This MGRS to lat long converter translates between the Military Grid Reference System and latitude
and longitude. Type a grid reference such as 17T PJ 30084 33438 to get the position, or
enter coordinates and choose a precision from 10 km down to 1 m. MGRS is built on the UTM grid,
so the converter also shows the underlying zone, easting and northing.
Accepted only between 80°S and 84°N, the latitude range that MGRS covers.
MGRS is a compact way of writing a UTM position. A reference such as 17T PJ 30084 33438
has four parts: the zone number (17), the latitude band letter (T), the
100 km square identifier (PJ) and the numeric digits that locate the point inside that
square. The digits are always split evenly: the first half is the easting offset and the second
half the northing offset, so the resolution depends on how many digits are printed — two pairs
of five digits locate a point to 1 m, while four digits in total locate it to 1 km.
The latitude band is a letter from C to X covering eight degrees of latitude from 80°S, with the letters I and O left out to avoid confusion with 1 and 0. The 100 km square uses a different set of letters in each zone, and the row letters repeat every 2,000,000 m northwards, which is why the band letter must be present: without it a grid reference is ambiguous. This converter resolves that ambiguity by picking the candidate position that falls inside the stated latitude band.
Because MGRS sits on UTM, all values here use the WGS84 ellipsoid, and the standard zone numbering applies. Grid references near the poles are not defined: MGRS stops at 84°N and 80°S.
Converting MGRS to latitude longitude reverses the forward routine. The converter splits the
reference into its zone, latitude band, two-letter 100 km square and digits, rebuilds the easting
and northing of that square, then projects the point onto the WGS84 ellipsoid. For example
17T PJ 30084 33438 decodes to latitude 43.642567 and longitude -79.387139, the
ten-figure reference for the CN Tower in Toronto.
Because a 100 km grid square only fixes the point to the nearest 100 km, the latitude band does the
heavy lifting: it is what lets the converter pick the correct repetition of the row letters and
return a single, unambiguous position. A reference such as PJ 30084 33438 without its
zone and band is therefore not enough to convert MGRS to lat long. The precision you get back is
set by the digits you supply — five digits per axis resolves 1 m, three digits 100 m, and a bare
100 km square is the square itself.
If you need the underlying grid numbers rather than a geographic position, note that this page and the utm to lat long converter share the same WGS84 engine, so the easting and northing reported here match the UTM grid result to the millimetre.
MGRS is the working reference format for military, emergency and search-and-rescue mapping, and it appears on plenty of civilian plans as well. Typical uses:
Enter the full reference including the zone number, the latitude band letter, the two-letter 100 km square and the digits, for example 17T PJ 30084 33438. The converter decodes the 100 km square, adds the digits, converts the easting and northing to geographic coordinates on WGS84, and returns latitude and longitude in both decimal degrees and DMS.
Accuracy depends on the number of digits. Two digits per axis (four digits in total) locate a point to 1 km, four digits per axis to 10 m, and five digits per axis to 1 m. The converter reports the applied resolution with every result.
Both letters are omitted so that they cannot be misread as the digits 1 and 0 on a map, a radio log or a handwritten field book. The latitude bands therefore run C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, and the 100 km row letters skip I and O in the same way.
The 100 km row letters repeat every 2,000,000 m, so a reference without its latitude band letter could in principle match two or three positions north of the equator. The band letter removes that ambiguity, which is why a complete MGRS reference always includes it.
MGRS covers 80 degrees south to 84 degrees north, the same latitude range as UTM. Polar regions are covered by a different grid, the Universal Polar Stereographic system, which is not part of MGRS.
Yes. It is free with no login, no account and no usage limit, and the conversion runs entirely in your browser so no coordinates are uploaded.
Yes. Paste the full reference, including the zone number and the latitude band letter, into the MGRS to latitude / longitude tab and the converter returns latitude and longitude in both decimal degrees and DMS in a single pass. Leaving out the zone or the band letter is the usual reason a reference will not convert, because a 100 km square on its own is ambiguous.
Calculations run locally in your browser. Verify critical values against your project's coordinate reference system and specification before use in the field. About · Privacy & cookies · Terms of use · Developers