Summary

To calculate the volume of a rectangular prism, you can use Excel's multiplication operator (*) with measurements for length, width, and height. In the example shown, the formula in E5, copied down, is:

=B5*C5*D5

which calculates the volume of a rectangular prism, given the length in column B (l), the width in column C (w) and the height in column D (h). Units are indicated generically with "u", and the resulting volume is in units cubed (u³).

Generic formula

=l*w*h

Explanation

In geometry, the formula for calculating the volume of a rectangular prism is:

=lwh

This formula can be represented in Excel with the multiplication operator (*) like this

=l*w*h

In the example shown, the formula in E5 is:

=B5*C5*D5 // returns 0.13

As the formula is copied down the column, it calculates a new volume in each row, using the length in column B (l), the width in column C (w) and the height in column D (h).

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Dave Bruns

Hi - I'm Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.