diff --git a/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix b/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
index 64077125caf3..280d38ce32f4 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/system/boot/stage-1.nix
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ let
         ${lib.optionalString (config.boot.initrd.secrets == {})
             "exit 0"}
 
-        export PATH=${pkgs.coreutils}/bin:${pkgs.libarchive}/bin:${pkgs.gzip}/bin:${pkgs.findutils}/bin
+        export PATH=${pkgs.coreutils}/bin:${pkgs.cpio}/bin:${pkgs.gzip}/bin:${pkgs.findutils}/bin
 
         function cleanup {
           if [ -n "$tmp" -a -d "$tmp" ]; then
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ let
          }
 
         # mindepth 1 so that we don't change the mode of /
-        (cd "$tmp" && find . -mindepth 1 | xargs touch -amt 197001010000 && find . -mindepth 1 -print0 | sort -z | bsdtar --uid 0 --gid 0 -cnf - -T - | bsdtar --null -cf - --format=newc @-) | \
+        (cd "$tmp" && find . -mindepth 1 | xargs touch -amt 197001010000 && find . -mindepth 1 -print0 | sort -z | cpio --quiet -o -H newc -R +0:+0 --reproducible --null) | \
           ${compressorExe} ${lib.escapeShellArgs initialRamdisk.compressorArgs} >> "$1"
       '';
 
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd-ng.nix b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd-ng.nix
index b0b0143c5ca9..a7542610a72d 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd-ng.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd-ng.nix
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ let
   # compression type and filename extension.
   compressorName = fullCommand: builtins.elemAt (builtins.match "([^ ]*/)?([^ ]+).*" fullCommand) 1;
 in
-{ stdenvNoCC, libarchive, ubootTools, lib, pkgsBuildHost, makeInitrdNGTool, binutils, runCommand
+{ stdenvNoCC, cpio, ubootTools, lib, pkgsBuildHost, makeInitrdNGTool, binutils, runCommand
 # Name of the derivation (not of the resulting file!)
 , name ? "initrd"
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ in
   passAsFile = ["contents"];
   contents = builtins.toJSON contents;
 
-  nativeBuildInputs = [makeInitrdNGTool libarchive] ++ lib.optional makeUInitrd ubootTools ++ lib.optional strip binutils;
+  nativeBuildInputs = [makeInitrdNGTool cpio] ++ lib.optional makeUInitrd ubootTools ++ lib.optional strip binutils;
 
   STRIP = if strip then "${pkgsBuildHost.binutils.targetPrefix}strip" else null;
 }) ''
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ in
   for PREP in $prepend; do
     cat $PREP >> $out/initrd
   done
-  (cd root && find . -print0 | sort -z | bsdtar --uid 0 --gid 0 -cnf - -T - | bsdtar --null -cf - --format=newc @- | eval -- $compress >> "$out/initrd")
+  (cd root && find . -print0 | sort -z | cpio --quiet -o -H newc -R +0:+0 --reproducible --null | eval -- $compress >> "$out/initrd")
 
   if [ -n "$makeUInitrd" ]; then
       mkimage -A "$uInitrdArch" -O linux -T ramdisk -C "$uInitrdCompression" -d "$out/initrd" $out/initrd.img
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.nix b/pkgs/build-support/kernel/make-initrd.nix
index 5f8d1eee8ce4..e996094d1f8a 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, libarchive, ubootTools, lib, pkgsBuildHost
+{ stdenvNoCC, perl, cpio, ubootTools, lib, pkgsBuildHost
 # Name of the derivation (not of the resulting file!)
 , name ? "initrd"
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ in stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation (rec {
 
   builder = ./make-initrd.sh;
 
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ perl libarchive ]
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ perl cpio ]
     ++ 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 8f64114d54c3..0149c5d487ac 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 | bsdtar --uid 0 --gid 0 -cnf - -T - | bsdtar --null -cf - --format=newc @- | eval -- $compress >> "$out/initrd")
+(cd root && find * .[^.*] -print0 | sort -z | cpio --quiet -o -H newc -R +0:+0 --reproducible --null | eval -- $compress >> "$out/initrd")
 
 if [ -n "$makeUInitrd" ]; then
     mkimage -A "$uInitrdArch" -O linux -T ramdisk -C "$uInitrdCompression" -d "$out/initrd" $out/initrd.img