Braided paracord belt

In this tutorial I demonstrate how to make a braided paracord belt.

I really like how braided belts look like. Sadly they are a bit underused and I think this is mostly due to the fact that braids are a pain to end.

Still though, I’d like to show you a few tips and tricks in making a braided belt that may spice up your paracord crafts.

Making a belt is very practical after all. A paracord belt holds a lot more paracord than any bracelet could as well as being an asset. Pants are quite a widespread piece of clothing after all :).

So with that said, let’s first take a look at the braiding technique that was used in making this belt. It is the 11 strand flat braid which I have already covered in the past. I really wanted to try it out and finally I got the chance.

The belt in practice.

So, what are the supplies you will need for this project?

The supplies

Making the belt

You will need 6 strands of one color and 5 strands of another, a total of 11 strands. For this I first determined the length of the belt I wanted, than added 75% more to each strand.

Note that I did not actually cut 11 separate strands. I used cow hitches to attach the core to the buckle. I used 3 double pieces of cord to make the 6 cords on the one side and 2 double cords and one regular one on the other side to make up the 5.

Before I cut I planned out how to attach these cords to the buckle. With the width of the buckle I was using I was able to use 2 cow hitches on each side of the buckle, which meant I was able to attach 8 cords easily. I added the rest as shown in the images below.

The left side:

The right side was done similarly, with the last cord being spliced into itself to secure it.

Before moving on to actually braiding the belt, you need to decide if you are going to use a belt loop. I decided on a braided belt loop made with the 3 pass Spanish ring knot.

Then, the braiding is done to reach the desired length. Belts are usually fitted to the smallest part of your waist. As mentioned, I used the 11 strand flat braid to make the belt.

When done, you can use a belt end tip to easily finish your belt. I’d recommend at least 1 1/2 inch wide tips.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to make or improve your braided belts.

Be sure to see the video for more information as well!