Here’s how to make an origami torus with the fewest folds possible
Mathematician Richard Evan Schwartz has determined the minimum number of folds required to create an origami torus from a flat sheet of paper. This process involves folding the paper at least 24 times to form 16 triangles that converge at eight vertices. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- ▪A torus shape with a hole can be created by folding a paper sheet.
- ▪The minimum number of folds needed is 24, forming 16 triangles.
- ▪Schwartz's work primarily utilized computer simulations rather than physical origami.
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| Original publisher | Science News |
| Canonical URL | https://www.sciencenews.org/article/origami-torus-fewest-folds-math |
| Publication time | Fri, 29 May 2026 15:00:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-29T15:05:01.843Z |
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News Math Here’s how to make an origami torus with the fewest folds possible To turn a paper sheet into a doughnutlike shape, you need to fold it into at least 16 triangles ⏸ It’s possible to make a torus by folding a paper sheet just 24 times. The torus has a hole running through the center of it (shown in a computer-generated video). Richard Evan Schwartz By Emily Conover 3 minutes ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Folding a flat piece of paper into a torus — a shape with a hole in the middle — demands origami skill. That’s something mathematician Richard Evan Schwartz lacks.
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