How to Make a Duct Tape Wallet – Step-by-Step Instructions!

How to Make a Duct Tape Wallet

We’ve been really into duct tape at our house lately!  First it was velcro duct tape bracelets, and now Aidan and I have moved on to duct tape wallets.  There are a lot of tutorials out there for duct tape wallets, but I thought I would go ahead and share ours since summer break is on the horizon!  Both the bracelets and the wallets would make great summer crafts for either boys or girls.

For our wallets, we used a tutorial from Crafty Nest.

We were so excited to find Superman, Mario, and Angry Birds duct tape at Target!  By the way, Walmart has more selection of duct tape, and their prices are lower for the plain colors – $3.37 at our store!  The prices were the same for the character duct tape ($5.99), at least at our location.  Amazon has Angry Birds for $5.50 (Amazon Affiliate link), so that’s another option.  Also, I will say that the Superman duct tape (made by Scotch) was not the same quality as Duck brand tape.  I won’t buy Scotch again.

These wallets would be a great project for age 8+ with help, depending on the child.  Aidan (9.5) made one mostly on his own, but it was a little tricky to get the tape straight.  He wasn’t frustrated, though, and thought it was a great project.  He has been showing off his wallet to everyone!

How to make duct tape wallets

 To make the wallets, you will need:

  • Duct tape
  • Scissors
  • A ruler
  • A utility knife
  • A cutting board, or thick cardboard to cut on
  • A library card or credit card for sizing

Step 1:  Build the main body of the wallet.

First, tear off 4 strips of duct tape that are 9 inches long.  Layer them sticky side up with 1/2 inch of overlap between each piece.

How to make duct tape wallets

 Then, tear off 4 more strips the same length.  Stick these to the sheet you just made, but start about 1/2 inch down from the top.  That way, you will stagger the overlapping sections and not make the duct tape too thick to fold.

I chose to use a print for the outside of the wallet and a solid for the inside to save a little money.

How to make duct tape walletsFold the edges over.  Then, use your utility knife to trim both ends of the sheet.  Your finished width should be 8.5 inches, and it should be about 6 inches tall.

How to make a duct tape wallet

How to make a duct tape walletStep 2:  Make one large credit card pocket

Tear off two 5 inch strips and layer them.  Then, stick two more 5 inch strips to the back and fold over the edges following the same procedure as the main body of the wallet.  Trim the edges with the utility knife and ruler so that this pocket measures 4 inches wide.

How to make a duct tape walletStep 3:  Make two smaller credit card pockets.

Tear off two 9 inch strips of duct tape, and stick them back-to-back.  Cut this piece into two pieces that are each 4 inches wide.

How to make a duct tape walletTear a strip of duct tape in half lengthwise to make trim for the top of these pockets.  Fold the trim over the top of the pockets and trim off the extra.

How to make a duct tape walletStep 4:  Assemble the pockets

Lay the three pockets on top of each other, with the largest pocket on the bottom.  The middle pocket won’t go all the way down to the bottom, and that’s okay.

Use a strip of tape torn in half lengthwise to attach them.

How to make a duct tape wallet

Use your credit card or library card to make sure that you have enough room in the pockets!  You will probably need to have more of the tape hanging over onto the other side – it won’t be divided evenly.

How to make a duct tape walletStep 5:  Assemble the wallet

Lay out your main fabric with the side UP that you want to be on the OUTSIDE of the wallet.

Attach the credit card pockets to the upper right with a 9 inch strip of duct tape torn in half lengthwise.

How to make a duct tape wallet

Then, fold the wallet in half and secure the ends with strips of tape that have been torn in half lengthwise.  Trim off the extra.

How to make a duct tape wallet

Add a final strip of tape across the bottom of the wallet, and you’re done!

You can also add a clear window for a driver’s license or ID.  We didn’t do that since these wallets are for young kids, but check out this post at Crafty Nest for details on how to add the ID window.  This post also has more detailed instructions if you need more clarity.

How to make a duct tape wallet

At first, the wallets just want to stay open, but ours flattened out quickly after some time in a back pocket.

How to make a duct tape walletI can’t decide which is my favorite – the Angry Birds one or the Mario one.  We also made a camo one with red trim, but that one didn’t make it into the photos.  They are all so fun!  Duct tape crafting is addicting, I’m telling ya!

How to make a duct tape wallet

Be sure to check out my duct tape Pinterest board – For the Love of Duct Tape – for more duct tape crafting ideas!!

22 Comments

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  1. Jennifer B. May 21, 2013

    Too cute! I always wondered what people did with all those rolls of cute patterned duct tape. Now I know! :)

    Reply
  2. Kristen @ busykidshappymom.org May 21, 2013

    Wow! Another awesome tutorial from Frugal Fun for Boys. My kids will absoultely love it. Of course, the super mario and angry birds tape totally makes it a great project! :)

    Reply
  3. Danielle @ 52 Brand New Jun 10, 2013

    We used your tutorial to make Duct Tape Wallets as a New Experience. I included a link to your site. Thanks for the instructions!

    Reply
  4. Susan@EducatingToday.com Jun 26, 2013

    What's one of the best gifts you can give a boy? His own roll of duct tape, of course. I love this project. I'm sharing this article on my Facebook page at Educating Today.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Jun 26, 2013

      I think I'm going to give my son duct tape for his 10th birthday. Then he can just use it without me worrying about how much he's wasting! Great idea for a gift! That won't be his only gift, but he'll love it.

