How to Convert Easting and Northing to Latitude and Longitude
Last updated 26 September 2026
Converting grid coordinates to latitude and longitude: coordinate systems, UTM zones, datums, units, and the mistakes that put points in the wrong place.
Grid coordinates and geographic coordinates
An easting and northing are distances, in metres or feet, on a flat map grid. Latitude and longitude are angles on the curved Earth, and they are what Google Earth and GPS use. Converting between the two needs the exact definition of the grid: its projection, origin, scale and datum. The same pair of numbers means a different place on every grid.
Step 1: identify the coordinate system
Survey drawings and reports state the grid, often with an EPSG code — a number that identifies one coordinate system exactly, such as EPSG:3997 for Dubai DLTM or EPSG:32642 for UTM zone 42N. Our grid pages cover the common ones, and the web and Windows apps search all 5,800+ EPSG systems.
UTM zones
UTM divides the world into 60 zones, each 6° of longitude wide, numbered eastwards from 180°W. The zone number is floor((longitude + 180) ÷ 6) + 1 — Dubai, at about 55.3°E, is in zone 40. Add N or S for the hemisphere: northings in the south start from 10,000,000 m at the equator. Using the neighbouring zone moves points by hundreds of kilometres.
Datums
A datum ties the grid to the Earth. Grids on WGS 84, or on datums aligned with it (ETRS89, GDA2020, NAD83 and similar), convert directly. Older national datums need a published shift, usually good to a metre or two. The converter applies it for you.
Step 2: convert
- One point: use the quick converter on the home page or on your grid's page, and copy the latitude and longitude.
- A whole sheet: paste it into the web app, pick the grid, and save a CSV with latitude and longitude added, or a KML/KMZ for Google Earth.
Excel formulas for this are long and easy to get wrong, especially the datum shift, so a converter that uses the published EPSG definitions is the safer route.
Common mistakes
- Easting and northing swapped: points land far away, often in the sea.
- Wrong UTM zone or hemisphere: points shifted by hundreds of kilometres, or thousands north–south.
- Feet and metres mixed up: US State Plane grids are often in US survey feet.
- A local site grid: a project grid starting at, say, 1000/1000 isn't a map grid. Tie it to known control with site calibration.
Whatever the method, check one known point on the map before using the results.
Try it with your own sheet