How to Calculate Cubic Feet of a Cylinder

A cylinder is a solid object that has two identical circular ends connected by a curved piece in the middle. A cylinder has a circular cross section that is identical throughout the object. Some examples of a cylinder are a can, a barrel with straight sides (such as a 55 gallon drum), a propane tank and an oil storage tank. If you are using a cylindrical object for storage of a product, you can figure the cubic feet capacity of the cylinder using a simple mathematical equation.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Use a measuring tape and measure across one of the ends of the cylinder at its widest point to get the diameter in inches.

2. Divide the diameter in half to get the radius. (For example: if your diameter is 12 inches, the radius would be 6 inches.)

3. Square the radius measurement. (For example: 6 x 6 = 36)

4. Multiply the squared radius by 3.14. (For example: 36 x 3.14 = 113.04 square inches)

5. Measure the length of the cylinder with a measuring tape. Multiply this measurement by the result obtained in the above step. (Example: if the length of your cylinder is 24 inches, then 24 x 113.04 = 2712.96 square inches)

6. Divide the square inch volume of the cylinder by 1728 to get the cubic feet of the cylinder. (For example: 2712.96 / 1728 = 1.57 cubic feet)

Tips & Warnings

• If you are calculating the volume of a large cylinder, you can measure the diameter and length in feet instead of inches. If this is the case, eliminate the last step in the procedure. For example: if your cylinder is 4 feet in diameter and 8 feet in length, the formula would be 4 feet divided by 2 = 2 feet x 2 x 3.14 = 12.56 square feet x 8 feet = 100.48 cubic feet.

• The simplified formula for calculating the volume of a cylinder is: pi x radius squared x height

References

• Learningwave: Volume of a Cylinder
• MathsIsFun: Definition of Cylinder