Unsymmetric compact metal seal beads for fuel cell stack

A bipolar plate assembly and fuel cell stack with reduced leakage and a method of assembling a bipolar plate and fuel cell stack. The bipolar plates include-in addition to reactant channels and coolant channels that are fluidly coupled to inlet and outlet flowpaths, integrally-formed seals to help reduce leakage by maintaining fluid isolation of the reactants and coolant as they flow through their respective channels and flowpaths. The size and shape of the seals promotes secure plate-to-plate contact, even during plate side-to-side misalignment that can occur when arranging the various plates into the stack.