Everything you ever wanted to know about hexagonal prisms. Whether you’re a student learning about polyhedrons for the first time, or a parent who needs a recap, by the time you get to the end of this webpage, you’ll be an expert.
Hexagonal Prism Definition
An hexagonal prism is a 3D object with two regular hexagonal caps and rectangular or square sides.
Hexagonal Prism Paper Model and Net
Below is a free printable hexagonal prism net. Please open the pdf file by clicking on the image below. Then you will be able to download the file in your browser. (If you are unable to see the PDF, you may need an updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
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Construction Tutorial
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Area of a Hexagon
You need to know how to calculate the area of a hexagon before you can calculate the surface area and volume of a hexagonal prism.
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Hexagonal Prism Surface Area Formulas
The surface area of a prism is equal to the sum of the areas of its faces. An hexagonal prism is made up of 6rectangle faces and 2 hexagon faces.
If you happen to know R and B, then you’re all done. But what if you only know the length of a few sides of the hexagonal prism? No problem. Let’s take a look.
Notice that the first and second formulas are actually the same, since:
R =al
B=(3√3)a²/2
Instead of 6R +2B, we get: 6(al) + 2((3√3)a²/2) which is equal to the second formula: 6al+ (3√3)a²
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Hexagonal Prism Volume Formulas
Notice that the first and second formulas are actually the same, since:
B=(3√3)a²/2
Instead of Bl, we get: ((3√3)a²/2)l which is equal to the second formula: ((3√3)a²/2)l
Vertices, Faces, and Edges
An hexagonal prism has 12 vertices, 8 faces, and 18 edges.