Earth Volume Calculator
How much space does the entire planet occupy? This calculator applies V = 4/3πr³ to your choice of Earth radius — the IUGG mean (6,371.0088 km), the WGS84 equatorial or polar radius, or any custom value — and presents the result in trillions of cubic kilometres, the only unit that keeps the number readable.
The mean-radius result, about 1.08321 trillion km³, is the accepted geophysical value behind density calculations: divide Earth's mass by this volume and you get the familiar average density of 5.51 g/cm³. Like the companion tools, this is a spherical approximation — accurate to a fraction of a percent for any educational or reference purpose.
Formula: V = 4/3 × π × r³ with r = 6,371.009 km (sphere approximation — the accepted geophysical value is 1.08321 × 10¹² km³).
How to use this tool
Select the mean, equatorial or polar radius. The mean radius gives the standard 1.08321 trillion km³ value.
Select “Custom radius…” and type any positive value in kilometres — for example 3,389.5 km to get Mars's volume.
The volume is shown in trillions of km³, the exact km³ figure, and scientific notation (×10¹² km³).
What people use this tool for
Dividing Earth's mass (5.972 × 10²⁴ kg) by this volume yields the mean density of about 5,514 kg/m³, a staple of geology lessons.
Entering other planets' radii as custom values lets students compare volumes directly — Jupiter's is over 1,300 times Earth's.
Doubling the radius input makes the volume grow eightfold, demonstrating that volume scales with r³.
How it's calculated
Volume V = 4/3 × π × r³ for a sphere. Constants: IUGG mean radius 6,371.0088 km, WGS84 equatorial 6,378.137 km, WGS84 polar 6,356.752 km. Result displayed in trillions (÷10¹²) and in scientific notation. The spherical approximation differs from the true ellipsoidal volume by a tiny fraction of a percent.
Related tools and resources
Frequently asked questions
How dense is Earth, given this volume?
Earth's mass is about 5.972 × 10²⁴ kg. Divide by 1.08321 × 10²¹ m³ (the volume in cubic metres) and you get roughly 5,514 kg/m³ — 5.51 g/cm³, the highest mean density of any planet in the solar system.
How was Earth's volume first estimated?
Once Eratosthenes had estimated the radius around 240 BCE, the volume followed directly from V = 4/3πr³. Modern values come from satellite geodesy fitted to the WGS84 ellipsoid rather than from any direct measurement.
How many Earths would fit inside the Sun?
The Sun's volume is about 1.412 × 10¹⁸ km³. Divide by Earth's 1.08321 × 10¹² km³ and you get roughly 1.3 million Earths.
Does Earth's volume change over time?
For practical purposes, no. Space dust adds on the order of tens of thousands of tonnes per year — utterly negligible against a planetary mass of 5.97 × 10²⁴ kg.
Data sources & methodology
- Wikipedia — Earth radius — IUGG mean radius 6,371.0088 km used as the default; basis of the 1.08321 × 10¹² km³ value.
- WGS84 (NGA) — World Geodetic System 1984; source of the equatorial and polar radius constants.
- IUGG — International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics; standardises Earth's radius values.