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Surface Area Calculator

Find the total and lateral surface area of a cube, box, sphere, cylinder, cone, square pyramid or triangular prism from its dimensions.

About this tool

Calculate the surface area of common 3D solids. Choose a shape, enter its dimensions, and the tool returns the total surface area, the lateral (side) surface area where it applies, and the slant height for cones and pyramids. It works for a cube, rectangular box, sphere, cylinder, cone, square pyramid and triangular prism, all in your browser.

The formulas are exact: cube 6s²; box 2(lw + lh + wh); sphere 4πr²; cylinder 2πr² + 2πrh total with 2πrh lateral; cone πr² + πr·l where the slant l = √(r² + h²); square pyramid b² + 2b·√((b/2)² + h²). The triangular prism uses two triangular ends found with Heron's formula plus the three rectangular sides, giving 2·area + (a + b + c)·L, with lateral area (a + b + c)·L.

All dimensions must be positive, and a triangular prism needs three sides that actually form a triangle. Surface area comes out in square units of whatever length unit you enter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between total and lateral surface area?
Lateral surface area covers only the sides of a solid, while total surface area adds the top and bottom (or the base) faces. A sphere has no separate lateral area.
What is the slant height for a cone or pyramid?
It is the distance along the sloped face from the apex to the base edge, l = √(r² + h²) for a cone, needed to compute the curved or triangular side area.
How is the triangular prism handled?
The two triangular ends are found from the three sides using Heron's formula, and the three rectangular faces are the perimeter times the prism length; the sides must form a valid triangle.
What units does the answer use?
Whatever length unit you enter, the area is in the corresponding square units, for example centimeters in gives square centimeters out. Nothing is uploaded.

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