Cylinder Volume Calculator
Find the volume and surface area of a cylinder.
Results update as you type.
How it works
A cylinder is a three-dimensional shape with two parallel circular ends joined by a curved surface, like a can, a pipe, or a storage tank. Calculating its volume and surface area is a routine task in engineering, manufacturing, cooking, and construction, wherever round containers appear. This cylinder volume calculator takes two inputs, the radius of the circular base and the height, and returns the volume, the space the cylinder holds, and the total surface area, the combined area of both ends plus the curved side. The volume is the area of the circular base, pi times the radius squared, multiplied by the height, because a cylinder is effectively a stack of identical circles. The total surface area adds the two circular caps to the curved lateral surface, which when unrolled is a rectangle. For a cylinder with a radius of 2 units and a height of 5 units, the volume is about 62.83 cubic units and the total surface area is about 87.96 square units. Engineers sizing tanks and pipes, cooks scaling tins, and students tackling solid geometry all use a cylinder volume calculator to get both figures reliably from just the radius and the height.
volume = π × r² × h; surface area = 2 × π × r × (r + h)
A cylinder's volume is the area of its circular base, pi times the radius squared, multiplied by the height, because the shape is a stack of identical circular cross-sections. The total surface area combines the two circular ends, each pi times the radius squared, with the curved side, which unrolls into a rectangle whose width is the base circumference and whose height is the cylinder's height. Factoring gives two pi r times the quantity r plus h.
Source:Euclidean geometry
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter radius and height.
- 2
Adjust the options
Fine-tune any options to match your situation.
- 3
Read your result
Volume updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the volume of a cylinder?
Multiply the area of the circular base by the height. The base area is pi times the radius squared, so the full volume is pi times the radius squared times the height. For a cylinder with a radius of 2 and a height of 5, that is pi times 4 times 5, roughly 62.83 cubic units. The calculator performs this using the precise value of pi automatically.
What does the surface area include?
The total surface area of a closed cylinder includes three parts: the top circle, the bottom circle, and the curved side that wraps between them. The two circles together contribute twice pi times the radius squared, and the curved side contributes two pi times the radius times the height. The formula two pi r times r plus h combines all three into one expression, which the calculator evaluates for you.
How is a cylinder's volume related to a prism?
A cylinder is essentially a prism with a circular base rather than a polygonal one. For any prism, the volume is the base area times the height, and a cylinder follows the same rule with the base being a circle. This is why the volume formula is simply the circle's area, pi times the radius squared, multiplied by how tall the cylinder stands, exactly as with a rectangular box.
What if I only have the diameter?
Halve the diameter to obtain the radius before entering it, since both formulas are written in terms of the radius. A pipe measuring 4 units across the opening has a radius of 2 units. Using the diameter directly in place of the radius would overstate the volume fourfold, so always convert first. Once you have the radius and the height, the calculator returns both results correctly.
Can this find the capacity of a tank?
Yes. The volume of a cylinder is its capacity, so entering the internal radius and internal height of a cylindrical tank gives how much it can hold in cubic units. To convert to litres, remember that one cubic decimetre equals one litre, or use the relationship that one cubic metre equals a thousand litres. Keep your radius and height in consistent units for an accurate capacity figure.