RuledPaperFree printable · PDF, PNG, SVG
Blank Sudoku Grids
Blank sudoku grids give you the familiar 9 by 9 board with bold lines around each 3 by 3 box and no numbers filled in. Use them to copy a puzzle from a newspaper or app, to write your own puzzles, or to work through a hard one in pencil without spoiling the original. Teachers print them for logic lessons and puzzle clubs.
Preview of page 1. 215.9 mm × 279.4 mm. Print at 100% (“Actual size”) to keep the spacing exact.
What people use it for
- Copying a puzzle to solve it again or share it
- Writing your own sudoku puzzles
- Working with candidate notes in pencil on a large grid
- Math and logic lessons on elimination and reasoning
- Puzzle competitions where everyone gets the same blank sheet
Standard measurements
| Grid | 9 x 9 = 81 cells in nine 3 x 3 boxes |
|---|---|
| Rule | Digits 1 to 9 appear once in every row, column and box |
| Fewest clues for a unique solution | 17 |
Tips for blank sudoku
- Print one large grid per page if you like writing small pencil marks for candidates; print four or more per page for quick puzzles.
- Use a darker line weight so the 3 by 3 boxes stand out clearly from the thin cell lines.
- When copying a puzzle, enter the given digits in pen and your own work in pencil, so you can always tell them apart.
- To create a puzzle, start from a completed grid and remove numbers one at a time, checking each time that only one solution remains.
Printing tip: in the print dialog choose Actual size or 100%, not “Fit to page”, or the spacing shrinks slightly. How we keep sizes exact.
Questions
What are the rules of sudoku?
Fill the 9 by 9 grid so each row, each column and each of the nine 3 by 3 boxes contains the digits 1 to 9 exactly once. A proper puzzle has only one solution.
What is the minimum number of clues?
Seventeen. Thousands of valid 17-clue puzzles are known, and it has been shown that no puzzle with only 16 clues has a unique solution.
Is sudoku a math game?
Not really. The digits are just symbols and no arithmetic is involved; letters or colors would work the same way. It is a logic puzzle.
How do I keep track of candidates?
Write small numbers in the corners of a cell for possible digits and erase them as you rule them out. A larger printed grid leaves more room for these notes.
