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Coordinate Format Converter Calculator

Work out coordinate format converter instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Coordinate Format Converter Calculator

Degrees, minutes and seconds convert to decimal degrees by dividing minutes by 60 and seconds by 3600 and adding: 51 degrees 30 minutes 26 seconds is 51.507222 degrees. GPS receivers and mapping APIs use decimal degrees, marine navigation prefers degrees and decimal minutes, and one degree of latitude is about 111.32 km everywhere.

Formulas

Decimal degrees

DD = degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3600

Degrees and decimal minutes

DDM = degrees + (minutes + seconds/60)

Worked example

With the default values below, Coordinate Format Converter Calculator returns Decimal Degrees of 51.507222. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Degrees
51
Minutesaccepts 0–59.999
30
Secondsaccepts 0–59.999
26
Hemisphere or sideone of North or East (positive), South or West (negative)
North or East (positive)

Results

Decimal Degrees
51.507222
Degrees And Decimal Minutes
51 30.4333'
Total Arc Seconds
185,426.0 arcsec
Metres Per Degree Of Latitude
111,320 m

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Decimal degrees
  3. 3Degrees and decimal minutes
  4. 4Decimal Degrees= 51.507222
  5. 5Degrees And Decimal Minutes= 51 30.4333'
  6. 6Total Arc Seconds= 185,426.0 arcsec
  7. 7Metres Per Degree Of Latitude= 111,320 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 6 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 precise is one arc second?

About 31 metres of latitude, so six decimal places in decimal degrees is around 0.1 m - well beyond consumer GPS accuracy.

Which format should I use?

Decimal degrees for software and databases, degrees and decimal minutes for marine and aviation charts, and full DMS for legacy survey records.

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