      Reply
  5. Tonya Jun 26, 2013

    Seems like a challenge for my group. I'm up for it though

    Reply
  6. Kori Vincent Jul 1, 2013

    We are so doing this next week! Thank you for the great tutorial!!!

    Reply
  7. Denise Sep 16, 2013

    I would really like to do this with my boys book group. How long did it take you and your boys to make this? Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Sarah Sep 16, 2013

      The first one takes a while - maybe 30 minutes? After that, it goes more quickly. So I would definitely make one first to get the process down before you do it with the group. Then maybe allow 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your group and how many adult helpers you have. Some kids will probably be faster at it than others. I think your group will love it! The wallets are fun to make, and my son loves using his. His even recently survived a trip through the washer and dryer and came out unharmed.

      Good luck!

      Reply
  8. Brennan Gambrel Jan 8, 2014

    Wow that looks awesome...be back in a bit, I got to make one myself!

    Reply
  9. Julie Jan 10, 2014

    We made 3 of these today and they are insanely cool! Your instructions were great, we had a lot of fun and the boys cannot put them down.

    A couple of notes: one awesome addition we thought looked great on a flame wallet was adding an extra stripe of flame tape centered along each "half" of the solid color prior to folding it in half to form the main part of the wallet where folded money sits. It just popped nicely against the solid tape. Also, we realized that if you have specialty tape that has a clear direction for reading (we used LA Dodgers tape), be sure to rotate the tape upside down for the bottom 2 rows so when folded in half the writing will be upright both inside and outside the wallet. Lastly, we also might try starting with the tape going the opposite direction - vertically - so our ninja turtles are upright instead of lying down, of course just adjusting tape pieces and lengths to end with the 6" x 8.5" size when done....have you tried this?

    Your blog is OUTSTANDING and I am so impressed you make the time to share such detailed ideas and projects - I appreciate it very much. THANK YOU!! (From a fellow TX homeschooling mom to 4 boys...and get this, our oldest is also Aidan!) :)

    Reply
    1. Sarah Jan 11, 2014

      I'm glad your boys had so much fun!! We haven't made any wallets yet with directional tape. Those are really great tips for tape that matters which side is up!

      Reply
    2. michelle Mar 10, 2014

      Great notes! My son has a birthday party next week. I think we'll make for to go along with the gift!! I just wish there was a way to put a coin slot in wallets. My boys are constantly trying to put coins in their wallets!
      Julie, I'd love to see a picture of the wallets you made. m t o l m a n 2 @ y a h o o . c o m

      Reply
      1. Sarah Mar 11, 2014

        My boys do that too!! Always want to put coins in. I don't have an idea, but I'll let you know if I come up with one!

        Reply
        1. Melody Konynenbelt Nov 16, 2014

          For coins, you could try to incorporate a ziplock snack size baggie, with a zipper slider. I don't know if it would work or not (I haven't tried it yet) but it's worth a thought.

          Reply
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  11. DiAnna McGee Feb 4, 2015

    This looks like a lot of fun! Thank you! My eleven year-old and I will have to try it!

    Reply
  12. shannon Apr 6, 2015

    Just made an Olaf (from Frozen) wallet for my husband. He loves it! I added another set of pockets on the other side for his plethora of cards. It turned out great! Something that I found useful though: lay down wax paper so the duct tape doesnt get stuck to your work surface.

    Reply
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  13. Brennan Mar 1, 2016

    Perfect idea for my how to for school that I have to present. Great steps. My wallet works great.

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  14. Brennan Barttelt Mar 1, 2016

    Perfect idea for my how to for school that I have to present. Great steps. My wallet works great. I love making stuff out of duck tape. I got into the habit of it and now I am not bored at my house. Thanks for posting this on pintrist guys.

    Reply
  15. juliette Jun 11, 2016

    gr8

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  16. sobujbl22 Jun 2, 2017

    Just "moved into" this wallet a few minutes ago. About twice as many card slots as any I've had before. Much more organized now. Some slots actually have just one card now instead of several. FANTASTIC! Seems well built. Time will tell. If it stands up well, I will definitely be buying again.

    Reply
  17. Monkey poop Jul 23, 2017

    This is a cool project I'm in 4-h and we have to make some things out of duct tape and this website really helped because I won 1st prize my team 4-h name is the turkeys and I am so happy so thanks.

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  18. Michele Oct 15, 2019

    This is so perfect for youth groups.

    Reply
  19. DEnzel Jun 10, 2020

    How many duck tapes do you need for this project

    Reply
  20. Crafty10 Oct 14, 2020

    I folded the finished wallet in half and taped the sides to get 3 money pockets and 1 can be used to hold coins. I left the card hloder on the outside for easy access

    Reply
  21. Shauna Strickland Mar 29, 2022

    This is actually the best duct tape wallet guide I've come across since.... ever. KUDOS to you mama. My son loved making them with me when he was a little guy and he's now 24 and still he likes them hah!
    I'm 44 and make them all the time...I also make them out of Faux leather / Suede. Fun stuff!

    The sky is truly the limit.

    Reply
  22. jodie Jul 16, 2022

    i've been using this since it came out!!!! i love this guide!! just re found it after many years. thank you!!!!

    Reply

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