from Gold Crate pre-Hardmode bars:
 * Average 1 bar from Gold Crate Hardmode bars:
 * Gold Specials: No list items
 * Gold Cash pro-rated:
 * Gold Misc, pro-rated:
 * Gold Hard, pro-rated:
 * Metal average yield for Gold crate, Pre-Hardmode: bars among 4 early metals
 * Metal average yield for Gold crate, Hardmode: bars among 4 early metals,  bars among 4 late metals

Golden crates are the only crates with a chance of being rolled "empty", because they don't always have at least bait. Such crates are re-rolled, which in theory should add about 4% to the average returns.

Final Values

 * Gold Crate pre-Hard:
 * Gold Crate Hardmode:

Recap
To summarize the table above:

Wooden crates are worth about 1&frac14; gold, up to 1&frac12; in Hardmode. Gold crates go from 6&frac34; to 8&frac12;. Biome and Iron crates are about 3 gold each, give or take a quarter- or half-gold for Hardmode or its lack. Dungeon crates are biome crates with an extra half-gold from their lockbox.

In all cases, the majority of crate value is in coin, and the coin alone vastly exceeds the sale prices for unopened crates.