Jars, cans & cups

Volume of a Cylindrical Container

Everyday round containers — jars, cans, cups and moulds. Enter the inside dimensions for a capacity in millilitres or cups.

This volume of a cylindrical container turns a round container's inside diameter and height into a capacity you can use in the kitchen or pantry, in millilitres and cups.

Round containers — jars, cans, cups, tins and moulds — are just short, wide cylinders, and the questions are practical: will this hold the batch, and how does it compare with the tin the recipe assumed? Measuring the inside, and reading millilitres or cups, answers both.

How the volume is worked out

The volume of a cylinder is:

V = π r² h

A worked example

Worked example. Take a cylinder with a diameter of 10 cm (so a radius of 5 cm) and a height of 25 cm. The base area is π × 5² = 78.54 cm², and multiplying by the height gives a volume of about 1.96 litres (1,963 cm³ · 0.52 US gallons).

Measure the inside of the container, not the outside — and remember most jars and cans are filled to just below the rim, so usable capacity is a touch less.

Conversions use standard factors: 1 US gallon = 231 in³, 1 Imperial gallon = 4.54609 L, 1 litre = 1000 cm³.

Using the calculator

Measure across the circular end — the diameter or radius.
If you measured the diameter, halve it to get the radius r.
Square the radius and multiply by π to get the base area.
Multiply the base area by the height h: V = π r² h.
Convert the result into your preferred unit above.

Getting an accurate measurement

If you can only reach the top, measure the diameter across the opening and halve it. Keep every measurement in the same system, and let the tool convert between units for you.

Follow-on questions, answered

To save you a second search, here are the related answers people most often want straight after this calculation:

What if the container is tapered rather than straight?

This assumes straight sides. For a gently tapered tin the straight-side figure is a close estimate; for a strong taper, measure at the average width for a better result.

How many cups or fluid ounces is that?

The millilitre result is shown next to cups and US fluid ounces, so a jar or tin capacity drops straight into a recipe.

How do I compare two tins?

Work out the volume of each tin and keep the batter depth similar. If the new tin holds less, reduce the mix or expect a taller bake.

Should I measure inside or outside?

Inside — the wall holds nothing. Most containers are also filled to just below the rim, so usable capacity is a touch less than the geometric figure.

Common mistakes to avoid

Two things trip people up: squaring the wrong number, and forgetting that the answer is cubic. If a result looks four times too big or too small, you have probably swapped radius and diameter somewhere, so it is always worth re-reading the measurement you are least sure of. It also helps to glance at the equivalent units; if the litre and gallon figures are both off by the same factor, the input is the culprit, not the maths.

Reading and converting your result

Showing every unit at once is about speed and safety: you see the answer in litres, gallons and cubic feet side by side, so there is no chance of applying the wrong conversion factor. Change the output unit at the top to make any of them the headline figure, switch the precision to exact if you want the value in terms of pi, and use copy-result to paste a tidy summary wherever you need it.

Keep going

Once you have your answer you may also want to work in litres & liters cylinder volume gallons. These related calculators pick up where this one leaves off:

How Do You Find the Volume of a Can Cup Volume Formula Volume of a Jar

Common uses

People reach for this in a range of situations:

Swapping between two baking-tin sizes
Measuring a jar's true capacity
Portioning storage containers

To sum up, the whole job is two measurements and one formula. Enter them above, pick your unit, and you have an accurate figure plus every equivalent unit beside it. Keep a copy with the copy-result button, save the shareable link if someone else needs the same numbers, and use the history panel to compare a few options without starting from scratch.

Questions people ask

Does this work for a tank or a pipe?

Yes. A solid tank uses the standard mode; for a pipe or tube use the hollow mode, which subtracts the bore. For a tank on its side, use the horizontal mode.

How do I find the volume of a jar or can?

Measure the inside diameter and the inside height, then use V = π r² h. The tool shows the result in millilitres, cups and fluid ounces.

How do I swap between two round baking tins?

Work out the volume of each tin and keep the batter depth similar. If the new tin holds less, reduce the batter or expect a taller bake; the calculator makes the comparison quick.

What is the formula for the volume of a cylinder?

The volume is V = π r² h — the area of the circular base (π r²) multiplied by the height (h). If you have the diameter instead of the radius, halve it first: r = d ÷ 2.

Do I use radius or diameter?

Either — just tell the calculator which you are entering. The radius is from the centre to the edge; the diameter is the full width across. The tool converts diameter to radius automatically.

What units can I use?

Any of millimetres, centimetres, metres, inches, feet or yards for the measurements, and you can read the result in litres, gallons, cubic feet, cubic inches and more.