Last updated: Jul 25, 2024

Pyramid Volume Calculator

Q: How do I find the volume of a hexagonal pyramid?

To get the volume of a regular hexagonal pyramid of the side length a and the height h : Square the side length to get a² . Multiply a² by its height, h . Multiply this product by the square root of three, √3 . Divide everything by 2 . The result is your desired volume! Alternatively, you can write it in the single formula form: V = √3 / 2 × a² × h .

Q: What is the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza?

The Great Pyramid of Giza's volume is roughly 86.5 million ft³ or 2.4 million m³ . We can obtain this value by assuming the Pyramid of Khufu is a right square pyramid. It has a length of 756 ft (230.3 m) and a height of 454 ft (138.5 m) .

Q: How do I find the volume of a pentagonal pyramid?

To get the volume of a regular pentagonal pyramid with a side length of a and a height of h : Square the side length to get a² . Multiply a² by its height, h . Multiply this product by √(25 + 10√5) . Divide everything by 12 . You can also write the resulting formula as: V = √(25 + 10√5) / 12 × a² × h .

Q: How do I find the volume of an octagonal pyramid?

To get the volume of a regular octagonal pyramid with a side length of a and a height of h : Square the side length to get a² . Multiply a² by its height, h . Multiply this product by 2 × (1 + √2) . Divide everything by 3 . That's all! The general formula for a regular octagonal pyramid reads: V = 2 × (1 + √2) / 3 × a² × h .

Created by Hanna Pamuła, PhD and Steven Wooding

Steven Wooding

Physicist holding a 1st class degree and a member of the Institute of Physics. Creator of the UK vaccine queue calculator, and featured in many publications, including The Sun, Daily Mail, Express, and Independent. Tenacious in researching answers to questions and has an affection for coding. Hobbies include cycling, walking, and birdwatching. You can find him on Twitter @OmniSteve. See full profile

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Reviewed by Bogna Szyk, Jack Bowater, and Adena Benn

Adena Benn

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Adena Benn is an Information Technology teacher with a degree in Computer Science. She has been teaching high schoolers since 1996 and loves everything computers. She loves problem-solving, so creating calculators to solve real-world problems is her idea of fun. She writes children's stories, is a seamstress, and is an avid reader. In her spare time, she travels and enjoys nature. See full profile

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Table of contents

Pyramid volume formula How to calculate the pyramid volume? Volume of a square pyramid calculation example Pyramid volume names Tetrahedron volume calculation What next?FAQs

Determine the volume of any pyramid-like solid with our pyramid volume calculator. Choose between two options: calculate the volume of a pyramid with a regular base, so you need to have only the side, shape, and height given, or directly enter the base area and the pyramid height. The calculator doesn't have any problems with determining the tetrahedron volume or the volume of a square pyramid. If you are still not sure how to use the tool or how to calculate the pyramid volume – keep reading!

Pyramid volume formula

A pyramid is a polyhedron formed by connecting a polygonal base and an apex. The basic formula for pyramid volume is the same as for a cone:

volume = (1/3) × base_area × height, where height is the height from the base to the apex.

That formula works for any type of base polygon and oblique and right pyramids. All you need to know are those two values – base area and height.
However, there are other useful formulas in case you don't know the base area. For any pyramid with a regular base, you can use the equation:

volume = (n/12) × height × side_length² × cot(π/n), where n is the number of sides of the base for a regular polygon

How to calculate the pyramid volume? Volume of a square pyramid calculation example

We know the formula, and what's next? How to use this pyramid volume calculator? The best way to demonstrate how it works is the world's best-known pyramid – the Cheops pyramid:

Select the base shape. The Cheops pyramid, also called the pyramid of Khufu, is a square. Of course, it's not an ideal square, but we can assume it is – the difference between the length of the edges is smaller than 1‰.
Enter the height of a pyramid. The height of the Khufu pyramid was originally equal to 146.6 m, but it is now 138.5 m tall due to erosion. (You can change the units to meters with a simple click on the unit. Also, you can check out our volume converter).
Determine the side length. The Cheops pyramid edge length is, on average, 230.3 m.
The approximate original volume of this square pyramid was equal to 2,591,795 m³. Nowadays, it is 2,448,592 m³.

Pyramid volume names

A pyramid with an n-sided base has:

n+1 faces (n-triangles + 1 n-gon);
2n edges; and
n+1 vertices.

The name of the pyramid comes from the shape of its base:

Faces	Edges	Vertices	Shape of base	Pyramid name
4	6	4	Triangle	Tetrahedron / triangular pyramid
5	8	5	Square	Square pyramid
6	10	6	Pentagon	Pentagonal pyramid
7	12	7	Hexagon	Hexagonal pyramid
8	14	8	Heptagon	Heptagonal pyramid
9	16	9	Octagon	Octagonal pyramid

Tetrahedron volume calculation

As an example, let's take the example of a loose-leaf tea pyramid:

Choose the shape of the base. In our case, it's a regular triangle.
Type the pyramid's height. Assume that for a tea pyramid, it's equal to 1.2 in.
Enter the side length. For example, 1.5 in.
Tetrahedron volume appears below. For our tea pyramid, it is equal to 0.39 cu in.

If you want to calculate the regular tetrahedron volume – the one in which all four faces are equilateral triangles, not only the base – you can use the formula:

volume = a³ / 6√2, where a is the edge of the solid

The height, in this case, can be calculated as:
height = a√3 / 6 ~ 0.2887 × a, so if you want to calculate, e.g., the volume of a regular tetrahedron with the edge = 3, type 3 × 0.2887 into the pyramid volume calculator's "Height" box.

What next?

Now you are an expert and know exactly how to calculate the pyramid volume! Why not check out our other volume calculators? These include our cone volume calculator and the cylinder volume calculator.

FAQs

How do I find the volume of a pyramid?

To estimate the volume of any pyramid:

Evaluate the pyramid's base area.
Multiply the base area by its height.
Divide everything by 3.
The good thing is this algorithm works perfectly for all types of pyramids, both regular and oblique.

How do I find the volume of a hexagonal pyramid?

To get the volume of a regular hexagonal pyramid of the side length a and the height h:

Square the side length to get a².
Multiply a² by its height, h.
Multiply this product by the square root of three, √3.
Divide everything by 2.
The result is your desired volume! Alternatively, you can write it in the single formula form: V = √3 / 2 × a² × h.

What is the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza?

The Great Pyramid of Giza's volume is roughly 86.5 million ft³ or 2.4 million m³. We can obtain this value by assuming the Pyramid of Khufu is a right square pyramid. It has a length of 756 ft (230.3 m) and a height of 454 ft (138.5 m).

How do I find the volume of a pentagonal pyramid?

To get the volume of a regular pentagonal pyramid with a side length of a and a height of h:

Square the side length to get a².
Multiply a² by its height, h.
Multiply this product by √(25 + 10√5).
Divide everything by 12.
You can also write the resulting formula as:

V = √(25 + 10√5) / 12 × a² × h.

How do I find the volume of an octagonal pyramid?

To get the volume of a regular octagonal pyramid with a side length of a and a height of h:

Square the side length to get a².
Multiply a² by its height, h.
Multiply this product by 2 × (1 + √2).
Divide everything by 3.
That's all! The general formula for a regular octagonal pyramid reads:

V = 2 × (1 + √2) / 3 × a² × h.