Area & Volume Calculator

About the Area & Volume Calculator

Calculates the floor area and the volume of a rectangular (box) space from its length, width and height.

How to use this calculator

1. Enter the length, width, and height of the box-shaped space.
2. Choose whether you want area or volume, or use both if the page shows both results.
3. Check that all measurements use the same unit, such as meters or feet.
4. Read the instant result, then convert units if needed.

The formula explained

For a rectangular prism, the surface area is found with \(2(lw+lh+wh)\), and the volume is found with \(lwh\). The area tells you the total outside coverage, and the volume tells you the amount of space inside.

• l = length of the box
• w = width of the box
• h = height of the box

Step by step method

1. Measure or enter the length \(l\), width \(w\), and height \(h\).
2. For area, calculate each pair of faces, \(lw\), \(lh\), and \(wh\), then add them and multiply by \(2\).
3. For volume, multiply all three dimensions, \(lwh\).

Worked example

Problem. Find the surface area and volume of a box with length \(6\) m, width \(4\) m, and height \(3\) m.

1. Surface area, \(2(lw+lh+wh) = 2((6)(4)+(6)(3)+(4)(3))\).
2. Surface area, \(2(24+18+12) = 2(54) = 108\) square meters.
3. Volume, \(lwh = (6)(4)(3) = 72\) cubic meters.

Tips and common mistakes

• Use the same unit for every dimension before calculating, because mixed units give wrong results.
• Remember that area is in square units, like \(m^2\), while volume is in cubic units, like \(m^3\).

Frequently asked questions