UTM Coordinate Converter
This UTM coordinate converter transforms geographic latitude and longitude (decimal degrees, WGS 84) into Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) easting and northing in meters, together with the UTM zone number and hemisphere. UTM is the standard coordinate system used for large-scale mapping, land surveying, military operations, and GIS work in the United States and worldwide because meter-based coordinates make distance calculations straightforward. Enter your coordinates and the converter returns all the UTM parameters you need.
UTM conversion method
Zone = floor((lon + 180) / 6) + 1
Central meridian lambda0 = (Zone - 1)*6 - 180 + 3
N, T, C, A, M computed from WGS 84 ellipsoid parameters
Easting = k0*N*(A + (1-T+C)*A^3/6 + ...) + 500,000
Northing = k0*(M - M0 + N*tan(lat)*(A^2/2 + ...))
Full Transverse Mercator series expansion using WGS 84 ellipsoid (a = 6,378,137 m, e^2 = 0.00669437999014). Scale factor k0 = 0.9996.
UTM coordinate system overview
- UTM covers latitudes 80 S to 84 N. Polar regions use the UPS (Universal Polar Stereographic) system instead.
- Each of the 60 zones is 6 degrees wide. Zone 1 starts at 180 W longitude.
- Easting values range from about 100,000 m to 900,000 m within a zone (500,000 m at the central meridian).
- Northing for the northern hemisphere: 0 m at the equator, increasing northward. Southern hemisphere: 10,000,000 m at equator, decreasing southward (false northing).
UTM coordinate converter: frequently asked questions
What is the UTM coordinate system?
UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) divides the Earth into 60 vertical zones, each 6 degrees of longitude wide. Within each zone, coordinates are given as easting (meters east of zone center) and northing (meters north of equator or 10,000,000 m in the southern hemisphere).
What is a false easting and false northing?
UTM uses false easting of 500,000 m at the central meridian so that all eastings in a zone are positive. The southern hemisphere uses a false northing of 10,000,000 m so northings remain positive even south of the equator.
What datum does this converter use?
This converter uses the WGS 84 ellipsoid (a = 6,378,137 m, f = 1/298.257223563), which is the global standard used by GPS and most modern mapping applications.
How do I find the UTM zone for my location?
UTM zone = floor((longitude + 180) / 6) + 1. For example, New York City at -74 degrees longitude is in zone 18. The calculator computes the zone automatically from the longitude you enter.
Are UTM coordinates in meters?
Yes. Easting and northing values are in meters. This makes UTM very convenient for measuring distances: the difference in easting or northing directly gives you the ground distance in meters in the east-west or north-south direction within the zone.
Official sources
- USGS: Coordinate system reference (USGS).
- NOAA National Geodetic Survey: NGS geodetic standards and datums.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 15 June 2026. See our methodology.