How do I make a party hat?

Set the top diameter to zero for a point, the bottom diameter to the head size divided by pi (roughly the head circumference ÷ 3.14) and the height to how tall you want it.

Why does it say my cone is too wide?

A cone that is very wide and very short needs more than a full circle of paper, which cannot be cut from one flat sheet. Raise the height or reduce the bottom diameter.

What is a truncated cone?

One with the point cut off, which gives a tapered tube — a plant pot or a lampshade shape. Set a top diameter above zero.

Cone Template — Free Party Hat & Cone Bag, Any Size

The cone template, flat and folded

Cone template — free printable dieline with cut and fold lines, any size — The printable dieline at its standard size. Type your own size above for yours.

Cone folded up from the template — the finished box — The finished cone, made from it.

What this template is for

A full cone or a truncated one. Party hats, cone bags, megaphones, tapered pots — set the top diameter to zero for a point.

Also called truncated cone · party hat template · cone bag · tapered tube — all the same shape, and this is it.

Party hats and Christmas trees
Cone bags for sweets and popcorn
Tapered plant pots and vases
Loudspeaker and megaphone shapes

Making cones: hats, bags and pots

A party hat that fits

Measure round the head where the hat will sit, divide by 3.14 and type that as the bottom diameter, with the top diameter at 0 for a point. A head of 56 cm gives about 178 mm. A height of 150 to 180 mm looks right for most party hats. Punch a hole each side near the rim for elastic.

Cone bags for sweets and popcorn

For a hand-held cone bag, set the bottom diameter (the open end) to 80 to 100 mm and the height to 180 to 220 mm: that holds a good handful. Line it with greaseproof paper for anything sticky; ordinary craft card is not made for direct food contact.

Truncated cones

Give the top diameter a value and the point is cut off: a tapered tube for a plant pot cover, a lamp shade, a megaphone or a cake-pop stand. The top is always the narrower end; for a cup or planter that flares out, make the cone and stand it on its narrow end.

Which paper

Party hats: 160–220 gsm card rolls without creasing.
Cone bags: 120–160 gsm paper or kraft.
Pots and stands: 250–300 gsm card; curl it over a table edge first so it rolls evenly.

Mistakes to avoid

Gluing the seam flat on a table. Roll the cone first, then glue the tab while the cone is round, holding it from the inside with a pencil.
Measuring round the head and typing that as the diameter. The diameter is the distance round divided by 3.14; a 56 cm head typed as 560 mm gives a hat more than three times too big.
Using glossy card with a glue stick. It does not hold on a gloss finish; use double-sided tape or white PVA.

How to use this template

All four downloads are the same cone at the same size — only the format changes.

PDF printing at home: Print at 100 per cent, or hand it to a print shop as "actual size, no scaling".
PNG 300 dpi Canva, Photoshop, Procreate: Upload, lock it in place and design your cone on top. Free plan and phone included. Full Canva walkthrough →
SVG Cricut, Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity: Vector, with cuts, folds and labels on separate layers. Cricut and Silhouette walkthrough →
DXF Silhouette, laser and vinyl cutters: Two layers, CUT and FOLD — and the one free Silhouette Studio Basic will open.

Getting it printed properly →

Printing it

Type your size above, then download the PDF.
Print at 100% — never “fit to page”, or every measurement comes out wrong.
Too big for the paper? Pick your paper size and leave Fit the pieces to the page ticked: each piece gets its own place on a sheet and the PDF comes out with every page in it, nothing cut in half and nothing to tape.

How to put it together

These pictures are the cone itself, not a generic diagram — change the measurements above and the template changes, but the three steps never do.

Cut the solid lines
Every solid line is a cut. Do the inside shapes first, while the sheet is still whole and easy to hold.
Score every dashed line
Dashed lines are folds. Score each one first — an empty ballpoint against a ruler — or the card cracks along the outside of the bend.
Fold, glue and hold
Roll it up and glue the straight edge. Curl the paper over a table edge first and it will roll far more evenly.

Glue: a glue stick for paper, white PVA on card — hold each seam thirty seconds, and let it dry before you use it.

Questions about the cone

How do I make a party hat?: Set the top diameter to zero for a point, the bottom diameter to the head size divided by pi (roughly the head circumference ÷ 3.14) and the height to how tall you want it.
Why does it say my cone is too wide?: A cone that is very wide and very short needs more than a full circle of paper, which cannot be cut from one flat sheet. Raise the height or reduce the bottom diameter.
What is a truncated cone?: One with the point cut off, which gives a tapered tube — a plant pot or a lampshade shape. Set a top diameter above zero.

Print your own design on it

Add a logo, photo or pattern in the panel on the left and drag it onto the cone. It is trimmed to the cut outline, embedded properly in the PDF, and never leaves your computer — most free template sites hand you the outline and stop there. How printing your own design works.

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