Calculate total surface area for common 3D shapes. Choose a solid, enter the required dimensions, and get the formula, result, and clear substitution steps.
Surface area measures the total outside area of a three-dimensional solid. A cube with side 5 has surface area 150 square units because SA = 6s² = 6 × 5².
Cube total surface area
- Choose the correct solid.
- Enter the dimensions required by the surface-area formula.
- Substitute values and calculate the outside area.
All calculations run locally in your browser. Your entered values are not sent to an external service.
How do I use the surface area calculator?
Select the 3D shape, enter each dimension, and choose Calculate Surface Area. The calculator returns the total outside area in square units and shows the exact formula steps.
What is surface area?
Surface area is the total area covering the outside faces or curved surface of a solid. Area measures a flat region, while surface area combines all outer areas of a 3D object.
What surface area formulas are included?
This tool includes cubes, rectangular prisms, spheres, cylinders, cones, square pyramids, and triangular prisms. These cover the most common classroom and practical surface-area problems.
What are surface area calculation examples?
Cube example
A cube with side 5 has surface area 6 × 5² = 150 square units.
Cylinder example
A cylinder with radius 4 and height 10 has total surface area 2πr(r + h) = 2π × 4 × 14 ≈ 351.86 square units.
Sphere example
A sphere with radius 7 has surface area 4π × 7² ≈ 615.75 square units.
What is the surface area formula chart?
| Solid | Total surface area formula | Required values |
|---|---|---|
| Cube | SA = 6s² | side |
| Rectangular prism | SA = 2(lw + lh + wh) | length, width, height |
| Sphere | SA = 4πr² | radius |
| Cylinder | SA = 2πr(r + h) | radius, height |
| Cone | SA = πr(r + l) | radius, slant height |
| Square pyramid | SA = s² + 2sl | base side, slant height |
| Triangular prism | SA = bh + L(a + b + c) | triangle base, triangle height, prism length, triangle sides |
What surface area mistakes should I avoid?
Using volume formulas
Surface area uses square units and covers the outside. Volume uses cubic units and measures space inside.
Confusing cone height with slant height
Total surface area of a cone uses slant height, not vertical height, unless vertical height is first converted to slant height.
Forgetting top and bottom circles
Total cylinder surface area includes both circular bases plus the curved side area.
Mixing units
Convert all dimensions to the same unit before calculating surface area.
Surface Area Calculator FAQs
How do you calculate cube surface area?
Square the side length and multiply by 6. The formula is SA = 6s².
How do you calculate sphere surface area?
Square the radius and multiply by 4π. The formula is SA = 4πr².
How do you calculate cylinder surface area?
Use SA = 2πr(r + h), where r is radius and h is height.
Is surface area the same as area?
No. Area usually describes a flat 2D shape. Surface area combines all outside surfaces of a 3D shape.
Are my values sent to a server?
No. The calculation runs locally in your browser.
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Reviewer
This non-medical math content is reviewed under the SolverCalc reviewer rule by Prof. Dr. Khalil Mudassar. WordPress adds the author bio automatically, so this page does not include a duplicate author box.
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Disclaimer
This calculator is for educational and practical geometry use. For construction, engineering, or legal measurements, verify dimensions and formulas with the required professional standard.