Pipe Volume Calculator
Ten feet of nominal 3/4 in PVC Schedule 40, bore 0.824 in, holds 0.2770 gallons. At 8.33 pounds per gallon that water weighs 2.31 lb.
Last updated . Nominal size starts at 3/4 in on PVC Schedule 40, and the length starts at 10 ft. The bore is a published number, not a nominal guess.
A pipe volume calculator for the water inside copper tube or Schedule 40 PVC. Choose the material and the nominal size. The inside diameter is the one printed on the cited sheet.
A cylinder where you type the bore yourself is the cylinder volume calculator. Fall along a drain is the pipe slope calculator. Gravel around a buried pipe is the pipe bedding calculator.
Water in the pipe
The bore is filled from the row you pick. Length is the measurement you type. Weight is the water in that bore, not the metal or the plastic.
Results
Gallons from the printed bore
Cubic inches equal π times the bore radius squared times the length in inches. The gallon line divides those cubic inches by 231, which is the exact size of a US gallon. Cubic feet divide the same cubic inches by 1,728. Nothing is rounded until the line is displayed. Gallons use four decimals, gallons per foot use five, and the weight lines use two. A one-foot length of 1/2 in Type L therefore shows 0.0121 gallons and 0.01212 gallons per foot at the same time.
Pounds equal those gallons times 8.33. The USGS Water Science School page Facts About Water prints “Weight: 8.33 pounds/gallon; 1 kilogram/liter” next to “62.416 pounds/cubic foot at 32°F.” This panel uses only the 8.33 line. Kilograms then take the international pound, 0.45359237 kg, so the two weight lines agree with each other. The “1 kilogram/liter” phrase on that USGS page is a separate statement and is not the kilogram line.
Schedule 40 bores
PVC rows are the internal-diameter column of Westlake Pipe & Fittings product specification PL-PS-001-US-EN-1026.1, ASTM D1785/D2665 Schedule 40. Note 1 says the dimensions are for estimating purposes only. Note 3 says the internal diameter was calculated from the nominal outside diameter and the minimum wall. The widget copies the printed internal diameter. It does not subtract the wall again. The ASTM standard text itself is not the source of these cells. Schedule 80 is on that sheet and is not in this menu.
| Nominal | Outside | Minimum wall | Internal diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 0.840 | 0.109 | 0.622 |
| 3/4 | 1.050 | 0.113 | 0.824 |
| 1 | 1.315 | 0.133 | 1.049 |
| 1-1/4 | 1.660 | 0.140 | 1.380 |
| 1-1/2 | 1.900 | 0.145 | 1.610 |
| 2 | 2.375 | 0.154 | 2.067 |
| 2-1/2 | 2.875 | 0.203 | 2.469 |
| 3 | 3.500 | 0.216 | 3.068 |
| 4 | 4.500 | 0.237 | 4.026 |
| 5 | 5.563 | 0.258 | 5.047 |
| 6 | 6.625 | 0.280 | 6.065 |
Ten feet at the 0.824 in bore is 0.2770 gallons, 0.0370 cubic feet, and 2.31 lb. Ten feet at the 4.026 in bore is 6.6131 gallons and 55.09 lb. Check on the 3/4 in row: 1.050 − 2 × 0.113 = 0.824. Check on the 4 in row: 4.500 − 2 × 0.237 = 4.026. Those checks match note 3. The result still uses the printed bore.
Copper Type L and Type M
Type L inside diameters, outside diameters, and wall thicknesses are Copper Tube Handbook Table 14.2b. Type M is Table 14.2c. Both tables label the gallon column as a calculated value based on nominal dimensions. The handbook’s “weight of tube & water” column includes the tube, so it is not the water-only pound line on this page.
