Compute cylinder volume in cubic feet for Sonotubes, concrete columns, drums, water heaters, hot tubs, pipes, cones, hemispheres, and capsules. Multi-unit input, multi-shape sum, concrete bag estimate, and instant gallon, cubic yard, and cubic meter conversions.
V = pi x r² x h. Radius r = diameter / 2.
Cylindrical objects appear everywhere on a construction site or in a home improvement project. Concrete column forms like Sonotubes pour the foundation for decks and porches; 55-gallon drums store fuel, oil, and rainwater; round water heaters, propane tanks, and hot tubs sit at the heart of household mechanical systems; and miles of PVC, copper, and steel pipe carry fluids through every building. Each of these objects has the same underlying geometry - a circle extruded along a straight axis - but the volume you actually need to know depends on the application. Sometimes you want the cubic feet of concrete required to fill a column. Sometimes you want the gallons of water a tank holds. Sometimes you want the cubic yards a contractor will charge for. A dedicated cylinder calculator in cubic feet collapses all of those answers into one workflow.
This calculator goes beyond the basic V = pi r squared h formula and handles the four most common variations you will run into in practice: a hollow pipe (where you subtract the inner cylinder from the outer one), a cone (one-third of a cylinder of the same base and height), a hemisphere (half of a sphere, often the top of a tank or silo), and a capsule (a cylinder body with hemispherical end caps, the shape of most horizontal LPG vessels). You can mix and match shapes in a single calculation to model a complete object - for example a grain silo modeled as a cylinder plus a cone bottom, or a propane tank as a capsule plus two hemispheres, or a deck project as twelve identical Sonotube columns at once.
The output is rich on purpose. Cubic feet is the primary unit because it is the lingua franca of US construction estimates, but the calculator also displays cubic inches (for small machined parts), cubic yards (the unit ready-mix concrete is billed in), cubic meters (the SI standard used outside the US), gallons (for tank capacity), liters (for international chemical dosing), and pounds of water weight (for structural load calculations on decks, floors, and footings). Hit the concrete-column toggle and you also get 60 lb and 80 lb bag counts at the standard Quikrete and Sakrete yields. The result is a single tool that answers the volume question for nearly every cylindrical thing you will ever need to build, fill, or ship.
V = pi x r² x h
Where r is the radius (half the diameter) and h is the height. Convert everything to feet first so the answer comes out in cubic feet. Example: a Sonotube with 12 in diameter (r = 0.5 ft) and 8 ft height gives V = 3.14159 x 0.5 x 0.5 x 8 = 6.28 ft³.
Solid cylinder for Sonotubes, columns, drums, water heaters, and hot tubs. Hollow pipe for plumbing runs. Cone, hemisphere, or capsule for stockpiles, domes, and end caps.
Lock everything to a single unit per row. Inches for small parts and pipes, feet for columns and hot tubs, meters or centimeters for international jobs.
Toggle between diameter and radius - the calculator keeps them in sync automatically. Use the wall thickness field for hollow pipes.
Set quantity for identical columns, or click Add another cylinder for a mixed batch. The totals update live across every row.
Cubic feet first, then cubic yards, cubic meters, gallons, liters, water weight, and concrete bag counts. Export or share the result with one click.
Sonotubes are the most common form for round concrete footings. Plug in your tube diameter, height, and quantity to see the cubic feet of concrete needed plus the 60 lb and 80 lb bag count. For complete project volume estimates also visit our Cubic Feet Volume Calculator for rectangular and irregular shapes.
Ready-mix concrete is sold in cubic yards, not cubic feet. We show both, but if you are doing very large pours you may prefer our dedicated Cylinder Cubic Yards Calculator or the more general Concrete Calculator for slabs, footings, and walls.
Switch to hollow pipe mode and enter wall thickness to get the pipe material volume. Need fluid capacity inside the pipe instead? Use a solid cylinder with the inner diameter, or jump to our specialized Pipe Volume Calculator which handles schedule charts automatically.
The water-heater, 55-gallon drum, and hot-tub presets cover the three most common residential cylinders. The water weight readout (62.4 lbs/cu ft) is critical when checking whether a deck or basement floor can support a filled tank. For pools and irregular water bodies use our Pool Volume Calculator.
Sonotubes are sold in standard inside diameters of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36, 42, and 48 inches and in lengths up to 12 ft. Round up to the next available size and order 5-10 percent more concrete than the geometric volume to cover spillage and bottom dome over-pour.
A 60 lb bag of pre-mix yields about 0.45 cu ft and an 80 lb bag yields about 0.60 cu ft. Always round up. For pours larger than about 1 cubic yard (27 cu ft) it is cheaper to order ready-mix from a truck than to mix bags.
The schedule number is wall thickness, not OD. Two pipes with the same nominal size can carry meaningfully different fluid volumes. For accurate plumbing volume calculations, always look up the actual inside diameter for your specific schedule (40, 80, etc.) and material (PVC, copper, steel).
“I use this calculator every time I quote a deck or porch with Sonotube footings. The multi-shape sum lets me drop in twelve columns at once, hit the concrete-fill toggle, and walk to the supply house with an exact bag count. Easily replaced a pile of scratch paper.”
“The hollow pipe mode with wall thickness saved me hours of unit conversions when sizing chilled water risers. Cubic feet, gallons, and liters in one screen - and the export gives me a clean record for the project file.”
“Loaded the hot-tub preset, switched to feet, and got water weight in pounds instantly. That number is exactly what I needed to confirm my deck framing was strong enough. Way more useful than the generic volume calculators I found elsewhere.”
“The formula tabs and worked examples helped me understand why cone volume is exactly one-third of a cylinder. Best learning tool I have used for solids of revolution this semester.”
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Dive deeper with our expert guides and tutorials related to Cylinder Cubic Feet Calculator
This calculator is for planning and estimating. Always confirm actual quantities by physical measurement and follow your local building code, structural engineer guidance, and manufacturer specifications when ordering concrete, pipe, or tank capacity.