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Cylinder Surface Area Calculator

Find the surface area of a cylinder.

How it is calculated

For a closed cylinder the tool computes the lateral (side) area L = 2πrh and the total area A = 2πr² + 2πrh, where r is the radius of the circular end and h is the height, both in the same length unit. The result is in that unit squared; the tool labels it generically as units². The total counts both circular ends (top and bottom), so for an open can or pipe use the lateral figure plus one end, or just the lateral figure. Radius and height must both be above zero. Enter the radius, not the diameter. Results are rounded to two decimals.

Worked example

A can has radius 5 and height 10 (say centimetres). Lateral area: 2 × π × 5 × 10 = 314.16. Each circular end: π × 5² = 78.54, so both ends give 157.08. Total: 157.08 + 314.16 = 471.24 units². The lateral area of 314.16 units² is what a label wrapped around the side would cover.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering the diameter as the radius, which makes the area four times too large for the ends and twice too large for the side.
  • Mixing units, such as a radius in centimetres and a height in metres.
  • Using the total for an open-top container or a pipe. The total includes both circular ends, so subtract the ends you do not have.
  • Confusing surface area with volume; area is in squared units, volume in cubed units.
  • Forgetting wall thickness: the tool treats the cylinder as a thin surface, so pipes measured on the outside and inside give different areas.

About this calculator

This calculator finds a cylinder's total surface area, 2·π·r² + 2·π·r·h, which adds the area of the two circular ends (2·π·r² total) to the lateral surface — the curved side, which unrolls into a rectangle of width 2·π·r and height h — as well as the lateral surface area alone for cases where only the side matters. Both radius r and height h are needed since the two components scale differently with the cylinder's proportions.

Manufacturers use it to calculate how much sheet metal or material is needed to build cans, pipes, and drums, and how much label or wrap material covers a cylindrical package; engineers use it when estimating the heat-transfer or paint-coating surface of tanks and pipes. Students working through solid-geometry problems, packaging designers, and DIY builders sizing pipe insulation or tank coatings all use this calculator regularly.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    If you are covering an open can, a pipe or a tank with a lid missing, work from the lateral figure and add only the ends you actually have: with radius 5 and height 10, the side is 314.16 and one end is 78.54, so 392.70 in all. The tool gives exact geometry, so allow extra material yourself for seams, overlaps and cutting waste. What are you wrapping or coating with it?

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