Similar pumpkin stencils
View all stencils →About this stencil
This free Volleyball pumpkin stencil is a printable PDF pattern you can print at home, tape to your pumpkin, and trace. A volleyball fills this easy pumpkin stencil from edge to edge, its circular outline and internal panel lines rendered in the classic three-curved-line pattern that divides the ball into panels. The wide panel sections are cut away, leaving the curved dividing strips as solid pumpkin flesh that forms the seam lines. When lit, the jack-o-lantern glows through the large open panels while the seam lines stay dark. Score along each curved seam line with a detail tool before cutting to keep the thin curved strips from tearing under the blade. Use it as a carving template for your Halloween jack-o'-lantern. It is rated Beginner-friendly. Estimated time: 60-90 minutes. Actual time varies with preparation, pumpkin size and experience. Larger shapes and shorter cuts. An adult should handle sharp carving tools.
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
This is a cut-through stencil: the gray areas on the printable pattern are the pieces you remove, and everything white stays attached. The steps below give you the safest carving order. Plan on about 60-90 minutes from print to candle.
Set up first. Print the PDF at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper. Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the pumpkin clean, and thin the carving wall to about 1 inch where the design will sit. Tape the pattern on (snip small darts in the paper so it hugs the curve) and transfer every outline by poking dots along the lines, about one every 1/8 inch. Peel the paper away and carve dot to dot with short, straight strokes.
Carving order
- Plan around the white seams. The curved white strips between panels are what make the ball read as a volleyball; they all stay attached. Keep the blade inside each gray panel and never cut across a seam.
- Cut the small pointed panels first. Open the narrower wedge-shaped panels at the lower right and the thin tapering panels along the edges. Saw toward each sharp point from both sides.
- Open the mid-size panels. Remove the curved panels through the middle of the ball one at a time, alternating sides so the wall keeps its strength as material comes out.
- Cut the two largest panels last. Finish with the broad panel across the top and the big lower left panel. Leave a short edge of each attached until the rest of its outline is cut, then support the plug and lift it free without pressing on the thin seams.
Clear loose fibers out of each opening as you go, and never twist or pry the blade against the shell; back it out and recut instead. When every piece is out, wipe the cut edges dry and drop in a battery LED puck.
Tools you'll need
For a beginner-friendly carve like this you'll want a paring knife, spoon / scoop, marker, and led pumpkin light. 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.
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.
Beginner-friendlyMatch Point Pumpkin Stencil
A tilted tennis racket with an open oval head leans across the pumpkin while a round ball floats just below the frame. The racket head, handle, and ball are all cut through as chunky, simple shapes with no interior string detail to fuss over. That makes this an easy pattern for team celebrations; carve the long handle in one steady pass so its edges stay parallel.
Beginner-friendlyBasketball Seam Lines
This design turns the whole pumpkin front into a basketball by shaving the classic seam pattern into the skin: one vertical line, one horizontal line, and two curved side arcs. Nothing is cut through; the grooves alone read instantly as a ball, and the round pumpkin does the rest. It is an easy carve, so just score each line lightly with the stencil in place first, then widen the grooves to an even depth.
Beginner-friendlyGame Day Gridiron Pumpkin Stencil
A football sits sideways across the pumpkin with its center lace stripe and six cross laces picked out in pale shaved flesh. The design uses no pierced openings; you shave the skin from the outline band, the end panels, and the laces while the body of the ball stays orange rind. It is an easy first etching project; score the outlines with a knife tip before shaving so your edges stay sharp.
Beginner-friendlyCrossed Hockey Sticks Pumpkin Stencil
Two crossed hockey sticks dominate this jack-o-lantern stencil, their long shafts forming an X at center with the curved blade ends fanning out left and right; a small round puck sits below the crossing point. The stick shafts are cut as long thin negative spaces flanking the solid X-shaped pumpkin skin bridge, and each blade features short hatching cuts that add texture on the lit pumpkin. Leave the central skin bridge where the two shafts cross untouched last so the structure stays rigid while you complete the outer blade details.
Beginner-friendlyFootball Pumpkin Stencil
An American football seen at a slight angle fills this pumpkin stencil, showing the oval ball body with a central lace strip of intersecting horizontal and vertical bars, plus two pointed corner panels at upper left and lower right that indicate the ball's tips extending beyond the oval. The entire ball outline, including the lace grid, is a single large pierced-through area that blazes with light against the solid pumpkin skin. Keep the lace crossbar strips intact while carving the surrounding oval by making your entry cuts along the ball's outer edge rather than through the lace bars.