Origami Cube

Origami Cube instructions and tutorial

Learn how to make an origami cube in only 2 minutes! This seamless origami cube is a new quick and easy paper cube model that I created in order to make Minecraft blocks or Lego bricks paper crafts, without tape or glue!

Important note: this origami cube is an original origami model created by Stéphane Gigandet protected by copyright law. Do not publish videos, instructions, diagrams, tutorials etc. that show how to fold this origami cube, and instead link to this video or embed it, or link to the https://origami.plus website. Thank you!

There are already a lot of different origami cubes models, so why create a new one? That’s because I wanted to play with the paper cubes, and join them as if they were paper Minecraft blocks or Lego bricks, without tape or glue. I needed an easy origami cube that would allow me to quickly make lots of cubes with standard origami paper or copy paper. And I needed cubes that can be joined together to create 3D structures.

I’m very pleased with the result of all the experiments I made to create paper cubes:

1. The origami cubes are easy to make, and it’s easy to remember how to make them, as they are made with 2 identical modules. Compared to other modular origami cubes models that use 3 or 6 modules, I think those new cubes are easier to assemble.

2. It takes only 2 minutes to make one cube, which is a great advantage over cubes that take 5 minutes to fold (like the seamless origami cubes made with only one square of paper) if you want to make 100 cubes or more!

To be more precise: it takes 8 minutes to make 4 cubes. - 4 minutes to pre-crease one square sheet of paper and to cut it into 8 strips. - 1 minute to fold each cube.

With practice you get faster and faster, so you can go under 2 minutes for one cube.

3. The cubes are very paper efficient. With a single square of paper, you can make 4 cubes. With a 15x15cm (6x6") sheet of origami paper, you can make 4 2cm (0.8") cubes. The cool thing with being able to use origami paper is that you can makes lots of cubes in a wide variety of colors.

4. The cubes have openings on most of the edges (except on 3 of the 12 edges). Those openings make it easy to join origami cubes together, with simple paper clips made with the same strips of paper used to make the cubes. I will show you how in the next video.

5. The cubes are reasonably sturdy. You can throw the cubes like dices, you can join them together, and they won’t fall apart.

After coming up with this new origami cube model, I looked if someone had found it before, but I didn’t find other cubes made with 2 strips. The closest one I found is the Flexicube created by Philip Noble in 1971. Philip’s cubes are made with only one long strip of paper (ticker tape). There is a great description of those cubes on Erik Demaine’s site : https://erikdemaine.org/thok/flexcube8.htm

I’m still experimenting with different ways of joining those new origami cubes. It's easy to join them solidly to make paper structures, but it would also be cool to join them on only one edge to make action models (like the Flexicube / Infinity Cube).

There are a lot of creative ways to use the cubes. I’m showing a few in the video: a paper flower and a sword. Making paper structures that look like Minecraft blocks or Lego models is a lot of fun!

An easy variation of the cube has a protruding flap that can be used to attach hooks to make origami earrings or pendants. Those colorful paper cubes look very much like diamond, amethysts, sapphire, emerald or ruby cristals, so they make beautiful origami jewels. You can also make an origami ring with a paper cube.

I hope you like this origami cube model and that you will make lots of paper cubes!

Please share this Cube with your friends!

How to make an origami Cube

Here are the step-by-step instructions to fold a Cube (photo diagram and/or video).

• Origami Cube
• Cube en origami

Please send me pictures of your paper cubes, or the crafts you make with them, so that I can show them on the https://origami.plus website and in a future video!

My email is stephane@origami.plus and you can also send your origami pictures on Facebook: https://facebook.com/origami.plus or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Origami_Plus

You can also participate in the World Map of Origami Boats.

At the end of the video, I show different models that I created with the origami cubes. Let me know in the comments which one you would like to see next!

Please subscribe to encourage me to create new original, fun and easy origami models and tutorials.

Thank you very much and happy folding!

Your origami Cube photos

If you fold this Cube, please send me pictures of your paper Cube so that I can show them here.

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  Origami cubes flower by Zhifang Tang

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  Paper sword made with origami cubes by Darrel Craftz

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  Origami boat sailing under an Ukrainian blue and yellow sun

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  Yellow, red, green and blue paper cubes