Want to make a paracord lanyard? Here are 16 free paracord lanyard tutorials, each with real written steps on the maker's own site and no sign-up. There are neck and ID badge lanyards, knife and flashlight lanyards, zipper pulls and key fobs, wrist and camera straps, and two of the classic knots that finish them off. Most use one hank of 550 cord, a clasp and a lighter, and many take less than an hour, so they're great gifts for scouts, campers, teachers, nurses and anyone who's always looking for their keys.
For each tutorial I've noted how much cord it needs, which knot or weave it uses, and the hardware you'll want on hand. A useful rule of thumb: a woven lanyard such as a cobra or snake knot eats about 1 foot of cord per inch of finished weave, while a loose braid or a plain cord with a few knots needs far less. Cut a little long; you can always trim and melt the end.
A safety note for neck lanyards. Anything worn around the neck should come apart if it gets caught. Use a breakaway clasp on every neck lanyard, and always on a child's. A few of the tutorials below build one in.
Beginner neck and ID badge lanyards
Easy first projects for an ID badge, a whistle, a compass or a set of keys.
Paracord Lanyard for an ID Badge — Instructables. A short, four-step project made for holding a work or school badge. You fold the cord, tie it to a key ring and work a cobra-style braid as long as you like. Then you measure it around your neck, run the ends into a release clip, and melt them flat. Add a thin tracer of micro cord through the weave if you want a pop of color.
Simple Scout Paracord Lanyard — Instructables. The simplest lanyard on this list, made for a compass, whistle or mask. The two cord ends are threaded into breakaway clips and held with small overhand knots, then both strands go through a lanyard clasp, knotted at chest height. The loose tails are a nice way to practice square knots and sliding knots, which makes it a good scout or camp-day project.
Adjustable Paracord Lanyard — Instructables. Two 9-foot lengths are centered on a key ring or carabiner and worked in a simple alternating braid until the lanyard fits over your head with a few inches to spare. A square knot closes it, and the ends are cut and melted. Seven clear steps.
Two-Peg Spool Knit Paracord Lanyard — TITAN Survival. A fun change from knotting: 17 feet of paracord is spool-knit on a homemade PVC spool with two cotter pins taped 1¾ inches apart, making a round, i-cord-style rope about 26 inches long. You'll also want a clay stylus or small hook, hemostats and a torch lighter.
Paracord Duck Call Lanyard — TITAN Survival. Two cords of about 10 feet each (orange and camo in the example) are worked in a four-strand round braid. At 27 to 28 inches it's "one size fits all." It's made for a duck call, but it works just as well for a whistle or a compass. The page has a video, and the full written steps too.
Knife, flashlight and EDC lanyards
Short fobs that help you pull a knife out of a pocket, find a flashlight in the dark, or grab a zipper with gloves on.
Paracord Knife Lanyard — Instructables. About 3 feet of cord makes the core, and 7 to 8 feet more is woven over it (the author used 9 feet in all). The core passes through the knife's lanyard hole and is knotted, so you can untie it later, and the weave stops about ¼ to ½ inch from the loop.
Paracord Keychain with a King Cobra Weave — Instructables. A chunky two-color fob: about 7 feet of the main color and a little over a foot of the second. You work a cobra stitch first, then a king cobra layer over it with the shorter cord. It's a good step up once you've tied a plain cobra.
Paracord Zipper Pulls — TITAN Survival. Only 30 inches of paracord, or two 15-inch colors melted together. You pinch a bight about 3 inches from the center and tie a short run of cobra knots. All you need is scissors and a lighter, so you can make a whole bag of these for backpacks, jackets and tents.
Tactical Paracord Zipper Pull — Instructables. The quickest project here: 7.5 inches (19 cm) of 550 cord with the inner strands pulled out, threaded through the zipper and tied with an overhand knot. Heat-shrink tubing over the knot keeps it neat and quiet.
