Steel Wallets
Steel wallets to protect your Bitcoin seed phrase from fire, flood, and corrosion.
Billfodl
A secure Bitcoin steel wallet, in business since 2017
Cryptotag Zeus
Titanium seed backup plate. 6mm thick, fireproof to 3000°F. Punch your words permanently.
Cryptosteel Capsule Solo
Stainless steel capsule backup. Uses character tiles to store your seed. Fireproof and waterproof.
Cryptotag Thor
Premium titanium backup with included hammer and punch set. Supports up to 48 words for multisig setups.
Cryptosteel Cassette Solo
The original steel wallet. Stores 12-24 word seeds using letter tiles. Fireproof and corrosion-resistant.
Cryptosteel Seed24
Steel capsule with tamper-evident seals. Designed for 24-word seeds and multisig backups.
Cryptotag Loki
Compact titanium backup plate. 3mm thick with privacy covers included. Supports BIP39 and SLIP39.
Trezor Keep
Trezor's steel wallet. Works with 12-word seeds only. You can buy two for 24 word seeds.
BitBox SteelWallet
SteelWallet is the steel backup wallet made by the same people who make the BitBox02 hardware wallet.
Steel wallets have become the standard for crypto seed storage security. If you are storing your own Bitcoin or crypto seed phrase, a steel/metal wallet is a must-have.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Your wallet seed words allow you to recover your Bitcoins. It's critical to have a secure backup like a steel wallet.
- Steel wallets will protect your wallet seed from corrosion, fire, hackers, rust, water, and more.
- Steel wallets cost between $70 to $415. Spending more typically gets you better materials (titanium) or included tools.
Compare Steel Wallets
| Steel Wallet | Best For | Price | Material | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Billfodl
|
Best Overall | $99 | 316 marine-grade stainless steel | 🔤 Tiles |
|
Cryptotag Zeus
|
Budget Titanium | $129 USD | Aerospace grade Titanium | 🔘 Punch |
|
Cryptosteel Capsule Solo
|
Ledger Users | $99 USD | The Capsule shell is AISI 303 stainless steel. The core, separators, fasteners and character tiles made of AISI 304 stainless steel. | 🔤 Tiles |
|
Cryptotag Thor
|
Premium Titanium | $415 USD | Aerospace grade Titanium | 🔨 Hammer |
|
Cryptosteel Cassette Solo
|
Original Design | 159€ / ~179$ | Stainless Steel | 🔤 Tiles |
|
Cryptosteel Seed24
|
Tamper Evidence | 110€ EUR / ~$125 USD | The Capsule shell is AISI 303 stainless steel. The core, separators, fasteners and character tiles made of AISI 304 stainless steel. | 🔤 Tiles |
|
Cryptotag Loki
|
Compact Size | $99 USD | Aerospace grade Titanium | 🔘 Punch |
|
Trezor Keep
|
Trezor Users | $89 | AISI 304 aerospace-grade stainless steel with black surface treatment | 🔘 Punch |
|
BitBox SteelWallet
|
Budget Option | $71 USD | 303 stainless steel | 🔘 Punch |
What is a Steel Wallet?
Hardware wallets like the Ledger Nano X and Trezor T are popular because they offer a much more secure way to store your Bitcoins or Ethereum than the software wallets you get from crypto exchanges, like a Coinbase wallet.
The downside of hardware wallets is that you can lose all your Bitcoins if you accidentally break or misplace your Bitcoin wallet — or it gets stolen.
That's where the seed phrase comes in. It's a combination of random words that enable you to access your Bitcoins on the blockchain in case you lose access to your hardware wallet.
But private keys and seed phrases can also be a major security risk. Enter the cryptocurrency and Bitcoin steel wallet.
A metal wallet is another cold storage and offline wallet that securely backs up the recovery phrase (another word for private keys and seed phrases) to your other hardware wallets so you never lose access to your Bitcoins.
Benefits of Steel Wallets
You could just write down your private key or seed phrase on a piece of paper and store it in a safe place. But that makes it no more secure than a paper wallet — and that is risky business.
Most steel wallets, on the other hand, are resistant to pretty much any physical threat or natural disaster.
Some examples of threats steel wallets protect your seed from include:
- Corrosion
- Fire
- Hackers
- Rust
- EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) Shocks
- Water
That makes steel wallets almost indestructible. Some manufacturers even go so far as to make videos where they try (and fail) to break them.
