Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I also describe a DIY method I use personally that requires no special purchases.
Your seed phrase is the master key to your entire crypto wallet. Paper burns at around 230°C. It dissolves in water. It fades over decades. If your seed phrase is only on paper, you are one house fire or one flood away from losing everything permanently.
Metal solves this problem. Here’s how your options compare.
Option 1: The DIY Method (My Personal Choice)
This is what I actually do. I buy small steel washers from a hardware supply store — the kind used in plumbing or construction, costing a few cents each. I stamp each word of my seed phrase onto a separate washer using a metal letter stamp set and a hammer. Total cost: under $15 for everything, including the stamp set.
The result is a set of numbered steel discs, one word per disc, in the correct order. They survive fire, floods, and decades of storage. They look like hardware store washers — which means they attract no attention. I store sets in two separate locations.
The only downside is time — stamping 24 words takes about an hour the first time. After that, the tools last forever.
Option 2: Dedicated Metal Backup Plates
Several companies sell purpose-built metal backup plates — flat steel tiles with grids for stamping or engraving your seed words. These are more organized than washers and easier to read at a glance. Brands like Cryptosteel and Bilodal are well-known in this space.
The advantages are a cleaner result and a more structured layout. The disadvantages are cost (typically $50–$100+) and the fact that a single plate storing all 24 words in one place is a more attractive target if found.
Option 3: Cryptosteel Capsule
The Cryptosteel Capsule is a stainless steel tube that stores letter tiles representing your seed words. It is fireproof, waterproof, and genuinely indestructible under normal conditions. It is also the most expensive option — around $100 — and requires careful assembly.
For users who want a premium, polished solution and are willing to pay for it, Cryptosteel is the gold standard of commercial metal backups.
What Actually Matters
The material: steel is better than aluminum — harder and more resistant to heat deformation. The storage location: any metal backup stored in a single location is still a single point of failure. Multiple copies in multiple locations is the only real protection. The separation: never store your passphrase (25th word) with your seed phrase backup.
My Honest Recommendation
If you want to start today for almost nothing — go to a hardware store and buy washers and a stamp set. It works. I use it. If you want a cleaner, more organized solution and don’t mind spending more — a dedicated backup plate is worth it. Either way, do something. The worst metal backup is still infinitely better than paper.
— Lior H