By Finn McCuhil, Updated Aug 30, 2022
Calculating the volume of an oval‑shaped container—whether a casserole dish or a horse trough—can be done quickly with basic geometry. For small items, simply fill the vessel with water, pour it into a measuring cup, and read the measurement. For larger or irregular shapes, use the following method.
Measure the container’s length, width, and depth. Divide each dimension by two to obtain the radii (r₁, r₂, r₃). For example, a 6‑ft long, 4‑ft wide, 4‑ft deep trough has radii of 3 ft, 2 ft, and 2 ft.
Write the values on a sheet of paper and label them r₁, r₂, and r₃. The labels can be assigned to any of the dimensions; just be consistent when you calculate.
Insert the radii into the ellipsoid volume formula:
Volume = (4/3) × π × r₁ × r₂ × r₃
Using a calculator, enter: 4 / 3 * 3.14 * r₁ * r₂ * r₃ and press =. Substitute your measured radii. The result is the volume in cubic units.
For a container 6 ft across the long side, 4 ft across the short side, and 4 ft deep, the volume is calculated as: 4 / 3 * 3.14 * 3 * 2 * 2 = 50.26 cubic feet. Use the calculator page in the resources section if you prefer to enter the values directly.
