Curriculum Hub → Maths Lessons → Geometry → 3D Shapes → Pull Up Nets
Download pull up nets printable PDF templates for common polyhedra, with a short video for each shape so students can see how each net folds into a solid. These printable 3D shape nets (sometimes searched as “pop-up nets”) are ideal for exploring nets of 3D shapes and polyhedra in KS3 maths and GCSE maths—in class, for homework or for home learning.
Nets are also the quickest way to show why a surface area formula works, which is why teachers often pair this page with the properties of 3D shapes lesson before moving on to calculating surface area itself.
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Last updated: 13 September 2026
Includes printable pull up nets PDFs, updated video tutorials and a new FAQ section.
Teachers save time with ready-made templates; parents and students get a clear, hands-on way to connect flat nets to three-dimensional objects.
Start with the free templates below, then use the newsletter and membership library when you want more structured lessons and classroom-ready materials across the secondary curriculum.
These pull up nets printable PDF templates help students see how flat nets fold into 3D solids such as cubes, cuboids and polyhedra.
Nets template
Scissors
Glue
Ruler
String
Hole punch
These pull up nets stay free for everyone. If you would like the full library, a Mr Mathematics membership includes over 800 lessons with ready-to-teach resources, worksheets and question generators—all designed to cut planning time while keeping lessons clear and engaging.
Follow these steps once you have printed your pull up nets printable PDF:
Each section below has its own printable PDF template and a short YouTube tutorial for that shape. Pick the solid you need, download the file, then use the video if you want a quick visual guide while you cut, fold and thread.
These printable pull-up nets work well for modelling nets of 3D shapes in the classroom, for homework tasks or for independent home learning—without replacing hands-on time with screen time.
Once you’ve folded these, the surface area of cubes and cuboids lesson shows students how to go from the net you’ve just built straight to the surface area formula.
This page currently covers the cube, cuboid, tetrahedron, octahedron and dodecahedron. If you came here searching for a cylinder, cone or prism net, the closest ready-to-teach match right now is the KS3 circles, cylinders and circular shapes scheme of work, which covers cylinder surface area and volume directly, or the broader volume and surface area lessons collection, which spans prisms, cylinders, cones, pyramids and spheres across KS3, GCSE and IGCSE.
A net is a 2D shape that can be folded up to make a 3D shape (a polyhedron), with no gaps or overlaps. Every face of the solid appears once in the net. The properties of 3D shapes lesson covers how the number of faces, edges and vertices in a solid relates back to its net.
A normal net lies flat and is folded by hand, face by face. A pull-up net (also searched as a “pop-up net”) has string threaded through holes in each face, so pulling the string lifts the whole net into its 3D shape in one motion—useful for a quick classroom demonstration or for students who find repeated folding fiddly.
Yes. Every pull-up net template and video on this page is free, with no sign-up required. A Mr Mathematics membership gives access to the wider library of over 800 ready-to-teach lessons if you want more structured resources beyond this topic.
Yes—nets come up directly in GCSE questions on surface area, and indirectly in questions on visualising 3D shapes. Pairing this page with the plans and elevations lesson gives students two different ways of connecting flat drawings to solid shapes, which is exactly what those exam questions test.
If this page was useful, here’s where most teachers go next:
If you have found these pull-up nets useful, you may also like the wider collection of KS3 and GCSE geometry lessons, worksheets and revision materials on Mr Mathematics. The membership area brings hundreds of classroom-ready resources together in one place so you can plan less and teach with confidence.
My name is Jonathan Robinson. I am Head of Maths in the South East of England and have taught mathematics for over 15 years. I started Mr Mathematics to share high-quality lessons and resources with colleagues worldwide, and to help teachers keep students interested and progressing in KS3 and GCSE maths.
A Mr Mathematics membership gives you access to hundreds of ready-to-teach lessons, worksheets and question generators—everything in one place so you can engage students, cover the curriculum securely and spend less time planning.
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