Surface Area Calculator
Calculate the surface area of common 3D shapes including cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones.
A surface area calculator computes the total surface area and volume of common 3D shapes including cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones, and pyramids.
Examples
Cube
Sphere
Cylinder
Frequently Asked Questions
What is surface area?
What is slant height?
How is lateral area different from total surface area?
Quick Tips
- •Double-check your inputs — small errors lead to incorrect results.
- •Use consistent units for all dimensions to get correct surface area units.
- •Leave slant height as 0 for cones and pyramids to auto-calculate it from the height.
A surface area calculator computes the total surface area and volume of common 3D shapes including cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones, and pyramids.
How to Use This Calculator
Select a 3D shape and enter its dimensions. The calculator will compute the total surface area and volume. For cones and pyramids, leave slant height as 0 to auto-calculate from height.
Understanding the Formula
Cube: 6s²; Sphere: 4πr²; Cylinder: 2πr(r+h); Cone: πr(r+l); Pyramid: b² + 2bl; Rectangular Prism: 2(lw+lh+wh)
Examples
Cube
Side 5: SA = 6 × 25 = 150, Volume = 125
Sphere
Radius 3: SA = 4π(9) = 113.1, Volume = 4π(27)/3 = 113.1
Cylinder
r=2, h=10: SA = 2π(2)(2+10) = 150.8, Volume = π(4)(10) = 125.7
Frequently Asked Questions
What is surface area?
Surface area is the total area of all faces/surfaces of a 3D object. It is measured in square units.
What is slant height?
Slant height is the distance along the surface from the base to the apex. It differs from the vertical height and can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem.
How is lateral area different from total surface area?
Lateral area includes only the sides (not bases). Total surface area includes the sides plus all base(s).
Assumptions & Limitations
- Assumes Euclidean geometry and regular shapes.
- Assumes exact input values; rounding in inputs propagates to results.
- Results may show floating-point approximations for irrational numbers.