This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Residual volume

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The residual volume is that part of the air in the lung which cannot be exhaled; it represents the remaining volume of lung when forced exhalation of the lung has occured.

It is calculated by subtracting expiratory reserve volume from functional residual capacity. The residual volume is usually 20-25% of total lung capacity.

The residual volume increases in diffuse airway obstruction. In this situation there is also an increase in the ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity.

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page