What size are the pieces?

The full square is about 15 cm (6 in) on each side when printed at 100%. The two large triangles have a long side of about 15 cm.

Can I use the template in class?

Yes, it is free for classroom use, including printing a set for every student.

Does it fit A4 and US Letter?

Yes. The template is centered with margins that fit both paper sizes.

What if I have no printer?

Use the online tangram game — the same pieces and figures, in the browser.

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Printable Tangram Template

Download the free tangram template, print it and cut out the seven pieces. The PDF has three pages: the pieces in full color, the pieces in black & white with dashed cut lines, and an outline version to color in before cutting. The template is drawn so the assembled square is about 15 cm (6 in) across, big enough for small hands and small enough for a desk.

Color pieces (PDF)Puzzles + solutions (PDF)

What is in the PDF

Page 1 — color pieces. Cut along the white lines between the colored pieces.
Page 2 — black & white pieces. Dashed lines show exactly where to cut; a good choice for printing many classroom sets.
Page 3 — coloring version. Outlines only, so children can decorate each piece before it is cut out.

After cutting, keep the set together in an envelope or a small zip bag — a tangram with one piece missing is just six pieces of cardboard.

Printing tips that actually matter

Print at 100% (actual size). If your printer scales the page, the pieces will still fit each other — they are all scaled together — but the assembled square will not be 15 cm.
Use cardstock, 160–250 g/m². Ordinary paper bends at the corners within a day; cardstock survives a school year. Laminated cardstock survives several.
Check the test size. One small triangle should measure about 5.3 cm on its long side. If it does not, your printer scaled the page — the set is still usable, just smaller or bigger.
One set per child. Sharing one set between two children halves the solving; the puzzles need all seven pieces at once.

First puzzles to try with a fresh set

Start with the rectangle from the tangram puzzles page, then the house and the boat. All three have straight borders that make the large triangles easy to place. When those feel easy, the cat and the rocket are the natural next step, and the colored solutions page is there when a figure refuses to come together.

No printer? Draw your own set on graph paper

You can draw an exact tangram set with a ruler and a pencil. Draw a square of 16 cm and rule it into a 4 by 4 grid of 4 cm squares. Now copy the lines of the black & white template above: draw both diagonals of the big square only in part — the template shows precisely which segments to draw. Simpler still: mark the midpoints of the square's sides and of the diagonals, connect them as in the picture, and check your drawing against the color template: you should be able to name all seven pieces — two large triangles, one medium, two small, the square and the parallelogram — before you cut anything.

The 7 tangram pieces

FAQ

What size are the pieces?: The full square is about 15 cm (6 in) on each side when printed at 100%. The two large triangles have a long side of about 15 cm.
Can I use the template in class?: Yes, it is free for classroom use, including printing a set for every student.
Does it fit A4 and US Letter?: Yes. The template is centered with margins that fit both paper sizes.
What if I have no printer?: Use the online tangram game — the same pieces and figures, in the browser.

More tangram pages

Free for personal and classroom use.