Cylinder calculator
Volume, lateral and total surface area of a cylinder from radius and height.
Fill in the fields and the result will appear here automatically.
Works a cylinder — the shape of a barrel, a pipe, a tank or a well ring. Besides the volume it reports two surfaces, and the difference matters: the lateral one is what you need for wrapping or lagging a pipe, the total one for painting a vessel including its base and lid. Volume comes in the cube of the chosen unit, surfaces in its square.
How it works
Formula and logic
V = π · r² · h, the lateral surface is 2πrh and the total is 2πr(r + h) — the lateral surface plus two bases.
Example
At r = 3 m and h = 10 m, volume is 90π ≈ 282.74 m³, lateral area 60π ≈ 188.50 m² and total surface area 78π ≈ 245.04 m².
Fields and units
- Length unit — list option
- Base radius — cm
- Height — cm
How to use
- — Choose the length unit.
- — Enter the base radius and the height.
- — Read the volume and both surfaces.
- — Use positive r and h for a right circular cylinder. For capacity, enter the inner radius; pipe-wall material volume is not calculated here.
Method and limitations
- Calculation method
- Formula and logic
- Data or methodology source
- OpenStax: solid volumes and surface areas
- Limitation
- A right circular cylinder, with h perpendicular to its bases. Total surface includes two bases; lateral surface is the wall alone. Changing the unit does not convert the numbers, and the model does not calculate partial filling of a horizontal tank.
FAQ
How does the lateral surface differ from the total?
The lateral one is the wall alone, which unrolls into a rectangle 2πr by h. The total adds the two circular bases to it.
How do I convert the volume to litres?
A cubic decimetre is a litre and a cubic metre is a thousand litres, so compute in metres and multiply by 1000.
Does this work for a pipe?
For the outer volume and area, yes. The bore is a separate calculation from the inner radius; wall thickness is not modelled here.
What if I know the diameter?
Enter half of it. The radius is half the diameter, and substituting the diameter would overstate the volume fourfold.