Coordinate Converter Calculator

Convert coordinates between decimal degrees and degrees, minutes and seconds.

About Coordinate Converter Calculator

The conversion is repeated multiplication by sixty, exactly like converting hours to minutes and seconds. The sign determines the hemisphere, which DMS notation expresses as a letter instead. Losing the hemisphere letter places a coordinate on the wrong side of the equator or meridian, which is the most consequential coordinate error there is.

Formula

Coordinate Converter

Minutes = fractional degrees × 60; seconds = fractional minutes × 60

decimal degrees: A single signed number, used by mapping software
DMS: Degrees, minutes and seconds, used in navigation and surveying

Worked example

With the default values below, Coordinate Converter Calculator returns Degrees, Minutes and Seconds of 51° 30' 26.46" N. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Decimal degreesaccepts -180–180 degrees: 51.507351 degrees
Coordinate typeone of Latitude, Longitude: Latitude

Results

Degrees, Minutes and Seconds: 51° 30' 26.46" N
Degrees: 51 degrees
Minutes: 30 min
Seconds: 26.464 s
Hemisphere: North

Step by step

1Values used
2Coordinate Converter
3Degrees, Minutes and Seconds= 51° 30' 26.46" N
4Degrees= 51 degrees
5Minutes= 30 min
6Seconds= 26.464 s
7Hemisphere= North

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 2 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 3 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 Coordinate Converter calculated?

Minutes = fractional degrees × 60; seconds = fractional minutes × 60 The conversion is repeated multiplication by sixty, exactly like converting hours to minutes and seconds. The sign determines the hemisphere, which DMS notation expresses as a letter instead.

Why does Coordinate Converter matter?

Losing the hemisphere letter places a coordinate on the wrong side of the equator or meridian, which is the most consequential coordinate error there is.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 2 inputs: Decimal degrees, Coordinate type. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.