Protect your electronics with TitanRF™ Faraday Fabric
A Faraday cage is a sealed conductive shell that stops radio energy from reaching whatever sits inside it. With Mission Darkness™ shielding fabric and conductive tape you can build one at almost any size, around a plastic tote, a wooden bin, or a hard case you already own.
Named after a scientist. Governed by one rule.
A Faraday cage is a shielded enclosure that blocks electromagnetic fields, radio frequencies, and electromagnetic pulses. It is named after Michael Faraday, who found that a conductive enclosure could block external electric fields. The enclosure works by distributing charge across its surface so the field does not penetrate the interior.
Everything else in this guide follows from a single rule: the conductive layer has to be continuous. Signal does not pass through the fabric. It finds the places where the fabric is not.
Build against these, not around them
One unbroken surface
Every panel has to be electrically connected to the next. Overlap the fabric at the edges and bond the overlap with conductive tape so the shell behaves as a single surface.
Six sides, no exceptions
Top, bottom, and all four walls. A lid that is only laid on top is not a seal. Openings, handle slots, and hinge gaps all need to be closed or covered.
Two or three, not one
A single layer shields. Additional layers increase attenuation and cover any pinholes or weak seams in the layer beneath. Two to three layers is the practical target.
Nothing crosses the wall
No cable, antenna, or cord may run from the inside to the outside. Anything that bridges the boundary carries signal across it and defeats the enclosure.
A container you already own, turned into a shielded enclosure
The frame does not shield anything. It gives the fabric its shape and protects it from damage. That means a hardware-store tote, a wooden bin, or a hard case works equally well as long as the conductive liner inside it is continuous and the closure seals.
Build the liner so the top overlaps generously. That overlap is what you roll and clamp to close the shell, and it is the part most often built too short.
Tools you will want
Sharp scissors or a hobby knife, a measuring tape, a straight edge, binder clips to hold the liner while you tape, and gloves to keep skin oils off the conductive surface. None of these ship with the fabric.
What you need on the bench
Faraday fabric
TitanRF Faraday Fabric is a lab-certified woven copper and nickel textile that blocks electromagnetic radiation. It is sold by the yard at 44 inches wide, from a single-yard sheet up to construction rolls. Plan on two to three layers.
Conductive tape
TitanRF Faraday Tape secures the fabric to the frame and bonds every seam into a continuous conductive surface. Widths run from 1 inch to 10 inches, in 10-foot and 164-foot lengths. Wider tape covers long seams with fewer joins.
A sturdy frame
Wood or plastic, sized to the devices you plan to store. A manufactured wooden bin, a plastic tote, or a hard case such as a Pelican-style case all work and save you building a frame from scratch.
Padding or insulating material Optional
A non-conductive barrier such as cardboard or foam, placed inside so stored devices never rest directly against the fabric. Anything with sharp edges or corners should be padded to avoid puncturing the material.
Foam gasket and patches Optional
A TitanRF Faraday Foam Gasket gives a resealable lid a tight conductive seal. Keep TitanRF Faraday Patches on hand to close punctures and reinforce corners.
Five steps from flat fabric to sealed enclosure
Work slowly at the seams and the closure. Those are the two places a home-built cage fails.
Size and prepare the frame
Start with a frame that fits the devices you plan to store, plus room for padding and for the fabric itself. Measure the interior and add several inches of height so the liner can extend well above the rim.
If you are building rather than buying, keep the interior corners square and free of protrusions. Screw heads and staples will eventually work through the fabric.
Line and wrap with fabric
Cover the frame with TitanRF Faraday Fabric so it wraps the entire structure with no gaps. Overlap the fabric at every edge, then run conductive tape along the full length of each overlap to create one continuous conductive surface.
Add the second layer over the first and offset its seams so they do not stack on top of the seams below. Tape those seams as well.
Build the closure
The opening is the hardest part of the enclosure and the part you will use every time. The simplest reliable closure is a generous fabric overhang that you fold over on itself two or three times and clamp shut, so conductive surface meets conductive surface along the whole fold.
For a rigid lid, run a TitanRF Faraday Foam Gasket around the rim so the lid compresses against a conductive seal rather than closing onto a hard edge.
Add padding
Place cardboard, foam, or another non-conductive material inside so devices never touch the fabric directly. This protects the shielding layer from abrasion and keeps corners and connectors from working a hole through it.
Power devices down before they go in. A phone that cannot find a network keeps transmitting at full power looking for one, which drains the battery fast.
Test before you trust it
Before storing anything you care about, verify the enclosure with devices you can monitor from outside. Seal a live device inside, try to reach it, and confirm it goes dark. Run more than one test, because different devices use different frequencies and a cage that stops one may still pass another.
If something gets through, check in this order: the closure first, then the seams, then punctures and corners. Re-tape and test again.
Six quick tests you can run at home
Each one checks a different band. Run them all, and run them with the enclosure closed exactly the way you plan to close it in use.
Call the phone inside
Seal a phone in the enclosure and call it from a second phone.
Cut a paired stream
Pair a speaker to a phone, start playing audio, then seal the phone inside.
Silence a strong station
Tune a battery-powered radio to a strong local station and seal it inside.
Lose the fix
Open a map app with a live position, seal the phone inside, then open it again.
Break the link
Seal a vehicle key fob inside and press the unlock button while standing next to the car.
