🛠️ Hydraulic Cylinder Force Calculator

The force a hydraulic cylinder can produce is F = P × A, where P is the hydraulic pressure and A is the effective piston area.

When extending (push), the full circular area from the bore (cylinder bore) diameter D applies: A = π × (D/2)².

When the cylinder retracts (pull), pressure is applied to the opposite chamber, whose area is reduced by the space occupied by the piston rod. So the effective area is the annular area, A = (π/4) × (D² − d²), computed from the bore and rod diameters. The larger the rod diameter (d), the smaller the pull force is relative to the push force.

Pressure can be entered in bar (1 bar = 100,000 Pa), psi (1 psi ≈ 6,894.76 Pa), or MPa (1 MPa = 1,000,000 Pa); diameter in mm or in (1 in = 25.4 mm). Results are shown primarily in N (newtons), alongside kgf (÷9.80665) and lbf (×0.224809).