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Bearing And Distance From Coordinates Calculator

Work out bearing and distance from coordinates instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Bearing And Distance From Coordinates Calculator

The join between two coordinated points is a right angled triangle: the distance is the hypotenuse of the easting and northing differences, and the whole circle bearing is the arctangent of departure over latitude, measured clockwise from north. Using atan2 rather than a plain arctangent resolves the quadrant automatically.

Formulas

Distance

D = sqrt(ΔE² + ΔN²)

Bearing

Bearing = atan2(ΔE, ΔN), converted to 0 to 360 degrees clockwise from north

Worked example

With the default values below, Bearing And Distance From Coordinates Calculator returns Distance between the points of 448.2187. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Easting of the first point
1,000 m
Northing of the first point
2,000 m
Easting of the second point
1,350 m
Northing of the second point
2,280 m

Results

Distance between the points
448.2187 m
Whole circle bearing
51.3402 °
Difference in easting
350.0000 m
Difference in northing
280.0000 m

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Distance
  3. 3Bearing
  4. 4Distance between the points= 448.2187 m
  5. 5Whole circle bearing= 51.3402 °
  6. 6Difference in easting= 350.0000 m
  7. 7Difference in northing= 280.0000 m

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Bearing And Distance From Coordinates figure worked out?

D = sqrt(ΔE² + ΔN²). The join between two coordinated points is a right angled triangle: the distance is the hypotenuse of the easting and northing differences, and the whole circle bearing is the arctangent of departure over latitude, measured clockwise from north.

Is this the same as a compass bearing?

It is a grid bearing. Converting to magnetic requires the grid convergence and magnetic declination for the location and date.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: Easting of the first point, Northing of the first point, Easting of the second point, Northing of the second point. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.

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