Cylinder Weight Calculator - Solid or Hollow by Material

Calculate the weight of solid or hollow cylinders from diameter, length, wall thickness, quantity, and material density in metric or imperial units.

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Cylinder Weight Formula

The following formula gives the mass of one solid cylinder. “Weight” on this page means mass in kg or lb, not force. For a tube subtract the inner cross section; multiply by quantity for the total.

W = ρ \times π \times r² \times h

Variables:

W is the weight of the cylinder (pounds)
ρ (rho) is the material density (pounds per cubic inch)
r is the radius of the cylinder (inches)
h is the height of the cylinder (inches)

Multiply density by material volume. For a solid cylinder V = πr²h. For a tube with outer diameter D and wall thickness t, V = πt(D − t)h; t must be positive and less than D/2. Inputs are converted to SI units. In inverse modes the known total mass covers all identical pieces.

What is Cylinder Weight?

Cylinder weight is the mass of a cylindrical object, which depends on the material's density and the volume of the cylinder. It is an important factor in fields such as materials science, mechanical engineering, and shipping, where the weight of objects must be known for design, analysis, or transportation purposes.

How to Calculate Cylinder Weight?

The following steps outline how to calculate the weight of a cylinder.

First, determine the material density (ρ) in pounds per cubic inch.
Next, determine the radius (r) of the cylinder in inches.
Next, determine the height (h) of the cylinder in inches.
Next, gather the formula from above: W = ρ * π * r² * h.
Finally, calculate the weight (W) of the cylinder in pounds.
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.

material density (ρ) = 0.284 lbs/in³

radius (r) = 4 inches

height (h) = 10 inches