Volume Calculator
Pick a shape, enter each dimension in any unit and get the volume in cubic feet, gallons, liters and 20 other units, with the formula worked out.
Volume calculators for every shape
Each shape has its own calculator with worked examples in feet and meters, unit conversions and the questions people ask most about it.
- Cylinder V = πr²h
- Sphere V = ⁴⁄₃πr³
- Cone V = ⅓πr²h
- Cube V = a³
- Rectangular prism V = lwh
- Hemisphere V = ⅔πr³
- Pyramid V = ⅓lwh
- Triangular prism V = ½bhl
- Prism V = Ah
- Triangular pyramid V = ⅙bh₁h
- Trapezoidal prism V = ½(a+b)hl
- Ellipsoid V = ⁴⁄₃πabc
- Hollow cylinder V = π(R²−r²)h
- Truncated cone V = ⅓πh(R²+Rr+r²)
Volume calculators by use
Calculators built around real jobs, from filling a pool to ordering gravel, in the units each job is normally measured in.
This calculator is coming soon.
Water & tanks
Gallons and liters for anything that holds water.
- Tank Volume Calculator Round and rectangular tanks
- Pool Volume Calculator Rectangle, round, oval and kidney
- Pipe Volume Calculator Gallons per foot of pipe or tubing
- Aquarium Volume Calculator Fish tank size in gallons
- Pond Volume Calculator Water for pumps and treatment
- Well Volume Calculator Water stored in a well casing
- Water Volume Calculator Any container of water or liquid
Construction
Cubic yards and tons for ordering bulk material.
- Concrete Volume Calculator Slabs, footings and columns
- Gravel Volume Calculator Cubic yards and tons of stone
- Soil Volume Calculator Topsoil for beds and lawns
- Dirt Volume Calculator Fill dirt and excavation
- Sand Volume Calculator Cubic yards and tons of sand
- Asphalt Volume Calculator Paving tonnage for driveways
Everyday objects
Boards, boxes, pots and the things in between.
- Surfboard Volume Calculator Board volume in liters
- Subwoofer Box Volume Calculator Enclosure volume in ft³
- Epoxy Resin Volume Calculator Resin for molds and river tables
- Pot Volume Calculator Planters and cooking pots
- Bowl Volume Calculator Capacity in cups and mL
- Jar Volume Calculator Capacity in fluid ounces
- Trash Can Volume Calculator Bin size in gallons
Shipping
Cartons, freight and chargeable weight.
- Box Volume Calculator Carton volume in cubic feet
- CBM Calculator Cubic meters for sea freight
- Air Freight Volume Calculator Volumetric chargeable weight
Science
Density, flow and lab measurements.
- Volume to Weight Calculator Weight of a volume by material
- Density Calculator Mass, volume and density
- Surface Area to Volume Calculator SA:V for common shapes
- Volume Flow Rate Calculator Gallons per minute and m³/h
- HPLC Column Volume Calculator Column and void volume
- Alcohol by Volume Calculator ABV of drinks and home brews
Volume converter
Convert between any two units of volume.
- Gallons Volume Converter US and UK gallons
- Cubic Feet Volume Converter ft³ to gallons, liters and more
- Cubic Yards Volume Converter yd³ for bulk material
- Liters Volume Converter L to gallons, quarts and cups
- Cubic Meters Volume Converter m³ to liters and ft³
- Volume Units Converter 22 units of volume
What is volume?
Volume is the space an object fills, measured in cubic units or in liquid units such as gallons and liters.
For a container, volume is also its capacity: how much liquid or material it can hold. It is measured in cubic units such as cubic feet (ft3) and cubic meters (m3), or in liquid units such as gallons and liters.
Each dimension you add multiplies the unit. A length in feet times a width in feet gives an area in square feet. Multiply that area by a height in feet and the result is a volume in cubic feet.
- Length 4 ft
- Area 4 × 3 = 12 ft²
- Volume 4 × 3 × 2 = 24 ft³
How to calculate volume
Every formula on this page comes down to the same idea: the area of a cross-section, carried through the object's height or length.
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Match the object to a shape
Most things are a basic solid or a mix of them. A water heater is a cylinder, a room is a rectangular prism, a funnel is a truncated cone.
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Put every measurement in one unit
Mixing inches and feet is the most common cause of a wrong answer. Measure inside dimensions if you want what a container holds.
