Cylinder Calculator
Enter the radius and height of a cylinder to find its volume and surface area.
units
units
502.7
Volume (π·r²·h)351.9
Total surface areaLateral surface area
71.4%
Circular ends
28.6%
- 1
Base area = π × r²
π × 4² = 50.2655The area of the circular base. - 2
Volume = base area × h
50.2655 × 10 = 502.6548
Formula
How this is calculated
This tool models a right circular cylinder: two identical circular bases joined by a straight tube. You supply just two measurements, the radius (r, the distance from the centre of a base to its edge) and the height (h, the perpendicular distance between the two bases). Both must be entered in the same length unit, and both must be positive; zero or negative values, or non-numbers, return no result.
Volume is found by multiplying the area of one circular base (π × r²) by the height, exactly as if you stacked many thin discs of that area up to height h. Surface area is built from three pieces: the two flat circular caps (2 × π × r²) plus the curved side wall, the lateral area, which is the base circumference (2πr) times the height. Adding them gives the compact form 2 × π × r × (r + h).
The figures use the full-precision value of π and are rounded only for display (volume to four decimals). Length comes out in your chosen unit, area in that unit squared, and volume in that unit cubed. The model assumes a perfectly upright cylinder with flat, parallel ends and ignores wall thickness, so for a real tank or pipe it gives the outer geometry, not the contained capacity of a hollow shell.
Examples
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| radius = 4, height = 10 | Volume ≈ 502.6548, Surface ≈ 351.8584 |
About this calculator
A right circular cylinder has two parallel circular bases joined by a curved side. Its volume is the base area (πr²) multiplied by the height, the same way you would stack identical circular discs.
The total surface area combines the two circular caps (2πr²) with the curved lateral surface (2πrh), giving 2πr(r + h). Cylinders model pipes, tanks, cans and rollers, so these formulas are widely used in engineering and packaging.
Frequently asked questions
Multiply the area of the circular base by the height: Volume = π × r² × h. A cylinder with radius 4 and height 10 holds about 502.65 cubic units.
Lateral surface area (2πrh) is just the curved side. Total surface area adds the two circular ends (2πr²), giving 2πr(r + h).
If you enter dimensions in centimeters, the volume is in cubic centimeters (mL); divide by 1000 to get liters.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Cylinder Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Cylinder Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Cylinder Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_cylinder_calculator, title = {Cylinder Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/cylinder-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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