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Cylinder Volume

Also known as tank volume · volume of a pipe or drum

V=πr2hV = \pi r^{2} h

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Constant used — built into this formula, no need to enter
π=3.141592653589793\pi = 3.141592653589793Pi · exact

Learning zone

A cylinder is a circle extruded through a height, so its volume is the base area πr² times h. It is the workhorse formula for anything round and straight-sided: storage tanks, pipes, drums, boreholes, and cans. Because the radius enters squared, diameter mistakes are costly — using a diameter where a radius belongs inflates the answer four-fold, the most common error in tank sizing.

A field example from water treatment: a vertical tank 1.2 m in diameter (r = 0.6 m) filled to 2.5 m holds V = π(0.6)²(2.5) ≈ 2.83 m³, about 2,830 litres — the number you need before dosing treatment chemicals at so many millilitres per litre. Solving for r takes the principal positive square root, the only physical radius; solving for h is a plain division. For a horizontal cylindrical tank that is only partly full, this formula gives total capacity, but the partial volume needs the circular-segment geometry instead.

Cylinder Volume
V=πr2hV = \pi r^{2} h
Where
  • VV= Volume
  • rr= Radius
  • hh= Height
Missing one of these? Work it out first, then come back