Cylindrical Tank Volume Calculator
Operators and inventory controllers often need a quick litres-from-level answer for a vertical storage or mix tank. This calculator does that for a flat-bottom cylinder and also returns ullage, room to the safe fill limit and the mass of product.
Your numbers
Inside, not outside, diameter.
Tangent-to-tangent height of the cylindrical section.
Measured from the tank bottom. Values above the shell height are capped.
Specific gravity times 1.0 for water-based liquids.
Operating limit as a percent of shell capacity, per your site procedure.
Your results
Flat-bottom vertical cylinder only. Dished or conical heads, horizontal tanks, internal coils and temperature expansion change the real volume. Use a calibrated strapping table for custody transfer or inventory of record.
Volume (L) vs liquid level (m)
Sweeps Current liquid level from 0 to 5, holding your other inputs fixed.
Reconcile tank levels with ERP stock
Optional: a short review of how tank and silo readings could be matched to inventory in your ERP.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use it
Enter the inside diameter and straight shell height in metres, then the current liquid level measured from the tank bottom, and the liquid density in kilograms per litre. Set the maximum safe fill percentage from your site procedure, commonly set below 100 percent to leave room for expansion and foaming. The tool returns shell capacity, the current volume, fill percent, litres you can still add, and kilograms of product. Use the level slider to see how volume changes, or read the chart.
- Use inside diameter; subtract wall thickness from the outside figure.
- Measure level from the same datum every time.
- For US units, convert feet to metres first or use your own consistent set.
The geometry
Volume of a vertical cylinder is pi times the radius squared times the liquid height. With a diameter of 3 m the cross-section is 7.07 square metres, so every metre of level holds 7,069 litres. A level of 3.2 m therefore holds about 22,620 litres, and at a density of 1.18 kg/L that is roughly 26.7 tonnes. Capacity to the top of the shell at 5 m is about 35,340 litres.
Where the simple formula fails
Real tanks have dished or conical bottoms, nozzles, agitators and coils that displace liquid, and liquids expand with temperature. A tank with a dished head holds more below the tangent line than this calculator shows. Horizontal tanks need a different, non-linear formula. For inventory of record or custody transfer use a calibration table from the tank manufacturer or a strapping survey, and correct density for temperature.
- Do not trust a calculated fill near overflow limits.
- Re-check density at actual temperature.
- Reconcile calculated volume with ERP stock regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate tank volume from diameter and height?
Compute the cross-section area as pi times diameter squared divided by four, then multiply by the liquid height. Convert cubic metres to litres by multiplying by 1000. This works for vertical cylinders with flat bottoms and ignores heads and internals.
What is ullage?
Ullage is the empty space above the liquid in a tank, the volume you can still add. Operating limits typically leave ullage for thermal expansion, foaming and instrument tolerance, so the usable room is often less than total capacity.
Does this work for horizontal tanks?
No. Horizontal cylinders have a non-linear level to volume relationship based on a circular segment. Use a dedicated horizontal tank formula or the vendor calibration chart instead of this vertical tool.
How accurate is the mass figure?
It is only as accurate as the density and the level reading. Density changes with temperature and concentration, so use a measured value at operating temperature. For commercial transfers, use certified weighing or metering.
If tank levels need to reconcile with ERP inventory, Netray can help connect level data and stock records so variances show up automatically, read-only by default.
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