Surface Area of Cubes and Cuboids

Prior Knowledge:
• How to calculate the area of 2D shapes.
• Be able to count and identify the faces of a cube and cuboid.
• Convert between metric units of measure for length.

The surface area of a 3D object is the total area of the surfaces of that object. Like other areas,
it is measured in square units (for example, m2, cm2). We find the surface area of an object by
adding together the areas of each of its faces. We can think of finding the surface area of a solid
as finding the area of its net (the net being the 3D shape folded out flat).

Example 1
Find the total surface area of the following shape.

6cm

2cm
12cm

There are 6 faces to a cuboid. Begin by drawing/sketching these out. It can be challenging to
picture all the faces, so it may help to label the sides to make sure you get them all:

6cm Front 6cm Back

12cm 12cm

2cm Top 2cm Bottom

12cm 12cm

6cm Right 6cm Left

2cm 2cm

Notice that the faces are in pairs – the area of the front is the same as the area of the back, etc. In
an image of a cuboid you will only be able to see one out of each pair.

1 of 5
 Surface Area of Cubes and Cuboids
Alternatively, you could sketch out the net of the cuboid:

12cm

6cm

6cm 6cm

2cm 2cm

6cm

2cm

However you choose to start, we now calculate the area of each face.

2 2
6cm 12 × 6 = 72cm 6cm 12 × 6 = 72cm

12cm 12cm

2 2
2cm 12 × 2 = 24cm 2cm 12 × 2 = 24cm

12cm 12cm

6×2 6×2
6cm = 2 6cm = 2
12cm 12cm

2cm 2cm

Finally, to find the total surface area, add together the area of each individual face.
72 + 72 + 24 + 24 + 12 + 12 = 216cm2.

2 of 5
 Surface Area of Cubes and Cuboids

Example 2 Example 3
2
Calculate the total surface area of the If the cube has a surface area of 150cm ,
cube. find the value of x.

3cm x

The faces of a cube are congruent. This This time, we have been given the total
means that all the faces have the same size surface area and are being asked to find the
and it makes working out the surface area of height. We have been told that this is a cube,
the cube relatively simple. so we know that the length of each side is
going to be the same.

Each face on the cube in the example has the

following measurements: We can begin by dividing 150cm2 by 6 (as
there are 6 congruent faces to the cube):

150 ÷ 6 = 25cm2
3cm

So, each individual face has an area of 25cm2.

3cm As the shape is a cube, each of its faces is a

square. This means that we can square root
The area of one face is 3 × 3 = 9cm2.
the area to find the length of the sides.
As the faces are congruent, we can simply
multiply 9cm2 by 6 (as a cube has 6 faces).
25 = 5
x = 5cm
9 × 6 = 54
The total surface area of the cube is 54cm2.

3 of 5
 Surface Area of Cubes and Cuboids
Your Turn
1. For each question, calculate the total surface area.

a.

5cm

2cm
8cm

b.

2mm

c.

6cm

2cm

9cm

d.

4cm

e.

11m

1m
3m

4 of 5
 Surface Area of Cubes and Cuboids

2. Calculate the total surface area of a cube with a side length of 11cm.

1
3. Calculate the total surface area of a cube with a side length of 2cm.

4. Find the total surface area of the shape, giving your answer in square centimetres.


2cm


140mm 


0.05m


5. If the cube has a surface area of 54cm2, find the value of x.


x


Challenge
A cube has a volume of 1000cm3. Calculate its total surface area.

5 of 5