How do I change how spiky the star is?

The point sharpness setting is how far in the notches cut between the points. Lower numbers give long thin spikes, higher numbers give a fat, chunky star.

Which way do the wall folds go?

They alternate. The folds at the tips of the star fold one way and the folds at the notches between them fold the other. Crease every line before you assemble anything.

Why is the wall one long strip instead of separate walls?

A single strip has one glued seam instead of one per point. On a ten-edged star that is the difference between one join and ten.

Star Shaped Box Template — Free Christmas Star Box

The star box template, flat and folded

Star box 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.

Star box folded up from the template — the finished box — The finished star box, made from it.

What this template is for

A star-shaped box with any number of points. Christmas decorations, party favours, award and gift boxes.

Also called star-shaped box · star gift box · christmas star box — all the same shape, and this is it.

Christmas decorations and tree boxes
Party favours and gift boxes
Award and trophy presentation boxes
Window and shop displays

Making star boxes for Christmas and parties

Choosing the star

Five points is the classic Christmas star; six reads as a snowflake or a Star of David, and eight or more starts to look like a flower or a sun. The tool takes three to twelve. Point sharpness sets how far in the notches cut between the points: low numbers give long thin spikes, high numbers a fat, chunky star that holds more inside.

The diameter is measured across the points. A 150 mm star, as it opens, holds a few chocolates or a small ornament; 80 to 100 mm suits a single truffle or a ring.

Which card

Use 250–300 gsm card. The wall has a crease at every point and every notch, so a five-point star has ten folds round its edge, and they alternate: points fold one way, notches the other. Score every one before you start; the crisper they are, the sharper the star. Type the card thickness into Material thickness.

Using them on the tree

For a hanging ornament, set the height low, 20 to 30 mm, and make the star 80 to 100 mm across. Punch a hole near one point of the lid before you fold, and thread ribbon through. Gold, silver or red card needs no decoration at all.

Mistakes to avoid

Folding the notches the same way as the points. The wall then bulges out instead of forming the star.
Very sharp stars in thick card. The fold at a thin point has little card to grip; for card above 300 gsm, raise the Point sharpness number, which makes the points blunter.
A lid that sticks on the points. Raise the lid clearance to 1 mm; the star has many corners to catch.

How to use this template

All four downloads are the same star box 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 star box 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 star box 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 it together
The wall has a fold line at every point of the star — crease them all before you start. Points fold one way, the notches between them fold the other.

No glue needed.

Questions about the star box

How do I change how spiky the star is?: The point sharpness setting is how far in the notches cut between the points. Lower numbers give long thin spikes, higher numbers give a fat, chunky star.
Which way do the wall folds go?: They alternate. The folds at the tips of the star fold one way and the folds at the notches between them fold the other. Crease every line before you assemble anything.
Why is the wall one long strip instead of separate walls?: A single strip has one glued seam instead of one per point. On a ten-edged star that is the difference between one join and ten.

Print your own design on it

Add a logo, photo or pattern in the panel on the left and drag it onto the star box. 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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