You might think there’s never going to be a time that you need a cylinder volume calculator. What if you want to know how much coffee is in your cup? What if you need to figure out the volume of your baked beans can? At that point, you will definitely need this cylinder volume calculator.

What is a Cylinder and How to Calculate its Volume?

A cylinder is a shape with a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes. If that description isn’t precise enough, imagine a tin can. When you measure a cylinder’s volume, you need to know two parameters. These could be two of the height, radius, or the diameter. 

The formula looks like this:

Cylinder volume = π x cylinder radius2 x cylinder height

A cylinder volume calculator will help you work out oblique, right, and hollow cylinders.

Volume of a Hollow Cylinder

A hollow cylinder is a cylindrical shell. It has three dimensions, two right circular cylinders, and two parallel bases. The bases are perpendicular to the cylinder’s common axis. 

The formula for the volume of a hollow cylinder is:

Cylinder volume = π * (R² - r²) x cylinder height

R = external radius
r = internal radius 

Let’s say you wanted to calculate a cylindrical shell’s volume, such as a paper towel roll. 

1. Identify the external radius (R) of the cylinder 
Example: 6cm

2. Work out the internal cylinder radius (r) 
Example: 3cm

3. Identify the height
Example: 15 centimeters

4. The hollow cylinder’s volume is 1272 cm3

If you want to fill the cylinder, then use the regular cylinder calculator to get your answer. The volume above is for a hollow one.

What is the Volume of an Oblique Cylinder?

An oblique cylinder is one that leans with an angle. Its sides are not perpendicular to the bases, and many people call it a right cylinder. You would use the same formula as working out the volume of a cylinder. The height has to be perpendicular to the bases. 

At some point, you may want to calculate the volume of other shapes. In that case, you wouldn’t use a cylinder volume calculator. Instead,  you would use a regular volume calculator.