Zerdly

Coordinates to Bearing & Distance Calculator

Grid bearing and distance between two easting/northing points with atan2(ΔE, ΔN), reverse bearing, batch joins and DD or DMS output. Free, in browser.

100% FreeRuns in your browserIntermediate
How to use this calculator

Inputs

Grid bearing (atan2(ΔE, ΔN), all quadrants) and distance between two points, with reverse bearing, batch joins and an undefined bearing for coincident points.

From
To
More options
Batch joins

Same coordinate unit as E₁ above.

Record

Shown on the report only. No transformation is applied.

Enter the values and press Calculate.

Or load an example to see a worked result.

Grid bearing and coordinate components
Illustrative
Grid bearing and coordinate componentsPlan with grid north up and east to the right, drawn at equal scale on both axes: the start point, the end point, the bearing arc measured clockwise from north, and the easting and northing components.Grid NΔEΔNθFromToE →
Grid north is up and easting increases to the right. The bearing is measured clockwise from grid north; ΔE = d·sin θ and ΔN = d·cos θ.

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. Enter the easting and northing of the from and to points, in one unit.
  2. Choose decimal degrees or DMS for the bearings.
  3. Optionally paste more joins (ID, E₁, N₁, E₂, N₂ per line) for a batch table you can download as CSV.

How it works

Inverse computation (join): ΔE = E₂ − E₁, ΔN = N₂ − N₁, distance = √(ΔE² + ΔN²) and bearing = atan2(ΔE, ΔN), clockwise from grid north and normalised to 0–360°. Easting goes first in atan2 — that is what makes 0° north and 90° east.

The reverse bearing is the bearing + 180°, folded back into 0–360°. A DMS display is rounded on the whole angle first, so it never shows 60″ or 60′.

Two identical points have a distance of 0 and NO bearing — not 0°, which would mean due north.

Worked example

85 m east and 85 m north. Distance = √(85² + 85²) = 120.208 m and bearing = atan2(85, 85) = 45°. Going the other way (ΔE −85, ΔN −85) gives the same distance and 225°. Two identical points give 0 m and an undefined bearing.

Frequently asked questions

Why is bearing undefined?

When the points coincide there is no direction between them. Showing 0° would claim due north, so the tool says Undefined instead.

Why atan2(E, N)?

Survey bearings start at north and run clockwise, so the angle is measured from the northing axis toward the easting axis: atan2(ΔE, ΔN). The maths convention atan2(ΔN, ΔE) measures from east anticlockwise and gives a different, wrong bearing.

Does this give ground distance?

No — it is the grid straight-line distance. Ground distance needs the combined scale factor, and slope distance needs the height difference.

What is a join?

Surveyors call computing the bearing and distance between two known points a join (or an inverse).

Related tools

Explore more in Surveying, Coordinates, GIS & CAD.

Cite this tool

Zerdly. (2026). Coordinates to Bearing & Distance Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.zerdly.com/tools/coordinates-to-bearing-distance-calculator/

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.