Cylinder Volume Calculator
Find the volume (V = πr²h) and all surface areas of a right circular cylinder. Enter the radius and height to get volume, base area, lateral surface area and total surface area.
units
units
V = πr²h — the space inside the cylinder
V = πr²h
785.3982 units³- 1
Radius squared (r²)
5² = 25 - 2
Base area (π × r²)
π × 25 = 78.5398 - 3
Volume V = base area × h
78.5398 × 10 = 785.3982
How does this calculator work?
Cylinder volume V = πr²h ≈ 3.14159 × r² × h. Lateral surface area = 2πrh; total surface area = 2πr(r + h). Enter radius and height in consistent units — the volume is in the same unit cubed (cm³, in³, m³, etc.).
Formula
How this is calculated
A right circular cylinder has two identical circular bases connected by a curved lateral surface. Its volume equals the area of one circular base multiplied by the height: V = πr²h. Intuitively, you are stacking an infinite number of circular discs of area πr² over the height h.
The surface area comes in two parts. The lateral (curved) surface unrolls into a rectangle of width 2πr (the base circumference) and height h, giving a lateral area of 2πrh. Adding two circular caps (each πr²) gives the total surface area: 2πr² + 2πrh = 2πr(r + h).
All results are in cubic or square versions of whatever unit you enter for radius and height. Keep the units consistent: if r is in centimetres and h is in centimetres, the volume is in cm³. There is no built-in unit conversion.
Frequently asked questions
Divide the diameter by 2 to get the radius (r = d ÷ 2), then enter that value. Because the formula squares the radius, using the diameter directly gives a result four times too large.
If you enter radius and height in centimetres, the volume comes out in cm³. Divide by 1000 to get litres (1 L = 1000 cm³). For US gallons, divide cm³ by 3785.41. Alternatively use the companion Cylinder Volume in Gallons calculator that handles the conversion automatically.
No — this formula gives the volume of a solid cylinder. For a hollow cylinder, subtract the volume of the inner cylinder from the outer: V = π(r_outer² − r_inner²) × h. Run the calculator twice and subtract.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Cylinder Volume Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-volume-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Cylinder Volume Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-volume-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Cylinder Volume Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-volume-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_cylinder_volume_calculator, title = {Cylinder Volume Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-volume-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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