Cylinder Calculator

Free Online Cylinder Calculator

This cylinder calculator helps you instantly find the radius, diameter, height, volume, curved surface area, and total surface area of any cylinder from just two known values. Simply choose a combination — radius and height, diameter and height, volume and radius, or volume and height — and the calculator solves for every other value automatically, complete with a shaded 3D diagram and a full step-by-step solution that shows exactly how each formula was applied.

Whether you're a student solving mensuration problems, a teacher preparing worked examples for class, an engineer sizing a storage tank or pipe, or simply someone searching online for a fast and accurate volume of a cylinder calculator or surface area of a cylinder calculator, this tool covers every common cylinder calculation you're likely to need in seconds.

A cylinder is a three-dimensional solid with two parallel, congruent circular bases connected by a curved lateral surface. Because a cylinder is defined entirely by its radius (or diameter) and its height, knowing any two of its four core measurements — radius, height, volume, or surface area — is enough for this calculator to work out every other property automatically.

Cylinder Formulas Used

A right circular cylinder is defined by its radius 'r' and height 'h'. Every other measurement can be derived using the following standard mensuration formulas, which this calculator applies automatically:

• Volume: V = πr²h (pi times the radius squared times the height)
• Curved Surface Area (CSA): 2πrh (the area of just the outer curved wall)
• Total Surface Area (TSA): 2πr(r + h) (the curved surface area plus both circular bases)
• Diameter: d = 2r (the diameter is always twice the radius)
• Radius from diameter: r = d / 2
• Height from volume and radius: h = V / (πr²)
• Radius from volume and height: r = √(V / (πh))

How to Use This Cylinder Calculator

Using this calculator only takes three simple steps. First, select which pair of measurements you already know from the dropdown menu — radius & height, diameter & height, volume & radius, or volume & height. Second, type in both values you have. Third, read off the results: the calculator instantly displays the radius, diameter, height, volume, curved surface area, and total surface area, along with a to-scale shaded diagram and a detailed breakdown of the math behind every number.

This flexible 'solve from any two values' approach means you never have to manually rearrange the volume or surface area formula yourself — the calculator handles all of the algebra, including square roots, no matter which pair of values you start with. It's especially useful when working backward, for example when you know how much liquid a cylindrical tank should hold and its radius, and need to find the required height, or when you know the volume and height and need the radius for manufacturing a pipe.

Worked Example

Suppose you're designing a cylindrical water tank with a radius of 5 meters and a height of 10 meters. Enter these two values, and the calculator immediately computes the volume using V = πr²h, giving V ≈ 785.4 cubic meters. It then finds the curved surface area using CSA = 2πrh ≈ 314.16 square meters, and the total surface area using TSA = 2πr(r + h) ≈ 471.24 square meters — telling you exactly how much material would be needed to build the tank's outer shell, including its top and bottom.

This same process works in reverse for any of the four input combinations, making the tool equally useful as a radius calculator, a height calculator, a volume calculator, or a surface area of a cylinder calculator.

Understanding the Cylinder Diagram

The diagram above shades the cylinder body with a horizontal gradient — lighter on the left and darker on the right — to give the flat rectangle a realistic curved, 3D appearance rather than looking like a plain rectangle. Two shaded ellipses at the top and bottom represent the circular bases, just like looking at a can or pipe from a slight angle. The solid radius line on the top lid, the dashed pink diameter line, and the teal height marker on the right side are all labeled directly on the diagram with their exact calculated values, so every measurement is visible at a glance without needing to read a separate table.

Cylinder vs. Circle and Cone: What's the Difference?

A circle is a flat, two-dimensional shape, while a cylinder is essentially two identical circles connected by a curved surface and stretched apart by a height — a three-dimensional solid. If you're working with a flat 2D shape instead of a solid, use our Circle Calculator instead. A cone is closely related to a cylinder but tapers to a single point instead of having two equal circular bases — for that shape, use our Cone Calculator, which shares similar radius, height, and volume logic but with a factor of one-third in its volume formula.

Where Cylinder Calculations Are Used

Cylinder geometry and mensuration formulas show up constantly in real life and across many fields of study and industry:

• Students and teachers use it for geometry and mensuration homework, competitive exams, and lesson planning.
• Engineers and architects use cylinder volume and surface area when designing storage tanks, pipes, silos, and pressure vessels.
• Manufacturing and packaging industries calculate cylinder surface area to determine how much material, metal sheet, or label is needed for cans, drums, and pipes.
• Construction professionals use cylinder volume formulas to estimate concrete needed for cylindrical pillars, columns, and borewells.
• Everyday applications include calculating the capacity of water tanks, fuel drums, cooking pots, and beverage cans.