If you’re in the market for a new above ground pool, you’ll want to know how many gallons it holds. Really, it depends on the size of the pool as well as the depth. Most above ground pools are under five feet. The deepest one we offer at The Pool People is 54 inches, which is four feet and six inches. We also offer some 52-inch deep pools.
Though there’s not much range in the depth, there are a lot of different sizes as far as length and width. You’ll need to know exact above ground pool specs to know how many gallons it requires.
Above Ground Pool Brands
At The Pool People, we offer a wide selection of above ground pools in four different brands: Doughboy® , Embassy®, Radiant Pools®, and Cornelius®. Most of our pools are either round or oval size, though Radiant Pools does offer a square-sized option as well.
This Pool People blog tells you more about the size options for above ground pools. Commonly, sizes for both length and width are divisible by four, such as 8, 12, 16, or 20 feet. But there’s also some variation with that – one of our oval options is 34 feet and we have a circular pool that’s 33 feet in diameter.
To know exactly how many gallons you’ll need to fill an above ground pool, you’ll of course need to know its exact size. If you’re currently in the market for a pool, our dedicated sales consultants at The Pool People can certainly help you find the right fit for you.
Gallons in an Above Ground Pool Based on Size
Whether you already have the exact size in mind or are still searching for your perfect pool, this section will go over gallons needed for just about every size of above ground pool. And if we don’t cover something here you can stop into one of our four Wisconsin locations for more information and for help answering any questions you have on your pool buying journey.
For a round pool starting at eight feet in diameter, you’d want around 1,737 gallons of water. Going up to 12 feet is 3,900 gallons. 18 feet is 8,800 gallons, 21 feet is 12,000 gallons, 24 feet is 15,635, 30 feet is 24,500 gallons and, finally, 33 feet is 29,555 gallons of water.
There’s lots of numbers there. These are average round sizes, but if you happen to have or find a round above ground pool in a different size, there’s also a formula you can use. It’s all about multiplication. Just take the diameter x diameter x depth x 5.9 and you’ll get around how many gallons you need. For example, if you have a round pool that is 27 feet in diameter and 4 feet, 6 inches deep, it’d be 27 x 27 x 4.6 x 5.9, which equals roughly 19,785 gallons of water. We used 4 feet, 6 inches deep here, like in the example above.
There are actually formulas for the other pool shapes as well. It turns out that there can be lots of math in pool buying. For an oval pool, its length x width x depth x 5.9 is the equation you’ll need. One common oval pool size is 24 feet by 16 feet, and if it’s also 4 feet and 6 inches deep, then the gallons needed are 10,420 gallons. You can also use this equation for square-shaped above-ground pools.
Now that you can figure out how many gallons a certain size and shape pool will be, you can make a more informed buying decision. If you know the gallons of water needed, you could also get some quotes for how much it will be to fill your pool. The Pool People is a great resource for all your pool questions, so come by and see us for any other pool information you need.
