UTM to lat long converter: batch conversion with Civil 3D export
Convert between UTM and latitude/longitude, for one point or hundreds pasted from Excel. Check the points on a map and download them ready to import into Civil 3D, Excel or Google Earth.
- Free, no sign-up
- Batch from Excel
- Civil 3D export (PNEZD)
- Scale factor per point
UTM and latitude/longitude converter
Result
- Scale factor (k)
- 0.99968676
- Grid convergence
- +0°38'54.2"
- Combined factor
- 0.99968520
Check your points on the map
If a point lands in the ocean, check the zone, the hemisphere or the column order.
In short
To convert UTM coordinates to latitude and longitude, apply the inverse transverse Mercator projection on the datum's ellipsoid: from the zone (New York is in 18N), the easting and the northing you get the latitude and longitude. Going the other way, the zone follows from the longitude: zones are 6° wide and numbered eastward from 180° W. This tool converts one point or hundreds at once, flags bad rows, shows every point on a map and exports the result for Civil 3D, Excel and Google Earth.
UTM zones in the United States
The contiguous United States spans UTM zones 10 to 19, all in the northern hemisphere. Each zone is 6° of longitude wide with its own central meridian, so the same easting repeats in different zones: always state the zone with the coordinates.
| Zone | Longitudes | Central meridian | Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10N | 126° W – 120° W | 123° W | Seattle, San Francisco |
| 11N | 120° W – 114° W | 117° W | Los Angeles, Las Vegas |
| 12N | 114° W – 108° W | 111° W | Phoenix, Salt Lake City |
| 13N | 108° W – 102° W | 105° W | Denver, Albuquerque |
| 14N | 102° W – 96° W | 99° W | Dallas, Oklahoma City |
| 15N | 96° W – 90° W | 93° W | Houston, Minneapolis |
| 16N | 90° W – 84° W | 87° W | Chicago, Atlanta |
| 17N | 84° W – 78° W | 81° W | Miami, Pittsburgh |
| 18N | 78° W – 72° W | 75° W | New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC |
| 19N | 72° W – 66° W | 69° W | Boston |
When a project crosses a zone boundary, keep the whole job in one zone. The converter lets you force the target zone instead of computing it point by point.
WGS 84, NAD83 and older datums
GPS works in WGS 84. US mapping uses NAD83, which today differs from WGS 84 by about 1 to 2 m. The converter treats them as equivalent, following the EPSG transformation NAD83 to WGS 84 (1), rated at ±4 m. For survey-grade work between realizations, use the NGS coordinate conversion tool (NCAT).
For South American projects, the converter also handles legacy datums: PSAD56 to WGS 84 for Peru (EPSG, ±16 m), where the shift is about 450 m, and SAD69 to SIRGAS 2000 for Brazil (IBGE, ±5 m), where it is about 64 m.
How to import the points into Civil 3D
- Choose UTM as the target and download the Civil 3D (PNEZD) file: point, northing, easting, elevation and description, comma delimited.
- In the drawing settings (units and zone), assign the coordinate system of your zone; for example, UTM84-18N for WGS 84 zone 18 north.
- On the Insert tab of the top toolbar, choose Points from File.
- Pick the PNEZD (comma delimited) format, add the downloaded file and confirm.
If your point names contain letters (BM-1, CP-3), the file renumbers them, because Civil 3D's PNEZD format requires numbers, and keeps the original name in the description.
Importing surveys every week? See how to automate Civil 3D to go from points to surface, profiles and sheets without manual steps.
Scale factor: grid distances and ground distances
UTM is a projection: a distance measured on the UTM grid is not the distance on the ground. The difference comes from the point's grid scale factor (k), which is 0.9996 on the central meridian and grows away from it, and the elevation factor, which corrects for height. Their product is the combined scale factor.
ground distance = grid distance ÷ combined factor
At New York City Hall, about 1° east of the zone 18 central meridian and with an elevation of 10 m, the combined factor is 0.99968520: 1000 m measured on the ground are 999.69 m in UTM coordinates. The converter shows the scale factor, the grid convergence and, if you enter the elevation, the combined factor for every point.
The elevation is used as the ellipsoidal height, ignoring the geoid undulation, which shifts the factor by about 5 parts per million per 30 m.
Decimal degrees and degrees, minutes, seconds
To go from decimal degrees to DMS: the degrees are the whole part; the minutes, the decimal part times 60; and the seconds, the remainder of the minutes times 60. The sign becomes the hemisphere letter: negative is south or west.
40.712800° = 40° 42' 46.080" N
You can type coordinates in any format: 40.7128, 40°42'46.08"N, 40 42 46.08 N or with a decimal comma.
Processing surveys every week? We automate the step into Civil 3D.
We build plugins that import your surveys with your field codes, build the surface, apply your styles and leave the points ready for design, with no manual steps.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I convert UTM to latitude and longitude?
Choose UTM as the source, set the zone and hemisphere, type the easting and northing, and choose Lat/long as the target. The tool returns latitude and longitude in decimal degrees and in degrees, minutes and seconds.
Which UTM zone is my project in?
It depends on the longitude: zones are 6° wide and numbered eastward from 180° W. New York and Washington DC are in 18N, Chicago in 16N, Denver in 13N and Los Angeles in 11N. If you convert from lat/long, the tool works out the zone.
Can I convert many points at once?
Yes. In batch mode, copy the columns from Excel, paste them and pick the column order (for example P, N, E, Z, D). The tool converts every point, flags rows with errors and shows them on the map.
How do I import the points into Civil 3D?
Download the “Civil 3D (PNEZD)” file and import it from Insert > Points from File, with the PNEZD (comma delimited) format. Assign your zone's UTM coordinate system to the drawing first.
Is NAD83 the same as WGS 84?
Not exactly: today they differ by about 1 to 2 m in the US. For mapping and GIS that is usually negligible, and the converter treats them as equivalent. For survey-grade work, use the NGS tools.
What is the combined scale factor?
The product of the UTM grid scale factor and the point's elevation factor. Divide a grid distance by it to get the ground distance.
Are my coordinates sent to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser and the points are not sent to our servers. The map downloads OpenStreetMap tiles for the area it shows, and the history is stored only on your device.
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