A walkthrough, end to end.
- 1
Pick a shape: cube, rectangular prism, sphere, cylinder, or cone.
- 2
Enter the dimensions in any consistent unit.
- 3
See total surface area, plus lateral and base areas where applicable.
Surface area formulas
Each shape has a known formula. Cylinder and cone include both lateral (side only) and total surface area.
What you can do with this.
Painting a tank
Estimate paint needed by computing the cylinder's lateral area.
Sphere packaging
Calculate the wrap area for a ball of radius r as 4πr².
Cone manufacturing
Plan sheet metal cuts using lateral area πrℓ.
Rectangular box wrapping
Quickly check the gift-wrap or label area for a box.
Heat-loss estimation
Surface area drives radiative heat loss calculations.
Geometry homework
Verify textbook problems on 3D solids.
3D printing material
Approximate paint or coating volume per part.
Surface area 2026 — what's current
Standard solid geometry; calculator wins for fast multi-shape comparisons.
Frequently asked.
Whatever you enter — output is in those squared units.
Lateral excludes the bases. Total includes them.
Not yet — supported shapes are cube, prism, sphere, cylinder, cone.
No. All math runs in your browser.