Hexagonal Gift Box
A six-sided open box and independent lift-off lid, each built from a tabbed hexagon and two three-panel strips. Oversized lid geometry gives a real sliding clearance.
Materials
- 180-220 gsm cardstock, measured thickness 0.20-0.30 mm
- Scissors or craft knife and cutting mat
- Ruler and blunt scoring tool
- Thin PVA glue
- Clips and scrap paper to protect surfaces
Finished size: 87.46 corner-to-corner x 75.75 across flats x 46 mm closed; body 84 x 72.75 x 45 mm
Steps
CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area
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Print and cut six pieces
Print at 100% actual size. Check the 50 mm ruler. Cut B0, B1, B2, L0, L1 and L2 on solid outlines, preserving every projecting tab. Score dashed creases before folding. Each ID is cut once.
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Fold the body strips
Hold B1 and B2 with printing outside and the 45 mm dimension vertical. Mountain-fold at 42 and 84 mm from the straight untabbed end: turn each panel 60 degrees from flat, producing a 120 degree interior corner. Fold the terminal 7 mm tab at 126 mm through the same 60 degree turn.
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Join the six-wall ring
Dry-fit B1 then B2 in cyclic order. Slip the end tab of B1 inside the first wall of B2, aligning the crease exactly to its untabbed vertical edge and both bottom edges flush. Glue the 7 mm overlap. Repeat B2 to B1 to close the hexagon. Keep every corner at 120 degrees. Clip and let both seams set.
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Fit the floor
Place B0 printed side up. Valley-fold its six 7 mm tabs upward 90 degrees; the short relieved ends stay free. Dry-fit inside the body ring with the floor perimeter flush to all six lower wall edges. The 42 mm floor edges must match the wall widths without bowing.
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Glue the floor tabs
Apply thin glue to the outward faces of the six B0 tabs and press them against the inside lower 7 mm of the walls. At the two corner seams, press over the existing wall seam tab. Work opposite walls in pairs to preserve the hexagon. Keep the floor flat on a protected table and let dry fully before fitting the lid.
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Fold the lid strips
Keep the L1 and L2 printing outside. Mountain-fold the two panel creases at 43.732 and 87.464 mm through 60 degrees from flat, leaving 120 degree interior corners. Fold each terminal 7 mm tab at 131.196 mm through 60 degrees. The skirt height is 14 mm.
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Close the lid skirt ring
Join L1 then L2 in cyclic order, placing each 7 mm terminal tab inside the next strip at its untabbed end. Align top and bottom edges, glue the two seams and clip. Do not wrap tightly around the body: preserve the larger printed lid dimensions and 75.75 mm across-flats size.
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Attach the lid roof
With L0 printing toward the lid interior, valley-fold all six tabs 90 degrees toward the printed face. With roof exterior facing up, these tabs point down. Seat the roof flush with the top edges of L1/L2 and glue the outward tab faces inside the upper 7 mm of the skirt. Match all six corners. Dry the lid separately from the box.
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Check removable fit
After all glue dries, align lid corners with body corners and slide the lid straight down without forcing. The illustrated position overlaps the body by 13 mm and leaves about 1 mm above its rim. Verify free lift-off and no bowed walls. If it binds, check 100% scale, stock thickness, square seams and dried glue beads; do not glue lid to body. Physical fit and payload strength remain untested; use only for lightweight dry gifts.
Notes
The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.
- Original construction. Physical printing, cutting, assembly and lid-fit verification pending.
- Six physical cut pieces; 16 integral glue tabs. All faces are exact planar rigid facets with full flat-to-folded correspondence, including tabs.
- Body side 42 mm, apothem 36.373 mm. Lid side 43.732 mm, apothem 37.873 mm: 1.500 mm clearance normal to every face (3 mm across flats).
- Use 0.20-0.30 mm stock. A conservative four-layer allowance of 1.20 mm leaves 0.30 mm lateral clearance at the thickest joints before glue and fold error. Use thin glue, not foam tape; thicker stock requires redesign.
- Body is 45 mm high; lid skirt is 14 mm deep. Closed pose has roof at 46 mm and skirt bottom at 32 mm, giving 13 mm engagement and 1 mm roof clearance. There is no positive depth stop: actual seating varies with paper thickness.
- Meshes use zero-thickness surfaces. Bonded tab and receiving panel intentionally coincide; stock thickness, crease radius, glue and springback are not simulated. This is not a foldability or fit test.
- Floor and roof print faces go inside. Wall-strip print faces go outside. Glue the tab face that contacts the receiving inside wall; hatch identifies the tab footprint, not a mandatory glue side.