Surface Area of a Rectangular Pyramid Calculator
Enter the base length, base width and vertical height of a rectangular pyramid to find its total surface area (base + four triangular faces), lateral area and slant heights.
units
units
units
Base area + four triangular lateral faces
- 1
Base area l × w
6 × 4 = 24 - 2
Slant height s₁ √(h² + (w÷2)²)
√(5² + (4 ÷ 2)²) = 5.3852Distance from midpoint of a length-l base edge to the apex. - 3
Slant height s₂ √(h² + (l÷2)²)
√(5² + (6 ÷ 2)²) = 5.831 - 4
Lateral area l·s₁ + w·s₂
6 × 5.3852 + 4 × 5.831 = 55.6348 - 5
Total surface area base + lateral
24 + 55.6348 = 79.6348
How does this calculator work?
For a right rectangular pyramid with base l × w and height h, the slant heights are s₁ = √(h²+(w/2)²) and s₂ = √(h²+(l/2)²). Total surface area = l·w + l·s₁ + w·s₂. Volume = ⅓·l·w·h. Enter all three dimensions in consistent units.
Formula
How this is calculated
A rectangular pyramid has a rectangular base of length l and width w, and four triangular faces that meet at a single apex directly above the centre of the base. Because the base is a rectangle (not a square), the two pairs of triangular faces are generally different: the two faces sitting on the length-l edges have a different slant height from the two faces sitting on the width-w edges.
The slant height for the faces with base l is s₁ = √(h² + (w/2)²), because the apex is directly above the midpoint of the base, so the distance from the midpoint of a length-l edge to the apex forms a right triangle with legs h and w/2. Similarly, the slant height for the faces with base w is s₂ = √(h² + (l/2)²). Each triangular face has area = ½ × base × slant height, and the total lateral area sums all four: l·s₁ + w·s₂. Adding the base area l·w gives the total surface area.
The volume (V = ⅓·l·w·h) is included for reference. All inputs must share the same unit; output is in square units of that unit. The pyramid is assumed to be a right pyramid — the apex is directly above the centre of the base.
Frequently asked questions
A rectangular base has two different edge lengths, so the pyramid has two pairs of non-congruent triangular faces. The slant height is measured from the midpoint of a base edge to the apex; its value depends on which edge you measure from: s₁ = √(h²+(w/2)²) for the longer-base faces and s₂ = √(h²+(l/2)²) for the wider-base faces.
A square pyramid is a special case where l = w, so both slant heights are equal (s = √(h²+(l/2)²)) and the formula simplifies to TSA = l² + 2l·s. The rectangular pyramid calculator handles the general case.
Lateral area is the combined area of the four triangular side faces, excluding the base. Total surface area = lateral area + base area.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Surface Area of a Rectangular Pyramid Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/surface-area-of-a-rectangular-pyramid-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Surface Area of a Rectangular Pyramid Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/surface-area-of-a-rectangular-pyramid-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Surface Area of a Rectangular Pyramid Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/surface-area-of-a-rectangular-pyramid-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_surface_area_of_a_rectangular_pyramid_calculator, title = {Surface Area of a Rectangular Pyramid Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/surface-area-of-a-rectangular-pyramid-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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