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Apply the formula, then convert
Prisms and cylinders are base area × height. Pyramids and cones are one third of that. Convert the cubic result to gallons or liters last.
Worked example: a storage box
A box measures 3 ft long, 2 ft wide and 18 in high. How much does it hold?
- Convert the height to feet: 18 in ÷ 12 = 1.5 ft.
- Use the rectangular prism formula: V = l × w × h.
- Multiply: 3 × 2 × 1.5 = 9 ft³.
- Convert to gallons: 9 × 7.48052 = 67.3 US gallons.
The box holds 9 cubic feet, about 67 US gallons or 255 liters.
Volume formulas
r is the radius, h the height, l the length, w the width and A the area of the base.
| Shape | Formula | |
|---|---|---|
| Cube | V = a³ | |
| Rectangular prism | V = l × w × h | |
| Cylinder | V = π r² h | |
| Hollow cylinder | V = π (R² − r²) h | |
| Cone | V = ⅓ π r² h | |
| Truncated cone | V = ⅓ π h (R² + Rr + r²) | |
| Sphere | V = ⁴⁄₃ π r³ | |
| Hemisphere | V = ⅔ π r³ | |
| Ellipsoid | V = ⁴⁄₃ π a b c | |
| Pyramid | V = ⅓ l w h | |
| Triangular pyramid | V = ⅙ b h₁ h | |
| Prism | V = A h | |
| Triangular prism | V = ½ b h l | |
| Trapezoidal prism | V = ½ (a + b) h l |
Volume units and conversions
Gallons, quarts, pints, cups and fluid ounces are US liquid measures unless marked UK. A UK gallon is about 20% larger than a US gallon.
| Unit | Symbol | In liters | In cubic feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| US customary | |||
| Cubic foot | ft³ | 28.3168 | 1 |
| Cubic yard | yd³ | 764.555 | 27 |
| Cubic inch | in³ | 0.0163871 | 0.000578704 |
| US gallon | gal | 3.78541 | 0.133681 |
| US quart | qt | 0.946353 | 0.0334201 |
| US pint | pt | 0.473176 | 0.0167101 |
| US cup | cup | 0.236588 | 0.00835503 |
| US fluid ounce | fl oz | 0.0295735 | 0.00104438 |
| Tablespoon | tbsp | 0.0147868 | 0.000522190 |
| Teaspoon | tsp | 0.00492892 | 0.000174063 |
| Metric | |||
| Cubic meter | m³ | 1,000 | 35.3147 |
| Liter | L | 1 | 0.0353147 |
| Milliliter | mL | 0.001 | 0.0000353147 |
| Cubic centimeter | cm³ | 0.001 | 0.0000353147 |
| Imperial (UK) | |||
| UK gallon | gal | 4.54609 | 0.160544 |
| UK quart | qt | 1.13652 | 0.0401359 |
| UK pint | pt | 0.568261 | 0.0200680 |
| UK fluid ounce | fl oz | 0.0284131 | 0.00100340 |
| Water and industry | |||
| Oil barrel | bbl | 158.987 | 5.61458 |
| Hundred cubic feet | CCF | 2,831.68 | 100 |
| Acre-foot | ac-ft | 1,233,482 | 43,560 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the formula for volume?
It depends on the shape. For prisms and cylinders, volume is the area of the base times the height. Pyramids and cones hold one third of that. A sphere is ⁴⁄₃ × π × r³. The formulas for all 14 shapes are in the table above.
How do I convert cubic feet to gallons?
Multiply cubic feet by 7.48052 to get US gallons. If you measured in inches, divide cubic inches by 231. The gallons calculator does both.
What is the difference between volume and capacity?
Volume is the space an object takes up, usually given in cubic units. Capacity is how much a container can hold, usually given in gallons or liters. For a thin-walled container the two numbers are almost the same.
How do I find the volume of an irregular object?
Submerge it in a container of water and measure how far the water level rises. The volume of water displaced equals the volume of the object.
Why is a cone one third of a cylinder?
A cone narrows evenly from its base to a point, so its cross-sections shrink with the square of the height. Adding them up gives exactly one third of a cylinder with the same base and height.
Are US and UK gallons the same?
No. A US gallon is 3.785 liters and an imperial (UK) gallon is 4.546 liters, about 20% larger. This site uses US gallons unless a page says otherwise.