| Nominal | Type L ID | Type L wall | Type M ID | Type M wall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 0.545 | 0.040 | 0.569 | 0.028 |
| 3/4 | 0.785 | 0.045 | 0.811 | 0.032 |
| 1 | 1.025 | 0.050 | 1.055 | 0.035 |
| 1-1/4 | 1.265 | 0.055 | 1.291 | 0.042 |
| 1-1/2 | 1.505 | 0.060 | 1.527 | 0.049 |
| 2 | 1.985 | 0.070 | 2.009 | 0.058 |
| 2-1/2 | 2.465 | 0.080 | 2.495 | 0.065 |
| 3 | 2.945 | 0.090 | 2.981 | 0.072 |
| 4 | 3.905 | 0.110 | 3.935 | 0.095 |
| 5 | 4.875 | 0.125 | 4.907 | 0.109 |
| 6 | 5.845 | 0.140 | 5.881 | 0.122 |
Outside diameter is 0.625 in for both 1/2 in types, 0.875 in for both 3/4 in types, and it continues up the handbook column. Ten feet of 1/2 in Type L is 0.1212 gallons and 1.01 lb. Ten feet of 1/2 in Type M is 0.1321 gallons and 1.10 lb. The thinner wall is the larger bore, and the larger bore is the only reason the Type M line is higher.
Pipe volume questions
How much water is in 10 ft of 3/4 in Schedule 40 PVC?
Leave material on PVC Schedule 40, nominal size on 3/4, and length at 10 ft. Inside diameter reads 0.824 in. Outside diameter reads 1.050 in. Wall reads 0.113 in. Gallons reads 0.2770. Cubic feet reads 0.0370. Gallons per foot reads 0.02770. Pounds of water reads 2.31. Kilograms of water reads 1.05.
What if that same 3/4 in Schedule 40 pipe is 3 m long?
Set the length to 3 m and leave the material and the nominal size. Inside diameter still reads 0.824 in. Gallons reads 0.2727. Cubic feet reads 0.0364. Gallons per foot still reads 0.02770. Pounds of water reads 2.27. Kilograms of water reads 1.03.
How much water is in 10 ft of 1/2 in Type L copper?
Set material to Copper Type L and nominal size to 1/2. Leave length at 10 ft. Inside diameter reads 0.545 in. Outside diameter reads 0.625 in. Wall reads 0.040 in. Gallons reads 0.1212. Cubic feet reads 0.0162. Gallons per foot reads 0.01212. Pounds of water reads 1.01. Kilograms of water reads 0.46.
Why is the per-foot line 0.01212 when the handbook prints 0.0121?
Set Copper Type L, nominal 1/2, and length to 1 ft. Gallons reads 0.0121. Gallons per foot reads 0.01212. Table 14.2b prints 0.0121 in the gallon column, which is that full result rounded. The per-foot line keeps five decimals. The same check on 3/4 in Type L at 1 ft is gallons 0.0251 and gallons per foot 0.02514, against the handbook’s 0.0251.
How much water is in 10 ft of 1/2 in Type M copper?
Set material to Copper Type M and nominal size to 1/2. Leave length at 10 ft. Inside diameter reads 0.569 in. Outside diameter reads 0.625 in. Wall reads 0.028 in. Gallons reads 0.1321. Cubic feet reads 0.0177. Gallons per foot reads 0.01321. Pounds of water reads 1.10. Kilograms of water reads 0.50. At a 1 ft length the gallon line reads 0.0132, matching Table 14.2c’s rounded 0.0132, while gallons per foot reads 0.01321.
How much water is in 10 ft of 4 in Schedule 40 PVC?
Set material to PVC Schedule 40 and nominal size to 4. Leave length at 10 ft. Inside diameter reads 4.026 in. Outside diameter reads 4.500 in. Wall reads 0.237 in. Gallons reads 6.6131. Cubic feet reads 0.8840. Gallons per foot reads 0.66131. Pounds of water reads 55.09. Kilograms of water reads 24.99.
Where does the 8.33 pound figure come from?
The USGS Water Science School page Facts About Water prints “Weight: 8.33 pounds/gallon; 1 kilogram/liter.” Pounds on this panel are gallons times 8.33. Kilograms are those pounds times 0.45359237. The page also prints 62.416 pounds per cubic foot at 32°F and “1 kilogram/liter.” Those lines are not multiplied here. A different planning weight is used on the water-heater page, and it is not this 8.33.
Is a nominal 4 in pipe a 4 in bore?
Not on this page. Nominal 4 in Schedule 40 uses the 4.026 in internal diameter from the Westlake sheet. A cylinder tool that lets you type 4 in is measuring a 4 in bore, which is a different volume. This menu does not accept a bore you invent.