3D Nets and Shape Folding Explorer
See how flat shapes unfold into 3D solids. Tap each face of the net to count it, press Fold It to watch the shape come together, and test your knowledge with practice and challenge questions.
Choose Your Level
Pick a shape, count its faces by tapping the net, then fold it!
Choose a Shape
Flat Net
Tap each face to count it
Cube
Face shapes: 6 squares
A cross of 6 equal squares: 4 in a column, 1 on each side of the 2nd square.
Reference Guide
What Is a Net?
A net is a flat pattern that can be folded up to make a 3D shape. Think of it like unboxing a cardboard box and laying it flat.
Every face of the 3D shape appears as a flat polygon in the net. Squares become squares, triangles stay triangles, and circles stay circles.
The same 3D shape can sometimes be unfolded in more than one way, producing different nets that all fold back into the same solid.
Nets are used by engineers, architects, and packaging designers to plan how to cut and fold flat materials into 3D objects.
Faces, Edges, and Vertices
Faces are the flat surfaces of a 3D shape. A cube has 6 square faces. Each polygon in a net becomes one face.
Edges are the line segments where two faces meet. A cube has 12 edges. When you fold a net, the joining lines become edges.
Vertices are the corner points where edges meet. A cube has 8 vertices. Pyramids and prisms always have at least 4.
Cylinders and cones have curved surfaces, so they are not polyhedra and follow different counting rules.
Folding From Flat to 3D
To fold a net into a 3D shape, imagine folding each face up along its shared edge until all the faces enclose a space.
Cube net: the cross-shaped pattern of 6 squares folds so the top and bottom cap the 4 side faces.
Pyramid net: the center square stays as the base and the 4 triangles fold up to meet at the apex.
Cylinder net: the rectangle wraps around to form the tube wall, with a circle sealing each end.
Not every arrangement of connected squares makes a valid cube net. Only 11 of the 35 possible hexomino shapes can fold into a cube.
Real-World 3D Shapes
Cubes and rectangular prisms appear as dice, cereal boxes, and building blocks. They have 6 faces and 8 corners.
Cylinders are everywhere: soda cans, paper towel rolls, drinking glasses, and drums all have this shape.
Cones show up as ice cream cones, traffic cones, and party hats. They have one circular base and a pointy tip.
Pyramids appear in ancient monuments, tent peaks, and the tips of pencils. They have a polygon base with triangular sides rising to an apex.
Triangular prisms are the shape of a tent, a Toblerone bar, and a triangular road sign post.