Free tool
MGRS ↔ lat/lon / UTM converter
Convert between an MGRS military grid reference, geographic coordinates (WGS84), and UTM — down to 1 m, with all computation in your browser.
MGRS converter
Click the map to pick a point (WGS84) and convert it instantly, or type coordinates.
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FAQ
- What is MGRS?
- MGRS is the Military Grid Reference System developed by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). It is built on the UTM grid and the WGS 84 datum, dividing the Earth into zones, latitude bands, and lettered 100 km squares to give a compact text reference for any location.
- How do I read a reference like “36R UU 12345 67890”?
- “36” is the UTM longitudinal zone, “R” is the latitude band, “UU” identifies the 100 km square within the zone, then “12345” is the easting within that square and “67890” the northing — both in metres, with the same digit count according to the chosen precision.
- What does the digit-count precision mean?
- The number of digits per axis sets the square size: 5 digits = 1 m, 4 = 10 m, 3 = 100 m, 2 = 1 km, and 1 = 10 km. More digits mean higher precision and a longer reference.
- How does MGRS relate to UTM and EPSG:326xx?
- Every MGRS reference maps to a UTM position on the WGS 84 datum; we show the zone, hemisphere, easting, northing, and EPSG code alongside it (326xx for the northern hemisphere, 327xx for the southern). MGRS is essentially a compact text encoding of UTM coordinates.
- What area does it cover?
- This tool covers latitude bands C..X (−80° to 84°), the full UTM domain, with no polar UPS — which does not affect the Arab world at all (roughly 12°S in the Comoros to 37°N).
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