Cylinder Volume Calculator

What is the Cylinder Volume Calculator?

Calculate the volume and surface area of a cylinder. Cylinders are everywhere — tanks, cans, pipes and planters — and their volume follows directly from radius and height.

How to use the Cylinder Volume Calculator

1. Enter your radius, your height.
2. Results update automatically as you type; you can also press Calculate.
3. Read the output: volume, lateral surface area, total surface area.
4. Use the 📊 chart to see the result visually, then copy or share it.

Formula and method

Worked example

With radius = 3, height = 10, the Cylinder Volume Calculator returns volume: 282.743338823; lateral surface area: 188.495559215; total surface area: 245.04422698.

Where the Cylinder Volume Calculator helps in real life

You are filling a round planter 40 cm across and 50 cm deep with potting mix. The calculator gives the volume in liters, which matches how soil is sold.

You want to know how much rain a barrel can store. Entering its inside radius and height gives the capacity in gallons or liters.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Entering the diameter as the radius.
• Using outside dimensions for capacity.
• Ignoring the wall thickness of thick containers.
• Mixing units between radius and height.

💡 Practical tip: Small changes in radius make big changes in volume because the radius is squared.

Tips for better results

• Measure the inside diameter and halve it.
• Convert cubic centimeters to liters by dividing by 1,000.
• Check results against labelled capacities when available.

Related tools