Volume Calculator
Calculate the volume of 10 shapes including cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, and pyramid. Metric and imperial units with liters and gallons conversion.
Select a shape and enter dimensions.
Volume Calculator: Find the Volume of Any Common Shape
Volume is the amount of three-dimensional space an object occupies, measured in cubic units such as cubic meters or cubic feet. This calculator computes the volume of ten common shapes and converts the result to liters and US gallons, which makes it useful for everything from filling an aquarium or pool to sizing a storage tank or planning packaging. Select a shape, enter the dimensions, and the exact volume appears instantly.
Box: length × width × height
Sphere: (4/3) × π × r³
Cylinder: π × r² × h
Cone: (1/3) × π × r² × h
Pyramid: (1/3) × base area × h
Triangular prism: (1/2 × base × height) × length
Capsule: π × r² × (4/3 × r + a)
Hemisphere: (2/3) × π × r³
Tube: π × h × (R² - r²)
What Volume Means and Where It Is Used
Every solid object has a volume, and knowing it answers practical questions: how much water a tank holds, how much concrete a footing needs, or whether a box fits a shipment. Engineers, builders, aquarists, brewers, and students all rely on volume formulas. Because the underlying math is universal, the same formulas apply whether you measure in meters or feet. The calculator keeps the precision of pi so spheres, cylinders, and cones stay accurate.
Liters and Gallons
For liquids, cubic units are often less useful than liters or gallons. One cubic meter holds 1000 liters or about 264.17 US gallons, and the calculator converts automatically from whatever unit you choose. This is ideal for fish tanks, swimming pools, water tanks, and fuel containers, where the practical question is how much liquid fits rather than the abstract cubic measurement.
Choosing the Right Shape
Most real objects approximate one of the ten shapes here. A can or a pipe is a cylinder or tube, a ball is a sphere, a funnel is a cone, an ice cream scoop tops a cone with a hemisphere, and a pill or propane tank is a capsule. Pick the closest match, and for anything irregular, split it into parts, calculate each, and add the volumes together.
Tips & Recommendations
Break a complex object into simple shapes, calculate each volume in the same unit, then add them up for the total.
Every dimension of one shape must use the same unit. Convert before you enter values, since the volume is that unit cubed.
The radius is half the diameter. Measure across the widest point and divide by two before entering it.
When filling a tank or pool, read the liters or gallons output instead of cubic units for a number you can actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which shapes can this volume calculator handle?
It calculates the volume of ten common 3D shapes: cube, rectangular box, sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid, triangular prism, capsule, hemisphere, and tube or pipe (a hollow cylinder). Select a shape and the calculator shows exactly the dimensions it needs, then returns the volume in your chosen unit plus liters and gallons.
How many liters are in a cubic meter?
One cubic meter equals exactly 1000 liters. It also equals about 264.17 US gallons. This calculator converts your result automatically, so once you compute a volume in cubic meters, centimeters, or any supported unit, you instantly see the liters and gallons equivalents, which is handy for tanks, pools, and containers.
How do I calculate the volume of an irregular shape?
Break the object into simpler shapes whose volumes you can calculate, then add them together. A bottle, for example, can be split into a cylinder for the body and a cone or capsule for the neck. Calculate each part separately in the same unit and sum the results. For very complex objects, water displacement is a practical physical method.
What is the radius?
The radius is the distance from the center of a circle or sphere to its edge, which is exactly half the diameter. If you only know the diameter, divide it by two to get the radius. For a cylinder, sphere, cone, or pipe, the radius is the key measurement, so measure across the full width and halve it.
Do all dimensions need to be in the same unit?
Yes. Every dimension you enter for a single shape must use the same unit, because the volume is that unit cubed. If you measure one side in centimeters and another in meters, the result will be wrong. Convert everything to one unit first, then enter the values and pick that unit in the calculator.
What is the formula for the volume of a sphere?
The volume of a sphere is four-thirds times pi times the radius cubed, written as (4/3) × π × r³. For a radius of 3, that gives about 113.1 cubic units. A hemisphere is exactly half of this, and the calculator uses these exact formulas with the full precision of pi.
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