Steel Wallet Details
Billfodl
A secure Bitcoin steel wallet, in business since 2017
- Fireproof up to 1,200°C (2,192°F)
- Waterproof and corrosion resistant
- Tool-free tile system (no hammering)
- Reusable — easy to update
- Proven in real house fire
- Only stores seed phrase (not a signing device)
- No tamper evidence included
- Requires secure physical storage
Cryptotag Zeus
Titanium seed backup plate. 6mm thick, fireproof to 3000°F. Punch your words permanently.
Cryptosteel Capsule Solo
Stainless steel capsule backup. Uses character tiles to store your seed. Fireproof and waterproof.
Cryptotag Thor
Premium titanium backup with included hammer and punch set. Supports up to 48 words for multisig setups.
Cryptosteel Cassette Solo
The original steel wallet. Stores 12-24 word seeds using letter tiles. Fireproof and corrosion-resistant.
Cryptosteel Seed24
Steel capsule with tamper-evident seals. Designed for 24-word seeds and multisig backups.
Cryptotag Loki
Compact titanium backup plate. 3mm thick with privacy covers included. Supports BIP39 and SLIP39.
Trezor Keep
Trezor's steel wallet. Works with 12-word seeds only. You can buy two for 24 word seeds.
BitBox SteelWallet
SteelWallet is the steel backup wallet made by the same people who make the BitBox02 hardware wallet.
- A less expensive solution at $71
- Relatively quiet setup
- Reasonably strong
- From trusted hardware wallet maker
- Longer recovery time
- Must throw away and start over if you make a single mistake
- Tiresome to set up
- Not re-usable
Comparison of Various Backup Methods
There are 4 main types of wallet backups:
Metal: This backup is what we are covering in this article — you use some sort of steel or titanium casing or plates to write down your seed phrase.
Paper: Writing down your seed phrase on paper using pen and ink is what most people use before they realize how dangerous it is due to the risks outlined in this article.
Digital: Some store their seed phrase on a USB drive. These digital copies are risky to create and can easily be destroyed or hacked.
Cloud: Some people keep their seed phrase on a text document stored on Google Drive or Dropbox; a dangerous practice since these are third-party services you must trust.
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Steel/Metal | Highly durable, resistant to fire, water, and acts of God. | Can be expensive, risk of physical theft. |
| Paper | Easy and cheap to create, with no digital footprint. | Fire and water damage, and risk of physical theft. |
| Digital | Easy to store and replicate. | Vulnerable to hacking and malware, risk of total data loss. |
| Cloud Storage | Easy to access from any location, usually backed up by a service provider. | Dependent on third-party security, risk of hacking, and unauthorized access. |
Cons of a Steel Backup
It's important to remember that anyone who finds your steel backup will have access to your coins.
After all, the whole point of the steel wallet is to back up a recovery seed which you use to get your bitcoins and altcoins back if you lose your wallet or it is destroyed.
Therefore, you need to make sure that your steel wallet is always somewhere no one else would find it. At the very least, make sure it is somewhere that only people you trust could find it.
You may even want to instruct your spouse or significant others that they can use this device to access your funds in the case of your death.
The point is, steel wallets are meant to protect your Bitcoin seed phrase from destruction by fire and water damage.
How do I back up a Multi-sig?
If you have a multi-sig wallet, you will have several recovery seeds. One of these devices will, therefore, not be enough to back up all of the recovery seeds.
You will need to buy one device for each recovery seed you have. So for instance, if you have a 2-of-3 multisig, you will need to buy three of these backup devices.
⚠️ Important: Do not store all three of your backups in the same place. This eliminates much of the protection that a multisig gives you since anyone who finds one of your recovery seeds has found all of them.
Titanium vs Steel
You may have noticed most of the wallets on this list are made of steel. That is mainly for cost reasons.
Titanium is A LOT more expensive, but it typically has higher heat tolerances than most stainless steels. It is not stronger though.
For these reasons, most wallets opt for some kind of stainless steel because they offer good performance for the money.
Jameson Lopp's Steel Stress Test
Jameson Lopp is one of Bitcoin's most well-known security researchers. He's considered a Bitcoin expert and has been in the space since 2011.
He published a Bitcoin steel stress test report, and these were his main findings:
- Loss Via Destruction/Degradation: Melting points and corrosion resistance are critical for storage devices. Brass is best against fire, while stainless steel excels in corrosion resistance.
- Loss Via Physical Attack: Security against unauthorized access is crucial.
- Crushing: All devices deformed under 20 tons, but only some lost data.
- Optimal Solution: None are perfect, but a proposed design involves titanium rods and multiple engraving methods.
These were extreme tests. Most steel wallets will be good enough for most holders.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Steel wallets protect against physical damage but anyone who finds your backup can access your coins — store them securely. Prices and features may change without notice. Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which help support our research at no extra cost to you.