Tube Volume Calculator
Calculate the volume of a tube with our tube volume calculator using inner radius, outer radius, and height. Get results with the tube volume formula.
What Is a Tube / Pipe?
A tube (or hollow cylinder/pipe) is a 3D geometric shape formed by subtracting an inner cylindrical core from a larger outer cylinder.
Tube calculations are essential in engineering, plumbing, and manufacturing to determine material weight, fluid flow capacity, or structural volume.
Volume of a Tube / Pipe Formula
Formula Variables Explained:
The radius from center to the outer wall edge.
The radius from center to the inner hollow core.
Difference between outer and inner radius (t = R - r).
The total length or height of the pipe or tube.
The volume of the solid material forming the tube walls is calculated by taking the volume of the outer cylinder and subtracting the volume of the inner hollow cavity: V = π × R² × h - π × r² × h = π × (R² - r²) × h.
How to find the volume of a Tube / Pipe?
- 1Identify the outer radius (R) [or outer diameter D = 2R].
- 2Identify inner radius (r) [or inner diameter d = 2r, or wall thickness t where r = R - t].
- 3Identify tube length or height (h).
- 4Calculate (R² - r²).
- 5Multiply by Pi (π) and length (h).
Example: Calculate the Volume of a Tube / Pipe
Example 1: Find wall material volume of a metal pipe
Problem: A steel pipe has outer radius R = 10 cm, inner radius r = 8 cm, and length h = 100 cm. Calculate the steel volume.
- Formula: V = π × (R² - r²) × h
- Substitute R = 10, r = 8, h = 100
- R² - r² = 100 - 64 = 36
- V = π × 36 × 100 = 3600π
- V ≈ 3,600 × 3.14159 = 11,309.73 cm³
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How do I calculate inner fluid capacity vs pipe wall material?
Inner fluid capacity is simply the inner cylinder volume V_inner = πr²h. Wall material volume is V_material = π(R² - r²)h.