3D shapes: Identification and properties

In a nutshell

3D shapes are also known as solids because they occupy space meaning they can be handled in real life. There are eight main 3D shapes which all have different properties.

Identifying 3D shapes

There are eight common 3D shapes that you need to learn.

SHAPES	ILLUSTRATION
Cube
Cuboid
Sphere
Cylinder
Square-based pyramid
Triangular-based pyramid (also known as a tetrahedron)
Cone
Triangular prism

Properties of 3D shapes

3D shapes can characterised by three main properties: faces, edges and vertices.

Property	Definition
Face	A flat (2D) surface which is part of the 3D shape
Edge	A line where two faces meet
Vertex	This is a corner, a point where two or more edges meet.

Example 1

How many faces, edges and vertices does a cube have?

Draw a transparent cube to show its properties.

Count the number of faces, edges and vertices.

There are $\underline{6}$ faces. These faces meet to create $\underline{12}$ edges. These edges meet to create $\underline{8}$ vertices.

Note: It may be useful to know how to draw each 3D shape.