How to use the Surface Area Calculator

Quick start

1. Choose the solid shape you want to calculate.
2. Enter the required dimensions for that shape.
3. Use one length unit for every measurement.
4. Press Calculate surface area and read the square-unit result.

Supported surface area shapes

The calculator supports rectangular prisms, cubes, cylinders, spheres, and cones.

Cone mode asks for radius and vertical height, then calculates slant height before finding surface area.

Square units

Surface area is reported in square units because it measures the outside surface of a solid.

If the measurements are in inches, the surface area is shown in in^2.

Surface area versus volume

Surface area measures the outside of a solid. Volume measures how much space is inside.

Use the Volume Calculator for cubic-unit capacity or space problems.

Examples from the calculator

History, privacy, and copying

Recent answers stay visible in the page while you work. The history is kept only in the current browser tab and is not sent to a server.

Copy answer copies the expression and result so you can paste it into notes, homework, a message, or another document.