Enter the total length, width, and thickness of the oil into the calculator to determine the total oil spill volume.

Oil Spill Volume Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Oil Spill Volume.

OSV = L*W*T
  • Where OSV is the oil spill volume (ft^3 or m^3)
  • L is the length of the area of oil (ft or m)
  • W is the width of the area of oil spill (ft or m)
  • T is the thickness of the oil (ft or m)

To calculate the volume of an oil spill, multiply the total area of the spill by the thickness of the oil.

What is an Oil Spill Volume?

Definition:

An oil spill volume is defined as the total volume occupied by oil when an oil spill occurs.

How to Calculate Oil Spill Volume?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Oil Spill Volume.

First, determine the length of the area of the spill. In this example, the length is 500 ft.

Next, determine the width of the area of the spill. This spill has a width of 400 ft.

Next, determine the thickness of the oil. In this case, the thickness averages 2 ft.

Finally, calculate the oil spill volume using the formula above:

OSV = L*W*T

OSV = 500*400*2

OSV = 40,000 ft^3