The reference net on this page
Remember this cross: A is at the centre; B, C, D and E surround A; F is joined below D.
Choose the cross net in the interactive area, then drag the model or move the folding slider to see where each letter goes.
Upper primary · Middle school
Cube nets3D
How do six squares become a cube? Turn it, unfold it, and connect the flat shape to the solid.
Drag to rotate · Click a face
Preparing the 3D model…
Cube
You can also focus the model and use the arrow keys.
Read, then test it yourself
From one sheet of paper to a cube
A net lays the six square faces of a cube flat. Fold along the joined edges and every square becomes a face of the solid.
Find adjacent faces first
On a cube, two faces are adjacent when they share an edge. Every face has 4 adjacent faces. For example, A is adjacent to B, C, D and E.
Then find opposite faces
Two faces are opposite when they are across the cube from one another: they share neither an edge nor a corner. Every face has exactly 1 opposite face.
- A opposite F
- B opposite D
- C opposite E
Then find opposite faces
Which face is opposite B? Treat A as the front face. B is above A and D is below A. Fold those two sides up: B and D land at the top and bottom, so D is opposite B.
A suggestion for families and teachers
Plan for about 10 minutes: ask learners to predict A’s opposite face, check with the folding slider, name the other two opposite pairs, then complete the four questions below. This is a planning suggestion, not a measured learning time.
3
Try a challenge
Four short questions to help you picture a solid from a flat net. The letters always refer to the diagram in the question.
Take your discoveries to paper
One worksheet, plus a separate answer page. Use it at home, after a lesson, or for a classroom discussion.
A4 portrait. Choose Save as PDF in your browser’s print dialog. Letters keep the diagrams clear in black and white.
Spatial reasoning practice
Cube nets
Reference net: A is at the centre. B, C, D and E are above, right, below and left of A. F is below D.
- After folding, the face opposite A is ________.
- After folding, the face opposite B is ________.
- Are faces C and E adjacent or opposite after folding? ________________
- Write the four faces adjacent to A: ________________________________
- Ming says, ‘Two faces with no shared edge on a net will never be adjacent after folding.’ Is Ming correct? Explain why.
For teachers and families
Cube nets: answers
- F. A and F are opposite.
- D. B and D are opposite.
- Opposite. C is right of A and E is left of A, so they face in opposite directions after folding.
- B, C, D and E. Each shares one of A’s four edges.
- No. B and C do not share an edge on the net, yet they share an edge after folding, so they are adjacent.