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The lateral surface area of a cuboid is the sum of the areas of all its faces excluding the top and bottom faces. It represents the area of the four vertical sides of the cuboid.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula subtracts twice the area of the base (top and bottom faces) from the total surface area to get the lateral surface area.
Details: Calculating lateral surface area is crucial in various applications including packaging design, construction materials estimation, and manufacturing processes where only the side surfaces need to be covered or treated.
Tips: Enter the total surface area, length, and width of the cuboid. All values must be positive numbers. The calculator will compute the lateral surface area by subtracting twice the base area from the total surface area.
Q1: What's the difference between total surface area and lateral surface area?
A: Total surface area includes all six faces of the cuboid, while lateral surface area only includes the four vertical side faces, excluding the top and bottom.
Q2: Can lateral surface area be greater than total surface area?
A: No, lateral surface area is always less than total surface area since it excludes the area of the top and bottom faces.
Q3: What units should I use for the measurements?
A: Use consistent units for all measurements (e.g., all in meters, centimeters, or inches). The result will be in square units of the same measurement system.
Q4: Does this formula work for all rectangular prisms?
A: Yes, since a cuboid is a rectangular prism, this formula applies to all rectangular prisms.
Q5: What if I have the height instead of total surface area?
A: If you have height, you can calculate lateral surface area directly using: Lateral Surface Area = 2 × Height × (Length + Width)