Quick Answer
Volume formulas: Cube = side³ · Cuboid = L × W × H · Cylinder = π × r² × h · Sphere = (4/3) × π × r³ · Cone = (1/3) × π × r² × h. Results are shown in m³, litres, and cubic feet.
What Is Volume?
A volume calculator measures the three-dimensional space inside a solid object. Volume calculations come up in everyday life more often than most people realise, sizing a water tank, estimating concrete for a pour, finding a shipping box volume, calculating how much liquid a container holds, or understanding pool capacity.
Just as different 2D shapes have different area formulas, different 3D solids have distinct volume formulas built from their geometry. A cube has three identical dimensions. A cylinder extends a circular cross-section through a height, so it's the circle area formula times height. A sphere's formula captures how a perfectly round surface encloses volume. A cone is exactly one-third of the cylinder it sits inside.
Results are displayed in cubic meters (m³), litres (1 m³ = 1,000 litres), and cubic feet, covering everyday use cases from scientific measurement to practical home and construction tasks.
How to Use
- 1Select the solid shape: Cube, Cuboid, Cylinder, Sphere, or Cone.
- 2Enter the required dimensions, side length for a cube, length/width/height for a cuboid, radius and height for a cylinder or cone, radius for a sphere.
- 3Volume is shown immediately in m³, litres, and cubic feet.
Formula
V = side³V = Length × Width × HeightV = π × radius² × heightV = (4/3) × π × radius³V = (1/3) × π × radius² × heightExample: Cylinder with radius 2 m and height 5 m
- V = π × 2² × 5 = 3.14159 × 4 × 5
Tips & Things to Know
- A cone has exactly one-third the volume of a cylinder with the same base radius and height, a useful sanity check.
- For practical water tanks or pools measured in litres: 1 cubic meter = 1,000 litres.
- Radius is always half the diameter, if you measure a cylindrical tank across the top, divide by 2 before entering as the radius.
- 1 m³ = 1,000 litres = 35.31 cubic feet = 264.2 US gallons.
- For construction estimates, add 5–10% to your calculated volume to account for waste, spillage, and uneven surfaces.
- A sphere's volume scales with the cube of the radius, doubling the radius makes it 8× larger. This is why large tanks are far more cost-efficient per litre than many small ones.
- To convert litres to gallons: 1 litre ≈ 0.264 US gallons or 0.220 imperial gallons. Useful when comparing tank or pool specifications across regions.