Zerdly

Azimuth to Bearing Converter

Converts whole-circle azimuths into quadrant bearings with N/E/S/W notation.

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How to use this calculator

Inputs

Whole-circle azimuth ⇄ quadrant bearing (N 30° W), with the back bearing and the 90° boundaries handled consistently.

Decimal degrees (135), DMS (135 0 0) or DDM (135° 0.5′).

More options

Enter the values and press Calculate.

Or load an example to see a worked result.

Your bearing on the rose
Illustrative
Your bearing on the roseCompass rose with N, E, S and W, the forward bearing as a solid arrow, the back bearing dashed and the quadrant angle shaded from the nearer of north or south.NESWAzimuth 135°Back 315° (dashed)
Whole-circle azimuth is measured clockwise from north (0–360°). 135° azimuth = S 45° E; back azimuth = 315°.

Batch from CSV

One row per calculation, with a header row. Values use the units currently selected in the form above. Up to 10,000 rows; nothing is uploaded.

How the method works

A fixed worked example to explain the method — it is not your result.

Whole-circle azimuth is clockwise from north
Illustrative method
Whole-circle azimuth is clockwise from northCompass rose with N, E, S and W, the forward bearing as a solid arrow, the back bearing dashed and the quadrant angle shaded from the nearer of north or south.NESWAzimuth 135°S 45° EBack 315° (dashed)
Whole-circle azimuth is measured clockwise from north (0–360°). 135° azimuth = S 45° E; back azimuth = 315°.

Before you rely on this: First-pass guide only. Verify safety-critical or regulated work against the relevant standards, your project requirements and a qualified professional.

How to use this calculator

  1. Choose azimuth → quadrant bearing, or quadrant bearing → azimuth.
  2. For an azimuth, enter it clockwise from north (DD, DMS or DDM); values outside 0–360° are wrapped and the normalised value is shown — or switch normalisation off to refuse them.
  3. For a quadrant bearing, type it (N30°W, S 45 E, N 30 15 0 W) or use the N/S, angle and E/W selectors. A missing letter, a sign or an angle over 90° is refused with the reason.
  4. Choose the display precision and press Calculate.

How it works

0–90°: N A E · 90–180°: S (180° − A) E · 180–270°: S (A − 180°) W · 270–360°: N (360° − A) W.

On the cardinal axes the answer is simply N, E, S or W; the quadrant form (e.g. N 90° E) is shown alongside.

The azimuth is rounded to the display precision before the quadrant is chosen, so a value displayed as 90° is always E — never N 90° E on one side and S 90° E on the other.

Changing the notation does not change the north reference: a grid azimuth stays a grid bearing.

Worked example

135°. S 45° E, with back bearing N 45° W. In reverse, N 30° W is an azimuth of 330°.

Common mistakes

  • Entering a quadrant angle over 90° — S 95° E is not a bearing.
  • Subtracting from the wrong reference in the south-west quadrant: S 30° W is 210°, not 150°.
  • Assuming the conversion turns a magnetic bearing into a true one.

Frequently asked questions

What's a quadrant bearing?

An angle measured east or west of north or south (0°–90°), e.g. N 30° E — common in older survey records.

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Cite this tool

Zerdly. (2026). Azimuth to Bearing Converter. Retrieved from https://www.zerdly.com/tools/azimuth-to-bearing-converter/

Tip: Enter any known values to calculate the remaining results.

Designed to run locally in your browser. Tool inputs are not intentionally stored by Zerdly unless stated otherwise.