Drop the connection
Start a video call or a continuous download on a device, then seal it inside.
What these tests do and do not tell you
These are pass or fail sanity checks against the signals around your home. They confirm the enclosure is sealed. They do not measure how much attenuation it delivers, and they do not cover every frequency a device might use.
Certified performance comes from lab measurement against a defined standard. Mission Darkness materials and enclosures are independently tested to MIL-STD-188-125 and IEEE 299-2006. You can read more on the testing and certifications page.
The seven things that ruin a home-built cage
Running a charging cable through the wall
A cord crossing the boundary acts as a conductor straight into the enclosure. If devices need to stay charged, use a purpose-built enclosure such as the Window Charge & Shield Faraday Bag rather than piercing a DIY one.
Stopping at a single layer
One layer works, but it leaves no margin. A second and third layer with offset seams covers weak points in the layer beneath and raises overall attenuation.
Trusting a microwave or a metal bin
A microwave door is designed to contain one narrow band, not to block the full spectrum. A metal trash can with a loose lid leaves a continuous gap around the rim. Neither is a substitute for a sealed conductive shell.
Assuming it has to be grounded
A sealed conductive enclosure attenuates radio energy whether or not it is bonded to ground. Grounding relates to static and charge dissipation. It is not what makes the shielding work.
Letting devices rest on bare fabric
Corners, hinges, and connectors abrade and puncture the conductive layer over time. Every puncture is a hole in the shell. Pad the interior and inspect it when you retest.
Building the closure too short
A fold-over closure needs enough material to double or triple over and clamp. Cut the liner tall from the start, because you cannot add height to it later.
Expecting it to protect what is plugged in
An enclosure protects what is inside it. Anything wired into your home or vehicle is exposed through its cabling, which is a different problem with a different solution.
EMF and EMP point in opposite directions
These two terms get used interchangeably and they should not be. EMF shielding is about energy leaving a device, so the goal is protecting the people nearby. EMP shielding is about energy arriving from outside, so the goal is protecting the contents. A cage you build to survive a pulse is solving the second problem.
What to store inside
Anything you would want working after a pulse, an outage, or a targeted attempt to reach it. Nothing may have cables or components protruding from the enclosure, or signal can penetrate.
Phones, key fobs, tablets
Daily devices, spare handsets, and vehicle fobs.
Laptops and desktops
Working machines and cold spares kept for recovery.
Drives and USB media
External hard drives, SSDs, and backup sticks.
Radios and comms
Handhelds, base stations, and emergency receivers.
GPS and navigation
Handheld units, vehicle navigation, and trackers.
Medical devices
Spare insulin pumps, hearing aids, and monitors.
Backup power
Portable generators, solar chargers, and power banks.
Preparedness electronics
Anything held in reserve for an outage or emergency.
What a cage cannot do
A Faraday enclosure shields what is sealed inside it. It does nothing for equipment connected to house wiring, vehicle wiring, or an antenna run, because a pulse can arrive along those conductors. Protecting hardwired systems is a separate job handled at the panel or the circuit, not with fabric.
EMP Shield Home Protection covers that side of the problem.
Two builds, start to finish
Different containers, same principles. Both use TitanRF fabric and tape.
Or start from a kit that is already measured
TitanRF DIY Faraday Cage Kit
Cut and sized to fit a standard 27-gallon plastic tote, the kind sold at any hardware store. The assembled liner uses two layers of TitanRF Faraday Fabric and Tape, and the kit ships with a cardboard jig plus printed step-by-step instructions and video links.
- Fits a standard 27-gallon container
- Two layers of fabric and tape
- Cardboard forming jig included
- Printed instructions and video links
- Excess material for a second small enclosure
- Outer container and tools not included
Everything the build calls for
Pricing below is pulled live from the store.
TitanRF Faraday Fabric
Woven copper and nickel, 44 inches wide, sold from a single yard up to 50-yard construction rolls.
TitanRF Faraday Tape
Conductive tape in 1 to 10 inch widths, in 10-foot and 164-foot lengths. Wider tape means fewer joins.
TitanRF Faraday Foam Gasket
Conductive foam in 20 inch and 90 inch lengths, for enclosures that need to open and close repeatedly.
TitanRF Faraday Patch
Pre-cut adhesive patches in three sizes for closing punctures and reinforcing corners.
TitanRF DIY Faraday Cage Kit
Everything cut to fit a 27-gallon tote, with a forming jig and printed instructions.
TitanRF Faraday Fabric Panel
A pre-finished panel for lining walls, closets, and larger structures without piecing yardage together.
Specialty fabrics for specific builds
When the standard fabric is not the right answer for the environment.
TitanRF TechWeave Faraday Fabric
Available in a range of weights so you can match stiffness and drape to the build.
TitanRF TerraDefend Faraday Fabric
A thicker conductive textile for enclosures that will see handling and wear.
TitanRF Flame Retardant Faraday Fabric
Flame retardant construction for builds where a standard textile is not permitted.
Tested enclosures, ready to use
A DIY cage is the cost-effective way to protect a lot of gear at once. For everyday carry, field work, or anything that has to be certified, a finished product is the better tool.
More from the blog
Not sure how much fabric your build needs?
Send us the interior dimensions of your container and how many layers you are planning. We will tell you what to order, and whether a finished enclosure would serve you better than a build.