Example 1
- Radius: 5
- Height: 10
785.40
A can with r = 5, h = 10: 785.40. A school cylinder with a round base.
Cylinder volume calculator
Give the radius of the round base and the height from lid to lid. You get how much a can, a pipe, or a homework cylinder holds. At r = 5 the circle is 78.54, and at h = 10 the volume is 785.40, the same πr²h as in the school formula.
V = πr²h. Base area is on the area of a circle calculator. A sphere is on the sphere volume calculator.
Result
Radius r (cm) and Height h (cm). Volume shows up here.
How it works
Cylinder volume is the area of the circular base times height. V = πr²h joins two familiar pieces: first πr², then multiply by h. The calculator uses π, not the fraction 22/7, and shows two decimal places. Radius and height must share one unit. The result is in cm³ or in³.
The school can on the page has r = 5 and h = 10. Base area 78.54 times height 10 is 785.40, arithmetically 250π. A short wide drum r = 10 and h = 2 is 628.32. A cylinder with r = h = 4 comes out 201.06. The unit cylinder r = 1, h = 1 gives 3.14, the same number as circle area at r = 1, only with height one.
Type the base radius, the same r you would use for circle area, then the height from one base to the other. Click Calculate. If the worksheet gives diameter, divide it by two before you type r. Diameter 10 means r = 5; typing 10 as r with h = 10 overstates volume by four because r is squared.
A cone with the same r and h holds one third of this volume. At 5 and 10 the cylinder is 785.40 and the cone is 261.80, on the cone volume page. A sphere at r = 5 is about 523.60 and does not use h. A cube of edge 5 is 125, with no π. The wrap around a can, lateral area 2πrh, has its own card.
Switching to inches relabels the result as in³ and does not convert a typed 5 into inches. Mixing centimeters in r with inches in h breaks the scale. Height is the segment between the bases, not the slant along a cone side.
A pancake r = 10 and h = 2 is a legal cylinder: a large circle, a small height. A slim pipe r = 2 and h = 10 is too. The formula does not need r and h to look alike. If you only want circle area, stay on the circle page; here height always goes in.
How to use
- Type the base radius, the same r you would use for circle area, in cm or inches.
- Type height in the same unit, from one base to the other.
- Click Calculate. At r = 5 and h = 10 you get 785.40 with a cm³ or in³ label.
- If you know diameter, divide it by two before typing r. Diameter 10 means r = 5.
- A cone with those same 5 and 10 would be 261.80. Open it when the solid tapers to a tip.
Formula
V = π × r² × h
Keep radius and height in one unit. One third of this formula is the cone on the next page.
V of a cylinder r = 5, h = 10
πr²h. At r = 5 the circle is 78.54, and at h = 10 the volume is 785.40.
- V
- Volume πr²h. 5 and 10 give 785.40. r = 1 and h = 1 give 3.14. One third of this formula is the cone.
- r
- Radius of the round base. 5 with h = 10 is 785.40. A narrower pipe r = 3 and h = 8 is 226.19.
- h
- Height from lid to lid. 10 with r = 5. The unit cylinder h = 1 and r = 1 is 3.14.
- π
- In the product with r²h. At r = 5 and h = 10 the result is 785.40. Lateral 2πrh is next door.
Examples
Example 2
- Radius: 1
- Height: 1
3.14
Unit cylinder r = 1, h = 1. The 3.14 matches circle area at r = 1.
Example 3
- Radius: 3
- Height: 8
226.19
A narrower pipe, r = 3, h = 8.
Example 4
- Radius: 2
- Height: 10
125.66
A slim cylinder r = 2, h = 10, a pencil in scale.
Example 5
- Radius: 7
- Height: 4
615.75
A wide short drum, r = 7, h = 4.
Example 6
- Radius: 4
- Height: 4
201.06
A cylinder with r = h = 4, 201.06.
Example 7
- Radius: 10
- Height: 2
628.32
A pancake r = 10, h = 2: large base, small height.
Example 8
- Radius: 6
- Height: 12
1357.17
Cylinder r = 6, h = 12, twice as tall as the 5-and-10 example at a different r.
Frequently asked questions
What do r = 5 and h = 10 give?
785.40, which is 250π rounded to two places. Base area at that r is 78.54, times height 10.
How is cylinder volume different from circle area?
Circle area is πr². Volume multiplies that area by h. At r = 5 the area is 78.54; at h = 10 the volume is 785.40.
Why does the screen show 785.40 instead of 250π?
Arithmetically it is 250π. The page rounds to two decimals. The formula still uses π, not 22/7.
Does a sphere with r = 5 have the same volume?
At r = 5 a sphere is about 523.60. A cylinder needs height. Without h there is no cylinder.
How does a cone compare to this cylinder?
A cone with the same r and h has one third of the volume. At 5 and 10 the cylinder is 785.40 and the cone is 261.80.
Can I type diameter instead of radius?
Divide by two first. Diameter 10 means r = 5. Typing 10 as r with h = 10 overstates volume by four because r is squared.
Can r and h use different units?
Not without converting first. Both in cm or both in inches, then cm³ or in³ from the unit switch.
Is a cube of edge 5 the same 785?
A cube 5³ is 125. π does not appear in a cube. Different solid, different page.
What is the r = 10 and h = 2 example for?
It shows a short cylinder with a large base. Circle area at r = 10 is 314.16, times height 2 is 628.32.
Is this the label around a can?
This is volume in cm³. The wrap-around label is lateral area, 2πrh, on the cylinder lateral area page.
Knowledge sources
The calculator computes the same formula as the definition below.
Page updated in 2026.