diff --git a/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix b/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
index 8b011d91563..be700d9767f 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ let
         ${lib.optionalString (config.boot.initrd.secrets == {})
             "exit 0"}
 
-        export PATH=${pkgs.coreutils}/bin:${pkgs.cpio}/bin:${pkgs.gzip}/bin:${pkgs.findutils}/bin
+        export PATH=${pkgs.coreutils}/bin:${pkgs.libarchive}/bin:${pkgs.gzip}/bin:${pkgs.findutils}/bin
 
         function cleanup {
           if [ -n "$tmp" -a -d "$tmp" ]; then
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ let
           ) config.boot.initrd.secrets)
          }
 
-        (cd "$tmp" && find . -print0 | sort -z | cpio --quiet -o -H newc -R +0:+0 --reproducible --null) | \
+        (cd "$tmp" && find . -print0 | sort -z | bsdtar --uid 0 --gid 0 -cnf - -T - | bsdtar --null -cf - --format=newc @-) | \
           ${compressorExe} ${lib.escapeShellArgs initialRamdisk.compressorArgs} >> "$1"
       '';
 
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.nix b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.nix
index 23ce992f0d5..9c27a142f4b 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.nix
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ let
   # compression type and filename extension.
   compressorName = fullCommand: builtins.elemAt (builtins.match "([^ ]*/)?([^ ]+).*" fullCommand) 1;
 in
-{ stdenvNoCC, perl, cpio, ubootTools, lib, pkgsBuildHost
+{ stdenvNoCC, perl, libarchive, ubootTools, lib, pkgsBuildHost
 # Name of the derivation (not of the resulting file!)
 , name ? "initrd"
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ in stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation rec {
 
   builder = ./make-initrd.sh;
 
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ perl cpio ]
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ perl libarchive ]
     ++ lib.optional makeUInitrd ubootTools;
 
   compress = "${_compressorExecutable} ${lib.escapeShellArgs _compressorArgsReal}";
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.sh b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.sh
index 0a87d643546..8f64114d54c 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.sh
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ for PREP in $prepend; do
   cat $PREP >> $out/initrd
 done
 (cd root && find * .[^.*] -exec touch -h -d '@1' '{}' +)
-(cd root && find * .[^.*] -print0 | sort -z | cpio -o -H newc -R +0:+0 --reproducible --null | eval -- $compress >> "$out/initrd")
+(cd root && find * .[^.*] -print0 | sort -z | bsdtar --uid 0 --gid 0 -cnf - -T - | bsdtar --null -cf - --format=newc @- | eval -- $compress >> "$out/initrd")
 
 if [ -n "$makeUInitrd" ]; then
     mkimage -A "$uInitrdArch" -O linux -T ramdisk -C "$uInitrdCompression" -d "$out/initrd" $out/initrd.img