3D shape nets

In a nutshell

3D shapes are solid shapes that have three dimensions, such as length, width and height. A net of a 3D shape is the 2D shape that appears if the 3D shape is opened up or unfolded.

3D shapes

3D shapes are solid shapes that have three dimensions, such as length, width and height. 2D shapes (the faces) can come together to make 3D shapes.

Example

A cube, shown below is an example of a 3D shape. It is made up of 6 square faces.

Maths; Geometry - properties of shapes; KS2 Year 6; 3D shape nets

Nets

A net of a 3D shape is the 2D shape that appears if the 3D shape is opened up or unfolded. You can create nets of 3D shapes by putting together 2D shapes.

The table below shows a number of 3D shapes and their corresponding nets:

Shape name	3d model	net
Cube
Cuboid
Hexagonal prism
Cylinder
Cone

Note: 2D stands for two-dimensional, and 3D stands for three-dimensional.