Cut out and fold
Large nets of all 11 shapes with grey glue tabs, solid lines to cut and dashed lines to fold. Every pair of edges that are glued together has exactly one tab.
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Teaching guide: nets of 3D shapes
The net of a 3D shape is what you get when you open its faces out flat: cut it out and fold it, and it makes the shape again. Working with nets builds spatial reasoning, helps pupils tell prisms, pyramids and curved shapes apart and shows where surface area comes from. This free nets of 3D shapes generator makes A4 worksheets for Grades 4 to 8: large printable nets to cut out and fold, nets to name, shapes that do or do not fold into a cube, opposite faces of a dice and surface area, with an answer key.
- For
- Elementary 4th, 5th, 6th · Middle & High 7th, 8th (ages 9-13)
- Subject
- Mathematics › Geometry & Measurement
- Includes
- Student sheet and answer key
- Format
- A4, to print or save as PDF; new exercises every time
- Price
- Free, no sign-up
- Available in
- Catalan, Spanish, English
Student worksheet 
Answer key Which shape is it?
Prisms, pyramids, cylinders and cones opened out in different ways. In Grade 5 pupils also count the faces, and in Grade 6 the faces, edges and vertices to check Euler's formula.
Does it make a cube?
A cube has 11 different nets. Pupils decide which shapes made of six squares fold into a cube; in Grade 6, which shapes of five squares make an open box.
Opposite faces
An opened-out dice with missing numbers (opposite faces add up to 7) or letters on the faces: pupils picture the folded cube to see which face ends up opposite which.
Surface area
From the cube and cuboid in Grade 6 to the cylinder and cone in Grade 8: the net shows every face with its measurements and the answer key adds up the area of each part.
Real nets
Every net is worked out by really opening the shape: faces have their exact shape and size, never overlap, and fold back into the shape when cut out.
Frequently asked questions about nets of 3D shapes
What is the net of a 3D shape?
It is the flat shape made of all the faces of a 3D shape joined along some of its edges, so that folding it makes the shape again. One shape has many nets: a cube, for example, has 11.
Which grades are these worksheets for?
Grades 4 to 8 (Years 5 to 9). Naming shapes from their nets and cube nets are Grades 4 to 6; the surface area of cubes and cuboids is Grade 6, of prisms and pyramids Grade 7, and of cylinders and cones Grade 8.
How do I print the nets to cut out?
Choose the activity "Nets to cut out and fold", the shape (or every shape) and how many you want. They print large, one or two to a sheet, ideally on card. The grey glue tabs can be turned off under "More options".
How many nets does a cube have?
Eleven. The "Does it make a cube?" worksheets mix the 11 cube nets with the other 24 shapes made of six squares; every answer is checked by rolling a cube over the squares.
How do you find surface area from a net?
Add up the areas of all the faces: for a prism, the two bases and the rectangles round the side; for a pyramid, the base and the triangles; for a cylinder, two circles and a rectangle 2πr long. The answer key does it step by step with π = 3.14.
Which other geometry worksheets go well with these?
The views and isometric drawing worksheets, area and perimeter of flat shapes, basic shapes for younger children and Pythagoras' theorem. Find every resource under maths worksheets.
Is any pupil data sent anywhere?
No. Worksheets are generated in your browser and templates are saved in your browser's memory.
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