Free tool · Measure
Distance and Bearing Calculator Between Two Points
The distance and bearing between two points — on the curved Earth from latitude and longitude, or on a flat grid from eastings and northings.
Free · no sign-up · works in your browser, on phone and computer
Example · Dubai to Abu Dhabi, and a grid leg
- From
- Burj Khalifa 25.197197, 55.274376
- To
- Abu Dhabi Corniche 24.453884, 54.377344
- Distance
- 122.485 km
- Bearing
- 227°57'02.6" (SW)
- Grid 1000,1000 → 1100,900
- 141.421 m at 135°00'00.0"
What it does
True distance on the ellipsoid
Vincenty's formulae on WGS 84, accurate to well under a millimetre at any distance.
Grid bearings too
Grid distance, grid bearing, ΔE and ΔN from eastings and northings — with levels, the slope distance and gradient.
Go the other way
From a start point, a bearing and a distance, find the point you reach.
Every unit
Metres, kilometres, feet, miles and nautical miles; bearings in degrees-minutes-seconds and decimal, with the compass point.
How to use it
- 1
Press Use the tool.
- 2
Choose latitude/longitude, grid, or point from bearing and distance.
- 3
Type the two points (or start, bearing and distance) and read the answer.
Who it's for
- Surveyors checking a setup, a traverse leg or a setting-out distance
- Engineers measuring between control points on a drawing
- Pilots, sailors and hikers working out a course and distance
Which one to use
- Latitude and longitude measures along the WGS 84 ellipsoid with Vincenty's formulae, accurate to well under a millimetre at any distance. Bearings are true bearings, from true north. On a long line the bearing changes along the way, so both the starting and the arriving bearing are shown.
- Grid is plain geometry on eastings and northings: the distance on the grid and the grid bearing, from grid north. That's what a total station setup and a drawing use. Grid and ground distances differ by the grid's scale factor — up to about 0.04% on UTM.
Typing bearings
Bearings go clockwise from north, 0 to 360. Type them as decimal degrees (306.868) or degrees, minutes and seconds (306 52 05.4 or 306°52'05.4").
For bearings and distances from one setup to many points at once, see making a setting-out sheet in the app.
Questions
Why are there two bearings?
On the curved Earth a straight line's bearing changes along the way, so the tool gives the bearing setting off and the bearing arriving. On a flat grid they're the same.
What is the difference between a true bearing and a grid bearing?
True bearings are measured from true north; grid bearings from grid north. The difference (grid convergence) grows away from the grid's central meridian.
Why doesn't the grid distance match the ground?
A grid stretches distances slightly — up to about 0.04% on UTM. Use the latitude/longitude mode for true ground distances.
How accurate is it?
It reproduces Vincenty's published Flinders Peak–Buninyong example exactly: 54,972.271 m at 306°52'05.37".
More free tools
- Plot area from coordinatesPaste the corners of a plot as eastings and northings or latitude and longitude and get its area in m², hectares, acres, kanal and marla, with the perimeter.
- Slope and gradientWork out a slope from rise and run, or convert between percent grade, degrees and 1 in N — for roads, drains, ramps and roofs.
- Coordinates on a mapClick the map, search a place or use your location to get its latitude and longitude, degrees-minutes-seconds, UTM zone and easting/northing, with a Google Maps link.
- DMS ↔ decimal degreesConvert degrees, minutes and seconds such as 25°11'35"N to decimal degrees and back — one value or a whole list pasted from Excel.
- Lat/long ↔ UTMConvert latitude and longitude to UTM easting, northing and zone on WGS 84, or UTM back to latitude and longitude. The zone is worked out for you.
- Land area unitsConvert land and floor areas between square metres, square feet, acres, hectares, kanal, marla, feddan, dunam, guntha and cents.
Got a whole sheet of points?
Open the web app in your browser, or install the Windows app to work offline with no point limit. Both are free.