Right Cylinder Calculator — Volume & Surface Area
Enter the base radius and height of a right circular cylinder to find its volume, lateral and total surface area, base area, circumference and space diagonal.
units
units
V = π × r² × h
- 1
Base area = π × r²
π × 6² = 113.097336 - 2
Volume = base area × h
113.097336 × 10 = 1,130.9734Every cross-section of the cylinder is identical, so volume is simply base area times height.
How does this calculator work?
For a right circular cylinder with base radius r and height h: Volume = πr²h, Lateral SA = 2πrh, Total SA = 2πr(r+h), Space diagonal = √(4r²+h²). Enter radius and height — results are in the corresponding squared and cubed units.
Formula
How this is calculated
A right circular cylinder has two congruent circular bases connected by a curved lateral surface, with the axis perpendicular to both bases. It is fully defined by the base radius r and the height h.
The base area is πr² (the area of each circular end). Volume is simply base area times height: V = πr²h, because every cross-section parallel to the base is an identical circle. The lateral surface area is found by imagining the curved surface unrolled into a flat rectangle: its width is the base circumference 2πr and its height is h, giving 2πrh. Adding both circular ends (2 × πr²) yields the total surface area 2πr² + 2πrh = 2πr(r+h).
The space diagonal is the longest straight line from a point on one rim to the diametrically opposite point on the other rim: √((2r)² + h²) = √(4r² + h²), by Pythagoras across the diameter and height. All formulas are exact for a perfect right circular cylinder; no approximations are used and π is taken to full machine precision.
Frequently asked questions
Lateral surface area covers only the curved side (2πrh), ignoring the two circular ends. Total surface area adds both bases (2πr²), giving 2πr(r+h). Use lateral area when calculating the material for a tube or pipe, and total area for a closed can.
A cylinder has volume V = πr²h. A cone with the same base radius and height has exactly one third of that volume: ⅓πr²h. Three identical cones fill one cylinder of the same dimensions.
The space diagonal is the longest straight-line distance inside the cylinder: from one point on the base rim to the diametrically opposite point on the top rim. It equals √((2r)² + h²), derived by Pythagoras from the diameter and the height.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Right Cylinder Calculator — Volume & Surface Area [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/right-cylinder-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Right Cylinder Calculator — Volume & Surface Area." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/right-cylinder-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Right Cylinder Calculator — Volume & Surface Area," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/right-cylinder-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_right_cylinder_calculator, title = {Right Cylinder Calculator — Volume & Surface Area}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/right-cylinder-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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