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How Do I Get the Circumference of a Pipe?

The cross-section of a pipe is the circle. The pipe circumference or perimeter refers to the length around such a circle. The circumference is an important characteristic that allows you to calculate other values, for example the amount of water passing through the pipe. To get the required circumference, you either calculate it from the diameter of the pipe or measure it directly.

Things You'll Need

Metric ruler
Calculator
Thread

Instructions

Using the Pipe Diameter
- 1
  Get the value of the math constant "pi" with the precision you need, such as 3.14.
- 2
  Measure the diameter of the pipe with a ruler. For example, say the diameter is 4.5 inches.
- 3
  Multiply the diameter by pi to calculate the circumference of the pipe. In this example, the circumference is 4.5 x 3.14 = 14.13 inches.
Direct Measurement
- 4
  Wrap a thread around the pipe.
- 5
  Straight out the thread and align along the ruler.
- 6
  Measure the length of the thread piece that corresponds to one full wrap; this length is the pipe circumference.

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