Your recovery phrase is the one backup that restores everything. A hardware wallet can be replaced in a day; the 12 or 24 words cannot be replaced at all. Paper is where most people keep them, and paper is the weak point: it burns, soaks, fades and gets thrown out in a move. A metal backup fixes that for about the price of the wallet. We have sold every major steel and titanium backup since 2017, so this guide covers how they differ and which one fits each situation.
What a seed backup has to survive
A house fire reaches roughly 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit in a typical room. Floods, burst pipes and damp basements are more common than fire. Then there is the ordinary risk of a card in a drawer being thrown away by someone who does not know what it is. A good backup is fireproof past house fire temperatures, waterproof, and obviously not rubbish. Stainless steel melts at around 2,500 degrees and titanium higher still, so either material passes the fire test comfortably. The differences are in how the words are recorded and how easy it is to get wrong.
Three ways to record the words
- Sliding tiles. Small steel tiles stamped with letters slide into a frame. You spell the first four letters of each word, which is enough for any BIP39 wallet to recover the full word. No tools, reversible if you make a mistake.
- Punching. You use an automatic center punch to mark letters or dots on a plate. Permanent, very durable, and the plate can be thinner because there is nothing to fall out. Takes patience and a steady hand.
- Stamping. You hammer letter stamps into a plate. The most durable method, the most effort, and the easiest to make an illegible mess of on the first try.
Our picks
Billfodl: best all round
The Billfodl is a marine grade stainless steel frame with sliding tiles. You assemble the first four letters of each of your 24 words, close the frame, and it is done in about 30 minutes with no tools. It is the backup we recommend to most customers because it is impossible to make a permanent mistake: if you mis-spell a word, slide the tiles out and redo it. The Multishard version splits the phrase across three plates, any two of which can recover it, for people who want to keep shares in different places.
Cryptosteel Capsule: best for small spaces
The Cryptosteel Capsule is a stainless steel tube. You thread letter tiles onto a core in order, then screw the cap on. It is compact enough to hide almost anywhere, and like the Billfodl it uses tiles, so mistakes are reversible. It holds up to 123 characters, which covers 24 words at four letters each with room to spare.
Trezor Keep Metal: best for Trezor owners
The Trezor Keep Metal is a stamped steel plate for a 24 word phrase, designed by Trezor to match its own backup format. It is punched rather than assembled, so it is thinner and completely solid, and it works with any BIP39 wallet, not only Trezor. A 20 word version exists for Trezor's newer Shamir format.
Cryptotag Zeus: most durable
The Cryptotag Zeus is a titanium plate that you punch with the supplied center punch. Titanium is harder and lighter than steel and survives temperatures that would deform a stainless plate. It is the backup for someone who wants the maximum margin and is happy to spend an evening punching carefully. The Zeus is often out of stock because of demand; the product page shows current availability.
Keystone Tablet: best budget option
The Keystone Tablet is a stainless steel plate with letter tiles from the maker of the Keystone wallet. It is the least expensive metal backup we sell that we would actually trust, and it works with any 12 or 24 word phrase.
How to fill one in safely
- Work somewhere private with no cameras, including a phone on the table.
- Copy from the wallet's screen or your paper sheet, one word at a time. Only the first four letters of each word are needed, and they are unique across the whole 2,048 word list.
- Check it twice, then restore the phrase into a spare or wiped wallet to prove the backup works before you rely on it.
- Store it separately from the device. A thief who finds both has everything.
- If you use a passphrase, do not store it on the same plate.
Where to keep it
A fireproof home safe is the common answer and a good one, as long as the safe is bolted down. A bank safe deposit box is excellent for a second copy. Some customers split the words across two locations with a Multishard. Wherever it goes, tell one trusted person that it exists and what it is for, so it is not thrown away if something happens to you.
Common questions
Do I still need the paper card?
No, once the steel copy has been tested. Many people keep the paper in a different location as a second copy anyway.
Four letters is really enough?
Yes. The BIP39 word list was designed so the first four letters identify every word. Wallets accept the full word when you restore, so type it out from the four letters.
What about 12 word phrases?
Every backup here holds 12 or 24 words. Leave the remaining slots empty.
Buying
All of these ship from The Crypto Merchant in Florida with free US shipping. Most customers add a backup to their first wallet order, and we offer bundles that pair a wallet with a Billfodl or Cryptotag at a lower combined price.
