Surface Area Formula Sheet

Reference formulas for calculating the surface area of common 3D shapes used in engineering, architecture, and geometry

Surface Area Formulas

Shape Surface Area (SA)
Cube (side a) SA = 6·a²
Rectangular Prism (length l, width w, height h) SA = 2·(lw + lh + wh)
Sphere (radius r) SA = 4·π·r²
Cylinder (radius r, height h) SA = 2·π·r·h + 2·π·r²
Cone (radius r, slant height l) SA = π·r² + π·r·l
Triangular Prism (base perimeter P, base area A, height h) SA = P·h + 2·A
Hollow Cylinder (outer radius R, inner radius r, height h) SA = 2·π·h·(R + r) + 2·π·(R² − r²)

About the Surface Area Formula Sheet

This page provides a comprehensive reference of surface area formulas for common three-dimensional shapes including cubes, rectangular prisms, spheres, cylinders, cones, triangular prisms, and hollow cylinders. These formulas are essential for engineering, architecture, mathematics, and applied sciences, allowing accurate calculation of external surfaces of objects.

Surface area calculations are widely used in mechanical, civil, chemical, and architectural engineering. Understanding the surface area of an object is critical for determining material usage, thermal performance, fluid contact area, coating requirements, and manufacturing costs.


Applications of This Reference


By using this Surface Area Formula Sheet, professionals and students can streamline engineering analysis, CAD modeling, material estimation, and design calculations, ensuring accuracy and efficiency across a variety of applications. This resource is designed to be a complete, quick-reference guide for surface area calculations of commonly encountered geometric shapes.