Box Pleating Grid Calculator

Grid resolution from model detail level.

Paper size (cm)

Number of flaps/points

Avg flap length (grid units)

Body width (grid units)

Tab to move between fields

Recommended grid (N×N)

Grid spacing (mm)

Grid lines (H+V)24

Estimated diagonal creases48

Total estimated creases72

Paper efficiency (%)52.9

Min paper at 3mm grid (cm)3.3

Comfortable paper at 5mm grid (cm)5.5

Difficulty score (1-10)2.7

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the side length of your square paper in centimeters (e.g., 25 cm for a standard sheet).
Set the number of flaps or points your model needs — count all legs, wings, antennae, and tail.
Enter the average desired flap length in grid units — longer flaps require a finer grid resolution.
Set the body width in grid units to reserve space for the model's central body area.
Read the recommended N×N grid resolution and the resulting grid spacing in millimeters.
Use the minimum and comfortable paper size outputs to choose the right paper for clean, manageable folds.

What each input means

Paper size (cm): Side length of the square paper in centimeters.
Number of flaps/points: Total appendages the model needs (legs, wings, antennae, tail, etc.).
Avg flap length (grid units): Average desired flap length in grid cells. Longer flaps need a finer grid.
Body width (grid units): Width allocated for the central body area in grid cells.

Recommended grid (N×N): Minimum grid resolution needed for the desired flap configuration.
Grid spacing (mm): Distance between grid lines at the given paper size.
Grid lines (H+V): Total horizontal and vertical crease lines in the grid.
Estimated diagonal creases: Approximate number of 45° diagonal creases for the flap structure.
Total estimated creases: Total crease count including grid lines and diagonals.
Paper efficiency (%): Percentage of paper area used for flaps vs total area.
Min paper at 3mm grid (cm): Smallest paper that gives at least 3mm per grid cell.
Comfortable paper at 5mm grid (cm): Paper size for a comfortable 5mm grid spacing.
Difficulty score (1-10): Estimated folding difficulty based on grid density and flap count.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Paper size (cm) = 25, Number of flaps/points = 8, Avg flap length (grid units) = 4, Body width (grid units) = 3 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Recommended grid
Recommended grid
11 = 11
Calculate Grid spacing
Grid spacing = paperSize / recommendedGrid
23 = 23
Calculate Grid lines
Grid lines
24 = 24
Calculate Estimated diagonal creases
Estimated diagonal creases
48 = 48