User Rating 0.0 ★★★★★

Total Usage 0 times

Category Finishing Works

Dimensions

Pipe Diameter (OD)

Total Pipe Length

Paint Specs

Coverage Rate (sq.ft / gal) Standard epoxy is often 200-400 sq.ft/gal

Coats

Loss %

Results

Surface Area: 0 sq.ft

        Paint Needed:
        0 gallons
      

Assumes 15% loss factor and 2 coats.

Is this tool helpful?

Your feedback helps us improve.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

About

Industrial painting projects typically involve coating miles of piping where manual geometry calculations become tedious and error-prone. Accurately estimating the surface area is critical for procurement, as specialized industrial coatings (epoxies, urethanes) are expensive and have strict thickness requirements.

This tool calculates the lateral surface area of cylindrical pipes and converts that geometry into actionable paint volume data. It accounts for the Outer Diameter (OD), total length, number of coats, and a configurable "Transfer Efficiency" factor to handle paint loss from spraying or brushing.

Formulas

The calculator determines the Lateral Surface Area (LSA) of the cylinder.

LSA = π × D × L

To determine the required paint volume (V):

V = Area × CoatsCoverageRate × (1 + Loss%)

Reference Data

Pipe Size (Nominal)	OD (Inches)	Surface Area (sq.ft / lin.ft)
1"	1.315	0.344
2"	2.375	0.622
4"	4.500	1.178
6"	6.625	1.734
8"	8.625	2.258
10"	10.750	2.814
12"	12.750	3.338

Frequently Asked Questions

It represents the amount of paint wasted during application. Brush and roller application usually has 5-10% loss, while airless spray application can have 20-40% loss due to overspray and wind.

For accurate results, use the actual Outer Diameter (OD). However, for quick estimates, the nominal size is often "close enough" for small pipes, but significantly different for pipes larger than 12 inches.

This tool defaults to external surface area. For internal coating, you simply need to input the Inner Diameter (ID) instead of the OD.