Tactical Maglite Strap — TITAN Survival. A strap for a mini Maglite, made from 6 feet of paracord and a ¾-inch split ring. A blood knot constrictor grips the body of the light, and a zipper sinnet makes the strap. It's a clever way to keep a small flashlight on your hand.
Wrist lanyards and camera straps
Loops that go around your wrist, so your keys, phone or camera don't hit the ground.
DIY Camera Wrist Strap — Cut Out + Keep. Rated "pretty easy" at about 5 minutes. About 27 inches of paracord with seared ends is tied with a lanyard knot into a 7 to 7.5-inch loop. The free end goes through your camera's strap eyelet, and the knotted end goes back through the loop.
Paracord Wrist Lanyard with a Snake Knot — Instructables (Stormdrane). About 4.5 feet of paracord, in one color or two spliced together, makes a 10-inch wrist loop with about ten snake knots and a swivel clip. The snake knot looks like a rounded chain and is easy once you've tied two or three. The author also suggests lengthening it for a neck lanyard or adding a breakaway connector.
Paracord Wrist Lanyard with a Cobra Weave — Instructables. About 5 feet of 7-strand paracord on a swivel clip, with about eight cobra knots (also called a Solomon bar or Portuguese sinnet). A handy tip: melt bright cord in the blue part of the flame so it doesn't scorch dark.
Cross Knot Paracord Lanyard — Instructables (Stormdrane). A lighter, more decorative lanyard: 10 feet of paracord and a swivel snap hook, with cross knots spaced about an inch apart and a short snake-knot section at the hardware. Thirteen well-photographed steps. A split ring, carabiner or snap shackle all work for the clip.
The knots behind a great lanyard
Learn these two and you can finish almost any lanyard on this list.
How to Tie the Diamond Knot (Lanyard Knot) — The Bear Essentials. The classic round finishing knot for a knife lanyard, key fob or zipper pull, in five written steps: a carrick bend weave, the ends brought up through the center, then dressed tight. It's also known as the bosun's whistle knot. A useful warning: it can loosen on slippery synthetic cord, so snug it down firmly and melt the tails.
Box Knot — Instructables. The square box stitch many of us learned at camp with plastic lacing (the boondoggle), tied here in paracord. Two cords cross at their middles and you repeat the over-under square in layers. Eleven steps; the author used it for a key chain, and a few inches of box stitch make a sturdy fob.
Tips for making paracord lanyards
- Use 550 paracord for neck and badge lanyards. It's strong, soft and comes in hundreds of colors. Thinner micro cord is nice for zipper pulls and tracers.
- Seal every cut end. Trim, melt it with a lighter or thread burner, and press it flat while it's warm (carefully). It stops fraying for good.
- Get the hardware first. A swivel clasp, split ring or badge clip and a breakaway connector change how long the cord needs to be, so fit them before you cut.
- Measure on the person. Neck lanyards usually finish at 26 to 34 inches around; wrist loops at 7 to 10 inches.
Frequently asked questions
How much paracord do I need for a lanyard?
It depends on the knot. A simple braided neck lanyard uses about 17 to 20 feet, and a woven cobra or snake-knot wrist lanyard about 5 feet. A zipper pull needs only 8 to 30 inches.
What is the easiest paracord lanyard to make?
The Tactical Zipper Pull and the Simple Scout Lanyard need only an overhand knot or two. For a woven one, the TITAN zipper pull and the cobra-weave wrist lanyard are good first projects.
How do I make a paracord lanyard safe to wear around the neck?
Add a breakaway connector so the lanyard pops apart if it snags. That's important for children and for anyone working around machinery. The ID badge and scout lanyards above both use one.
What knot is used for a lanyard?
The diamond knot, also called the lanyard knot, is the classic finishing knot. For the body of a lanyard, the cobra, snake and box knots are the most popular.
More paracord and knotting projects
Pair a lanyard with one of our paracord necklace patterns or a quick paracord keychain for a matching gift set. If you love knotting, try a paracord hammock, a macramé hammock or a macramé plant hanger. For more small handmade presents, browse our weekend gift ideas and stocking stuffers.
