Lateral Area of a Trapezoidal Prism Calculator

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Choose the unit system. All dimension inputs share the same unit.
One of the two parallel sides of the trapezoid cross-section (typically the shorter one).
cm
The second parallel side of the trapezoid cross-section (typically the longer one).
cm
One of the two non-parallel sides (legs) of the trapezoid cross-section.
cm
The second non-parallel side (leg) of the trapezoid cross-section.
cm
The perpendicular distance between the two parallel sides a and b. This is the height of the trapezoidal cross-section, not the prism length.
cm
The length (depth) of the prism - how far the trapezoidal cross-section extends in the third dimension.
cm
Lateral surface area
312cm²

Total area of the four rectangular lateral faces

Total surface area376cm²
Base perimeter26cm
Area of one trapezoidal base32cm²

Lateral area is 312.00 cm²; total surface area is 376.00 cm².

  • The base perimeter is 26.00 cm, which drives the lateral area.
  • The lateral faces make up 83.0% of the total surface area; the two trapezoidal ends account for the remaining 17.0%.
  • Because the two parallel sides differ (6 vs 10 cm), this is a true trapezoid - not a rectangle or parallelogram.
  • To reduce the lateral area, shorten the prism length (currently 12 cm) or reduce the side lengths of the trapezoidal cross-section.

Next stepNeed volume? Multiply the base area by the prism length: volume = ((a + b) / 2) x h x L.

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