Surface Area

Recap
Area is the amount of space inside a shape:

Area Area Area Area Area

Area Area Area Area Area
Area Area Area Area Area
Area Area Area Area Area
Using rules to get the Area

Square

Length

Area = Length x Length

or
 Using rules to get the Area

Width Rectangle

Length

Area = Length x Width

or
A=LxW
 Using rules to get the Area

Height
Triangle

Base
Area = ½ x Base x Height

A = ½ BH
Using rules to get the Area

b1

h
Trapezium

b2
Using rules to get the Area

Parallelogram

Area = Base x Height

A = BH
 Activity

Use dominoes to draw and get the area of these

shapes: Square/ rectangle/ Triangle (One for the
base and one for the height)
Total Surface Area
 Surface Area ???
3cm

6 faces 3cm

3cm

Cube
In order to find the area, find the area
of each face.
Then sum all of the areas.
3cm
Let’s calculate the
area of one of the 3cm

faces of the cube.

3cm

The area of one face is

3cm x 3cm = 9cm².
 The area of one face is 3cm
x 3cm = 9cm². 3cm
The total area of the 6 faces
is 6 x 9cm² = 54cm². 3cm

We call this the

Total Surface Area
 Practice-Whole class

Now can you calculate

the total surface area of 2cm

this cube?
2cm

The area of one

face is 4cm².
Let’s calculate the
area of one of the
faces of the cube.

The total surface

area is 4 x 6 =
24cm².
Practice Time!
Try and calculate the
total surface area of this 7cm

cube?
7cm

The total surface

area is 294cm².
10 cm
Jack is sending his friend a
mini-football as a birthday gift.

How much cardboard does he

need to make a box for the ball?

100 cm2
Now, we are going to figure
out the total surface area of
this cuboid.

4cm
2cm

Are all sides of a cuboid

equal? 3cm
Are any sides equal?
Let’s calculate the total surface
area of this cuboid.
First calculate the area of the 4cm
green rectangle, which is
4cm x 3cm = 12cm². 2cm
4cm

3cm 3cm 12cm²

12cm²
Now, we’ll move on to the blue
rectangles in the net of the
cuboid. 4cm
First calculate the area of one
blue rectangle, which is
4cm x 2cm = 8cm².
2cm 8cm²

3cm 12cm²

8cm²

12cm²
Now, we’ll move on to the pink
rectangles in the net of the
cuboid. 4cm
First calculate the area of one
pink rectangle, which is
3cm x 2cm = 6cm².
2cm 8cm²

3cm 6cm² 12cm² 6cm²

8cm²

12cm²
Now, we must add the area of the
different parts of the cuboid
together to get the total surface 4cm
area of the cuboid.

2cm 8cm²

3cm 6cm² 12cm² 6cm²

8cm²
6cm² + 6cm² + 8cm² + 8cm² + 12cm² +
12cm² = 52cm².
12cm²
Practice Time!
Now, can you figure out the
total surface area of this
cuboid?

5cm
2cm

4cm
Let’s calculate the total surface
area of this cuboid.
First calculate the area of the 5cm
green rectangle, which is
4cm x 3cm = 10cm². 4cm
5cm

2cm 2cm 10cm²

10cm²
Now, we’ll move on to the blue
rectangles in the net of the
cuboid. 5cm
First calculate the area of one
blue rectangle, which is
5cm x 4cm = 20cm².
4cm 20cm²

2cm 10cm²

20cm²

10cm²
Now, we’ll move on to the pink
rectangles in the net of the
cuboid. 5cm
First calculate the area of one
pink rectangle, which is
3cm x 2cm = 6cm².
4cm 20cm²

2cm 8cm² 10cm² 8cm²

20cm²

10cm²
Now, we must add the area of the
different parts of the cuboid
together to get the total surface 5cm
area of the cuboid.

4cm 20cm²

2cm 8cm² 10cm² 8cm²

20cm²
20cm² + 20cm² + 10cm² + 10cm² + 8cm²
+8 cm² = 76cm².
10cm²
 5cm
20cm² + 20cm² + 10cm² + 10cm² + 8cm²
+8 cm² = 76cm².
4cm 20cm²

2cm 8cm² 10cm² 8cm²

20cm²

OR 10cm²
Front & Back = 2 × (4 × 2) = 16 cm2
Sides = 2 × (5 × 4) = 40 cm2
2 × (5 × 2) = 20 cm2
Who’s right? What’s the
answer?
The surface area
is 99 cm2

9 cm
3 cm

6 cm

The surface area

is 198 cm2
 To find the surface area of a prism, we must find the area of each side.

8 cm
2 cm

5 cm

Front & Back = 2 × (5 × 2) = 20 cm2

Sides = 2 × (2 × 8) = 32 cm2
2 × (5 × 8) = 80 cm2
132 cm 2
 To find the surface area of a prism, we must find the area of each side.

Square-based
Prism

9 cm

3 cm
Front & Back = 2 × (3 × 3) = 18 cm2
Sides = 4 × (3 × 9) = 108 cm2
126 cm 2
 To find the surface area of a prism, we must find the area of each side.

6 cm
7 cm
4 cm
Front & Back = 2 × (4 × 6) = 48 cm2
Sides = 2 × (6 × 7) = 84 cm2
2 × (4 × 7) = 56 cm2
188 cm 2
A 3D shape with the same cross-section
running all the way through it.
 How many faces does this shape have?

This is the net of the triangular prism.

 A triangular prism has 5 faces.

•2 Triangular bases
•3 rectangular sides
BACK

LEFT

T
H
G
RI

FRONT

BOTTOM
A triangular prism has 5 faces.

FRONT
RIGHT

BOTTOM

LEFT
BACK
In order to find the surface area, find the
area of each face. Then sum all of the
areas.

FRONT
RIGHT

BOTTOM

LEFT
BACK
1) Find the surface area of the
triangular prism.

5f
t
8 ft ft
20

10 ft
1) Find the surface area of the
triangular prism.

8 ft 5 ft

10 ft
20 ft 20
ft

5 ft
8 ft

10 ft
10 ft 20 ft
 1) Find the surface area of the
triangular prism.

40 8 ft
sq ft 100 5 ft
sq ft
10 ft
20 ft 20 200
ft sq ft

100 5 ft
40 8 ft
sq ft
sq ft
10 ft
10 ft 20 ft
40 + 40 + 100 + 100 + 200 = 480 sq ft

40 8 ft
sq ft 100 5 ft
sq ft
10 ft
20 ft 20 200
ft sq ft

100 5 ft
40 8 ft
sq ft
sq ft
10 ft
10 ft 20 ft
 To find the surface area of a prism, we must find the area of each side.

8 cm

6 cm
6 cm
5 cm
Front & Back = 2 × (15) = 30 cm2
Sides = 2 × (8 × 6) = 96 cm2
1 × (5 × 6) = 30 cm2
156 cm 2
 Practice-Whole class

4 cm
6 cm2
4 cm 5 cm
3cm

5 cm 20 cm2 15 cm2 25 cm2

6 cm2

Total = 72 cm2
 12 cm2

4 cm
5 cm
6cm

6 cm 30 cm2 36 cm2 30 cm2

12 cm2
Total = 120 cm2
1) Sketch nets for these prisms in your book.
2) Label lengths you know.

4 cm 4 cm

2 cm 3 cm

3 cm
4 cm 4 cm
3 cm 2.5 cm
 3 cm 3 cm
2 cm

4 cm 4 cm

3 cm
3 cm
2cm
2cm
2.5 cm 2.5 cm

2.5 cm 2.5 cm

4 cm
4 cm
2.5 cm
3 cm

3 cm