Enter the radius and height into the calculator to estimate the capacity of a cylindrical barrel/drum. This calculator can also solve for any one variable when the other two are known.
Cylindrical Barrel Capacity Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the volume of a cylindrical barrel/drum (a right circular cylinder).
V = \pi \, r^2 \, h
Variables:
- V is the volume (m³ if r and h are in meters; ft³ if r and h are in feet)
- π is a constant, approximately 3.14159
- r is the internal radius of the barrel (meters or feet; use the same length unit as h)
- h is the internal height/length of the barrel (meters or feet; use the same length unit as r)
To calculate capacity in common units, convert the volume:
- 1 m³ = 1000 L ≈ 264.172 US gal
- 1 ft³ ≈ 28.3168 L ≈ 7.48052 US gal
To calculate the cylindrical barrel volume, square the radius and multiply it by π, then multiply by the height/length. Convert the resulting cubic units (m³ or ft³) to liters or US gallons if needed.
What is a Barrel Capacity?
A barrel capacity refers to the volume a barrel (or barrel-shaped container) can hold. In the oil industry, “barrel” (bbl) is also a standardized unit: 1 bbl = 42 US gallons ≈ 158.987 liters. In other industries (such as beer and wine), the word “barrel” can refer to different standard sizes or to the physical capacity of a specific container.
How to Calculate Barrel Capacity?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Barrel Capacity.
- First, determine the internal radius of the cylindrical barrel (r) in meters or feet.
- Next, determine the internal height/length of the cylindrical barrel (h) in the same length unit.
- Next, gather the formula from above: V = π * r² * h.
- Finally, calculate the volume V (in m³ or ft³) and convert to liters or US gallons if desired.
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
radius of the barrel (r) = 2 meters
height of the barrel (h) = 5 meters
Then V = π × 2² × 5 = 20π ≈ 62.8319 m³ = 62,831.9 L ≈ 16,595.0 US gal.
