Similar pumpkin stencils
View all stencils →About this stencil
Download the Football Helmet pumpkin stencil as a free printable PDF, then tape the pattern to your pumpkin and trace the lines. A football helmet in profile occupies this sports pumpkin stencil, showing the rounded shell, a single face mask with crossbar guards, a chinstrap ball, and a curved bill visor. The large dome of the helmet is a solid pumpkin-skin mass; the face mask bars, voids between them, and the outer rim are all cut through. Carve the small rectangular gaps inside the face mask cage first, while the wall is fully rigid, then cut the large surrounding negative space around the helmet outline. It works as a carving template for a Halloween jack-o'-lantern or a fall porch display. It is rated Advanced. Actual time varies with preparation, pumpkin size and experience. Fine details and narrow supports need careful planning. Follow the cutting and shading key in this design’s PDF.
Pumpkin size guide
- 🎃 Small (5 to 7"): print at 80%
- 🎃 Medium (7 to 10"): print at 100% (recommended)
- 🎃 Large (11 to 13"): print at 130%
- 🎃 Giant (14"+): print at 150% on tabloid paper
Frequently asked questions
Can I resize this stencil?▾
Yes. The PDF is vector so it scales cleanly. Print the pattern at 100% for a 7 to 10 inch pumpkin, 130% for 11 to 13 inch, or 150% for a giant. Use your printer's "Fit to page" or "Custom scale" setting.
What kind of paper works best?▾
Standard 20 lb letter or A4 printer paper is fine. Heavier paper is harder to bend around the pumpkin curve. If your printer supports it, set the quality to 'best' so the lines are crisp.
How long will the carved pumpkin last?▾
Usually 5 to 10 days. Coat all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly and store the pumpkin somewhere cool overnight. Avoid direct sun. Battery LED pumpkin lights produce no heat and help it last longer.
Can I sell pumpkins carved with this stencil?▾
Yes, the carved pumpkin you make is yours. The license covers personal and small-scale commercial carving (selling carved pumpkins, photographing them, posting on social). You may not resell the PDF file itself.
What if my printer doesn't print the whole stencil?▾
Set 'Page scaling' to 'Fit' in the print dialog and uncheck 'Auto-rotate'. If it still cuts off, the design includes 0.25" of safe-area margin so a small crop won't ruin it.
How to carve this stencil
- Transfer all outlines including the face mask bars and the small chinstrap circle.
- Punch out the small square and rectangular voids inside the face mask cage first, before any surrounding cuts weaken the wall.
- Cut the chinstrap ball circle next.
- Carefully cut the visor bill opening along its curved lower edge.
- Remove the large outer negative space surrounding the helmet outline, working around the perimeter in sections.
- Position a candle slightly off-center toward the face mask so the cage bars cast graphic shadows on the interior.
Tools you'll need
For a advanced carve like this you'll want a fine-detail pumpkin saw, spoon / scoop, pin transfer tool, and small gouge if the pattern includes shading. Here's the kit we reach for, but start with whatever you already own.
Elmchee Pumpkin Carving Kit
13-piece kit with carrying case
Saws for the larger cutouts, plus a scoop for hollowing. Covers both jobs in one kit.
View on Amazon ↗
HOME MOST LED Pumpkin Lights
4-pack, battery operated, with remote + timer
Orange glow made for jack-o'-lanterns. The remote and timer light the pumpkin every evening without reaching inside.
View on Amazon ↗
Speedball 4131 Lino Cutter Set
Handle + 5 interchangeable cutters
Interchangeable cutters for peeling and shading the face. Useful for the finer details.
View on Amazon ↗
Reviews from carvers
Every rating comes from a written review by someone who downloaded this stencil.
Carved this one?
Reviews are open to carvers who downloaded the stencil. Grab the free PDF, then come back and tell everyone how it went.
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
Related stencils
More patterns with a related subject. Compare their skill levels before you choose.
AdvancedHail Mary Pumpkin Stencil
A football tilts diagonally across the whole face of the pumpkin, its two end panels and center field pierced through while a thin seam line and five lace bars stay attached as shell. Those slender laces are what push this into hard territory, so cut away from each lace bar rather than toward it and leave the bars for last. The glow through the big panels makes the dark laces pop.
AdvancedSports Balls Pumpkin Stencil
Four sports balls are stacked and overlapping in a loose cluster: a soccer ball at the top with its pentagon-patch pattern, a football on the left with stitching lines, a basketball on the right with its curved seam lines, and a baseball at the front center with a double-stitch seam. Each ball's distinctive surface markings are left as uncut pumpkin ridges, so when lit the glowing interior shines through the open areas between stitches and panel gaps. Carve the baseball's curved stitch lines last since they are the finest linework and benefit from the stability of the surrounding cuts already in place.
IntermediateGame Day Football Pumpkin Stencil
A big textured football fills the pumpkin face, with two end stripes and a center lace strip of seven crossing laces left in pale relief. This is a shading design: the ball's pebbled leather area is shaved to mid-depth while the laces, stripes, and outline are scraped lighter so they pop. At medium difficulty, dab the shaved leather zone with a rounded tool to build that pebble texture, keeping the lace lines crisp and untouched.
AdvancedStar Vault Pumpkin Stencil
A gymnast soars in a full split leap, one arm reaching skyward toward a trail of stars and a curved comet streak behind her. The whole figure is a shaded carve on a continuous wall, shaving the skin so the silhouette glows without any pierced holes, which preserves the slender arms and pointed toes. Shave the thin limbs in light passes with a small loop tool, since going too deep on those narrow lines risks breaking through.
Beginner-friendlyGridiron Glow Pumpkin Stencil
A side-view football helmet formed by two big cut-through openings: the main shell shape and a lower slot separated by the face mask bars, which remain as strips of intact rind. The glowing negative space does all the work of drawing the helmet. Cut the large shell opening first, then the smaller mask slots, supporting each thin bar with your free hand as the saw passes beside it.
AdvancedTee Time Pumpkin Stencil
A classic golf iron leans behind a dimpled ball sitting in a tuft of rough grass, all done in skin-shave shading with no pierced openings. The club face grooves, ball dimples, and grass blades are etched at varying depths so each element glows in its own warm tone. Score your outlines first, then shave between them; the fine groove and dimple details reward a light touch.