The Surface Area Of A Cylinder Calculator
A cylinder is the easiest curved solid to understand, because unrolling its side turns it into a plain rectangle whose width is the circle's circumference.
Total surface area
245.0442
- Curved surface area
- 188.4956
- Area of both ends
- 56.5487
- Volume
- 282.7433
Values update as you type. This calculator covers the single scenario its formula assumes — see Common Mistakes for what it leaves out.
The formula this calculator uses
surface area = 2 x pi x r x h + 2 x pi x r^2
- A
- Total surface area including both ends
- r
- Radius of the circular base
- h
- Height of the cylinder
How to check the result by hand
- 1
Find the radius and the height
Halve the diameter if that is what you measured. Both measurements must be in the same unit before anything is multiplied.
- 2
Work out the circumference of the base
Two pi r, which for a radius of three is about 18.85. This becomes the width of the rectangle you get by unrolling the side.
- 3
Multiply by the height for the curved area
18.85 times ten is 188.4956. This is the side alone, which is what you need for a label or for painting a pipe.
- 4
Add the two circular ends
Each end is pi r squared, about 28.2743, so the pair adds 56.5487. The running total becomes 245.0442.
- 5
Decide whether the ends belong
An open tube has no ends, so the answer is the curved area alone. A closed can needs both, and a can with one open end needs just one.
For worked examples, common mistakes and the limits of this formula, read the full How To Calculate The Surface Area Of A Cylinder page.