How is this different from the volume of rectangular prisms sheet?

This one shows the cubes. There are no labeled dimensions to multiply; your child reads the size of the solid from the drawing itself. It is the step that makes length × width × height mean something later, which is why standards 5.MD.C.3 and 5.MD.C.4 come before the formula.

What does the easier setting change?

The sheet offers two levels, easier and default, both with six problems and the same instruction. Pick easier first if counting layers is new. Move to default once your child multiplies a layer by the number of layers without being reminded.

Why does one problem say to use equal layers?

It is a nudge toward the method in the Remember box: multiply the cubes in one layer by the number of equal layers. Your child can count every cube instead and still reach 18 cubic centimeters, but the layer route is the one that survives when the solids get bigger.

5th grade volume with unit cubes

5th grade volume with unit cubes worksheets

Volume with unit cubes worksheets for 5th grade show solids built from small cubes, each cube standing for one cubic unit, and ask for the volume in cubic centimeters. Six problems per print. Your child counts the cubes in one layer, counts the layers, and multiplies. Some problems say to use equal layers, so that method gets rehearsed on purpose.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 5.MD.C.3, 5.MD.C.4, 5.MD.C.5.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Each small cube represents one cubic unit. Find each volume.

Four equal layers; 6 unit cubes per layer.
Answer: 4 × 6 = 24 cubic units.

Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

Volume with unit cubes. Each small cube represents one cubic unit. Find each volume. 6 problems per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

This sheet is one of the versions on the 5th grade volume of rectangular prisms page, with its own difficulty choices and its own answer key.

How to teach this

Start with the bottom layer. Have your child put a finger on it and count the cubes across, then the cubes back, and multiply those two numbers to get one layer. Then count how many layers stack up and multiply again. Saying "9 in a layer, 3 layers" out loud keeps the structure visible. The trap is counting every cube that shows, since cubes at the back and inside are hidden in the drawing. The layer method takes care of the hidden ones without needing to see them. The sheet has an easier setting; try it first if the layer idea is new. One check: the unit. The answer is 27 cubic centimeters, not 27 centimeters, because each cube fills space rather than measuring a length.

Watch for: Kids count only the cubes they can see on the drawing's faces and miss the ones tucked inside. Counting one full layer and multiplying by the number of layers catches every cube, hidden or not. Kids write the answer in plain centimeters or in square centimeters. Each small cube fills space, so the count comes out in cubic centimeters, and the answer key expects that unit every time.

Common questions about 5th grade volume with unit cubes

How is this different from the volume of rectangular prisms sheet?: This one shows the cubes. There are no labeled dimensions to multiply; your child reads the size of the solid from the drawing itself. It is the step that makes length × width × height mean something later, which is why standards 5.MD.C.3 and 5.MD.C.4 come before the formula.
What does the easier setting change?: The sheet offers two levels, easier and default, both with six problems and the same instruction. Pick easier first if counting layers is new. Move to default once your child multiplies a layer by the number of layers without being reminded.
Why does one problem say to use equal layers?: It is a nudge toward the method in the Remember box: multiply the cubes in one layer by the number of equal layers. Your child can count every cube instead and still reach 18 cubic centimeters, but the layer route is the one that survives when the solids get bigger.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of problems? Print another copy. The difficulty you picked above stays.

Aligned to Common Core 5.MD.C.3, 5.MD.C.4, 5.MD.C.5. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets