Cylinder Surface Area Calculator

Worked example

Cylinder with radius = 3 cm and height = 10 cm:

• Two circular bases: 2 × π × 3² = 2 × 28.27 = 56.55 cm²
• Lateral (side) surface: 2 × π × 3 × 10 = 188.50 cm²
• Total surface area: 56.55 + 188.50 = 245.04 cm²
• Volume: π × 3² × 10 = 282.74 cm³

Why the surface area formula has two parts

Surface Area = 2πr(r + h) is really 2πr² (the two flat end caps) plus 2πrh (the curved side, which is just a rolled-up rectangle with width equal to the circle's circumference and height equal to the cylinder's height). The tool's "Show Calculation Breakdown" panel splits the total into exactly those two pieces so you can see which part dominates — for a short, wide cylinder the end caps matter more; for a tall, narrow one the lateral surface dominates.

Scope and limits

This assumes a right circular cylinder (flat, parallel circular ends, no slant). Radius and height must both be positive; zero or negative values are rejected. There's no unit conversion — the dropdown only labels the units you're already working in, so radius and height must be entered in the same unit.