Nets of Solids (AQA GCSE Maths) : Revision Note

Jamie Wood

Written by: Jamie Wood

Reviewed by: Dan Finlay

Updated on

Nets of Solids

What is a net of a solid?

  • A net of a solid is a 2D drawing that can be cut out and folded to make a 3D shape

  • Each of the faces of the 3D shape are arranged in a certain pattern

    • Not every arrangement of the faces will create a net of that solid   

    • Solids can have more than one arrangement that will work to make the 3D shape

  • The area of the net of a 3D shape is the same as the surface area of the solid

Nets of 3D shapes

What does the net of a cube or cuboid look like?

  • The net of a cube has 6 squares connected at certain edges

  • There are 11 different arrangements of the square faces that will form a net of a cube

Nets of a cube
  • The most common and easiest to remember is in the form of a cross

Cross shaped net of a cube
  • A cuboid has 6 rectangular faces, so its net consists of 6 rectangles

  • The rectangles will be in three pairs of two 

  • There are 54 different possible nets of a cuboid

    • Again, the most common and easiest to remember is in the form of a cross

    • Pay attention to which rectangles are the same

      • They are colour-coded in the diagram below

cross shaped net of a cuboid

What does the net of a cylinder look like?

  • The net of a cylinder consists of two circles and a rectangle

  • The length of the rectangle is equal to the circumference of the circles

    • Circumference equals space 2 cross times straight pi cross times radius 

  • The width of the rectangle is equal to the height of the cylinder

Net of a cylinder

What does the net of a pyramid look like?

  • The net of a square-based pyramid consists of one square and four congruent (identical) triangles

    • The perpendicular height of each triangle is equal to the slant height of the pyramid

Net of a pyramid

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • You may be given the dimensions of the solid when asked to draw a net

    • Make sure you put the correct lengths in the correct places by imagining cutting out and folding up the net

Worked Example

A cuboid measures 6 cm by 3 cm by 2 cm.

On the 1 cm2 grid, draw an accurate net of this cuboid. One face has been drawn for you.

Net worked example question

The cuboid has three pairs of rectangles; measuring 6 cm by 3 cm, 6 cm by 2 cm, and 3 cm by 2 cm

Make sure the net has two of each of these rectangles in the correct places

Net worked example solution
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Jamie Wood

Author: Jamie Wood

Expertise: Maths Content Creator

Jamie graduated in 2014 from the University of Bristol with a degree in Electronic and Communications Engineering. He has worked as a teacher for 8 years, in secondary schools and in further education; teaching GCSE and A Level. He is passionate about helping students fulfil their potential through easy-to-use resources and high-quality questions and solutions.

Dan Finlay

Reviewer: Dan Finlay

Expertise: Maths Lead

Dan graduated from the University of Oxford with a First class degree in mathematics. As well as teaching maths for over 8 years, Dan has marked a range of exams for Edexcel, tutored students and taught A Level Accounting. Dan has a keen interest in statistics and probability and their real-life applications.

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