Density Calculator: Formula & How to Calculate Explained (2024)

The density calculator will help you estimate the relationship between the weight and volume of an object. This value, called density, is one of the most important physical properties of an object. It's also easy to measure.

If you want to know how to find density, keep reading. This article will provide you with the density formula on which this calculator is based on. You'll also learn how the density of water changes under different circ*mstances.

We will deal with these questions:

• How to find density;
• What density formula is; and
• What affects the density of water.

Here, we will guide you on putting this density calculator to good use:

1. Enter the weight/mass of the object. To enter the mass in a different unit, click on the unit and change it before entering the value.

2. Input the volume of the object. If the object is a cuboid, and you know its dimensions instead of the volume, click on the advanced mode button at the bottom left and enter the cuboid dimensions.

3. Right away, the calculator will give you the density of the object. You can click on the unit to change it to any other unit. It also remarks on how high/low our density is compared to other materials or objects.

For example, consider an object that weighs 80 kg with a volume of 47 in³. Enter the weight of the object, changing the unit to kg first, if required. Next, click on the volume's unit and change it to cubic inches. Input the volume as 47 in³. Instantly, our calculator will show you the object's density is 103,870 kg/m³. It also remarks that this density is between our Sun's outer and inner core densities! Now, that's very dense!

You can use this calculator in reverse, too! Consider a 4 m³ aluminum cube. You can figure out its mass using this calculator. Enter the cube's volume and aluminum's density of 2,700 kg/m³. Immediately, our calculator tells you the cube weighs 10,800 kg.

You don't have to search for a separate reference to find the densities of common materials like aluminum. We have a look-up density section for this purpose:

1. Select the material category. You can choose between:

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   • Metals;
   • Non-metals;
   • Gases;
   • Liquids; or
   • Astronomy.

2. Pick any material from the list in this category.

3. Instantly, the calculator will populate the material's density value. You can change it to your desired unit by clicking on its unit.

Say you want to find iron's density. Select metals in the material category and iron in the materials list. You can see that iron's density is 7,870 kg/m³.

The following article is a fascinating read where you can learn the density formula and how density determines whether an object floats or sinks in water.

1. Determine the weight of an object. For example, a glass of water weights $200 \ \mathrm{grams}$200grams net (not including the glass).
2. Find out the volume of an object, e.g., by using the volume calculator. In our example, it's $200 \ \mathrm{cm^3}$200cm3.
3. Divide weight by volume. $200 \ \mathrm{g / 200 \ cm^3} = 1 \ \mathrm{g/cm^3}$200g/200cm3=1g/cm3
4. Optionally, change the unit. $1 \ \mathrm{g/cm^3} = 1 (1/1000 \ \mathrm{kg}) / (1/1000000) \ \mathrm{m^3} = 1000 \ \mathrm{kg/m^3}$1g/cm3=1(1/1000kg)/(1/1000000)m3=1000kg/m3

Or you can use our density calculator to make it a breeze!

The fastest way to find the density of an object is, of course, to use our density calculator. To make the calculation, you'll need to know a few other values to start with. Make a note of the object's weight and volume. After typing these values into the density calculator, it will give you the result in kilograms per cubic meter.

If all you need is to convert between different units, just click on the units for density and select your desired units from the list. If your unit is not there, you can use our density conversion tool. Plug in your result there; the tool will convert it into:

• Kilograms per cubic decimeter;
• Pound per cubic foot;
• Pound per cubic yard; or
• Pound per US gallon.

Sometimes people are looking to convert grams into cups. If you know the density of the product as well as its weight in grams, you can find the volume of the ingredient in cups. We have prepared the grams to cups calculator specifically for that purpose.

Allow us to throw in a bit of a curve ball here by reminding you that if you want to calculate the density of pixels on your screen, this is not the calculator you are looking for; try PPI calculator instead.

Another way to calculate the weight to volume ratio of an object is to use the density formula. The calculation is not too complicated as you only need to do one operation to find it.

The density formula is as follows:

where:

• $D$D - density;
• $m$m - mass; and
• $v$v - volume.

For most purposes, it's enough to know that the density of water is 1,000 kg/m³. However, as with almost all materials, its density changes with temperature. However, we have a slight, but a super important anomaly when it comes to water. While the general rule is that as temperature goes up, the density lowers, water behaves differently between 0 °C and 4 °C.

If you cool water from room temperature, it becomes increasingly dense. However, at approximately 4 °C degrees, water reaches its maximum density. How's this important? It makes it much harder for lakes to freeze completely in the winter. Since the water at 4 °C is the heaviest, it falls to the bottom of the lake. The colder water stays at the surface and turns to ice. This phenomenon, coupled with a low thermal conductivity of ice, helps the bottom of the lake stay unfrozen, so that fish can survive. It is this same principle that scientists think helped life get started on Earth. If water froze from the bottom up, then life never would have gotten the chance.

There are other aspects that affect water density. It changes slightly whether it is tap, fresh, or salt water. Every dissolved particle inside a body of water affects its density. The water density calculator might give you more insights into this problem.

This density calculator is the brainchild of our celebrated veterans, Mateusz and Steven. Mateusz came up with the idea for this calculator when explaining to his children that an object's density decides whether it floats on water or sinks in it. The calculator has helped many users over the years, and we hope you had fun with it, too!

We put strenuous effort into ensuring the quality of our content so that it is as accurate and reliable as possible. Each tool is peer-reviewed by a trained expert and then proofread by a native speaker. If you'd like to learn more about our standards, please check the Editorial Policies page.

1. Measure the object's mass (or weight) in kilograms.
2. Measure the volume of the object in m³.
3. Divide the mass by the volume.
4. You will then have the density of the object in kg/m³.

1. Look up the density of the material the object is made of in kg/m³.
2. Measure the mass (or weight) of the object in kilograms.
3. Divide the mass by the density.
4. You will then have the volume of the object in m³.

1. Measure the mass (or weight) of the liquid with some scales and convert to kilograms.
2. Measure the volume of the liquid with a measuring jug and convert to m³.
3. Divide the mass by the volume.
4. You will then have the density of the liquid in units of kg/m³.

1. Measure the mass (or weight) of the irregular object using scales and convert to kilograms.
2. Measure the volume of the irregular object. One way to do that is to submerge the object in a measuring jug of water and record how much the volume increases by. Convert the volume to m³.
3. Divide the mass by the volume.
4. You will then have the density of the object in units of kg/m³.

1. Note the mass of Earth in kilograms, which is 6×10²⁴ kg.
2. Look up the volume of the Earth in m³, which is 1.1×10²¹ m³.
3. Divide the mass by the volume.
4. You will then have calculated the average density of the Earth and get a value of 5,500 kg/ m³.

1. Look up the density of the material the object is made of in kg/m³.
2. Measure the volume of the object in m³.
3. Multiply the density by the volume.
4. You will then have the mass of the object in kg.