Möbius Strip Maker
Make a Möbius strip: a band with a half-twist that has only one side and one edge. Print the paper template, cut out a strip, give one end a half-turn and glue the tab under the other end: the corner numbers show which corner meets which. Then try the classic experiments: draw a line along the middle without lifting your pen, or cut along the printed centre line or the third lines and see what you get. The 3D view shows the strip with your strip’s proportions; turn it, tilt it or press Spin. Change the number of half-twists to compare: the tool checks how many sides and edges each band has by walking round it. Set the length, width and glue tab in millimetres, centimetres or inches, and how many strips to fit on US Letter or A4. Download a PDF, a 300 DPI PNG, an SVG or a PNG of the 3D view. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Print at 100% (Actual size): strips print at the length and width you set. The 3D view uses your strip’s proportions (radius = length ÷ 2π).
Strip
3D view
Page
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing you type is uploaded or saved. The strips, the 3D view and the side and edge counts all come from our own code. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to make a Möbius strip
- Pick a preset, or set the number of half-twists (1 for a Möbius strip).
- Set the strip length, width and glue tab, and how many strips.
- Tick the centre line and the third lines if you want to cut.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size).
- Cut out a strip, fold the tab, give one end a half-turn and glue it so 1 meets 1 and 2 meets 2.
- Turn, tilt or spin the 3D view, or save it as a PNG.
What you can use it for
- Maths and science lessons on sides, edges and surfaces
- Classroom sets of strips to cut and glue
- The cut-down-the-middle experiment
- Paper models, cards and party tricks
- 3D renders for slides and worksheets
- Laser and plotter templates from the SVG
Half-twists: sides and edges
| Half-twists | On this page | Sides | Edges | Normal after one trip round (start = +1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | plain ring (no twist) | two | two | +1.000000 |
| 1 | Möbius strip | one | one | −1.000000 |
| 2 | band with 2 half-twists | two | two | +1.000000 |
| 3 | band with 3 half-twists | one | one | −1.000000 |
| 4 | band with 4 half-twists | two | two | +1.000000 |
| 5 | band with 5 half-twists | one | one | −1.000000 |
| 6 | band with 6 half-twists | two | two | +1.000000 |
| 7 | band with 7 half-twists | one | one | −1.000000 |
Worked out by the tool: the unit normal is carried once round the centre line, and the edge is followed once round.
The 14 presets
| Preset | Half-twists | Strip | Glue tab | Strips on US Letter | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Möbius strip: 1 half-twist, centre line | 1 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3 of 3 | centre |
| Möbius strip: cut a third of the way in | 1 | 240 mm × 36 mm | 12 mm | 3 of 3 | thirds |
| Centre line and third lines | 1 | 240 mm × 36 mm | 12 mm | 2 of 2 | centre + thirds |
| Narrow strips, 20 mm | 1 | 240 mm × 20 mm | 10 mm | 5 of 6 | centre |
| Wide strip, 60 mm | 1 | 220 mm × 60 mm | 14 mm | 1 of 1 | centre |
| Class set: 8 strips, 15 mm | 1 | 230 mm × 15 mm | 10 mm | 6 of 8 | centre |
| No twist: a plain ring (2 sides) | 0 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3 of 3 | centre |
| Band with 2 half-twists (2 sides) | 2 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3 of 3 | centre |
| Band with 3 half-twists (1 side) | 3 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3 of 3 | centre |
| Shorter strips on a portrait page | 1 | 170 mm × 25 mm | 10 mm | 6 of 6 (portrait) | centre |
| Inches: 9 × 1.25 in strips | 1 | 9 in × 1.25 in | 0.5 in | 3 of 3 | centre |
| 3D view: Möbius strip | 1 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3D view (960 faces) | – |
| 3D view: 3 half-twists | 3 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3D view (1,440 faces) | – |
| 3D view: plain ring | 0 | 240 mm × 30 mm | 12 mm | 3D view (720 faces) | – |
Worked out by the tool on US Letter, landscape unless marked.
Strip size and the 3D view
| Length | Width | 3D view radius (length ÷ 2π) | Width ÷ radius | Edge of a glued Möbius strip (2 × length) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 240 mm | 30 mm | 38.2 mm | 0.785 | 480 mm |
| 180 mm | 25 mm | 28.6 mm | 0.873 | 360 mm |
| 230 mm | 40 mm | 36.6 mm | 1.093 | 460 mm |
| 228.6 mm | 31.8 mm | 36.4 mm | 0.873 | 457.2 mm |
What happens when you cut it
| Cut | Result |
|---|---|
| Along the centre line | One long strip with four half-twists; two sides, not a Möbius strip |
| Again along that strip’s centre line | Two linked strips |
| A third of the way in from the edge | Two linked strips: a thinner Möbius strip and a longer strip with two half-twists |
From Wikipedia’s Möbius strip page (read 13 November 2026). The parametric form of the 3D view is from the same page.
What prints
| Download | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Strips at real size with the glue tab, fold line, corner numbers, optional centre and third lines and the instructions, or the 3D view; a check bar | |
| PNG 300 DPI | The same sheet as a picture |
| SVG | The same strips or 3D faces at real size |
| 3D view PNG | The 3D view at the turn and tilt you set, 1600 × 1600 pixels |
For a cutter, use SVG to DXF; for paper models of solids, Shape Nets.
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| A Möbius strip to print, cut and glue, or to view in 3D | Möbius Strip Maker (this page) |
| Nets of cubes, prisms and pyramids | Shape Nets |
| Shapes that cannot exist in 3D | Impossible Shapes |
| The Penrose triangle | Penrose Triangle |
Other tools: Shape Nets for paper solids, and the Cone Template for party hats and cones.
More free tools
Maths shapes and printables?
Drawing and print tools that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Möbius strip?
A surface with one side and one edge, made by joining the ends of a strip after a half-twist. An ant walking along the middle comes back to its start on the other face without ever crossing an edge.
How do I make one from paper?
Print the template, cut a strip out along the solid line and fold the tab back along the dashed line. Give one end a half-turn (180 degrees) and glue the tab under the other end so that the numbers match: 1 meets 1 and 2 meets 2.
What happens if I cut it down the middle?
You get one long strip, not two. Cutting a Möbius strip along its centre line gives a single strip with four half-twists, which has two sides and is not a Möbius strip. Use the red centre line on the template.
What happens if I cut a third of the way in?
You get two strips linked together: a thinner Möbius strip from the middle third and a longer strip with two half-twists. On the template the two blue lines join into one cut line once the strip is glued, so you go round twice before you meet your start.
How long is the edge?
For a Möbius strip glued from a rectangle, the single edge runs along both long sides of the paper, so it is twice the length of the centre line: about twice the strip length on the template.
What about more twists?
With an odd number of half-twists the band has one side and one edge; with an even number it has two sides and two edges. The tool works this out by carrying the surface normal once round the middle and seeing if it comes back upside down, and by following the edge once round. Only the band with one half-twist is called a Möbius strip on this page.
What shape is the 3D view?
The standard parametric form: a line segment the width of your strip turns half as fast as it travels round a circle. The circle’s radius is the strip length divided by 2π, so the view has your strip’s proportions; the paper strip itself bends more freely.
Why the numbers 1 and 2 on the strip?
They mark the corners. After the half-turn, the top corner of one end meets the bottom corner of the other, so the right-hand end is numbered 2 above 1. With an even number of half-twists the numbers stay 1 above 2.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Every point, crossing, face and strip is worked out by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved when you close the page.