Reading a UTM coordinate
A UTM coordinate has three parts: the zone (1 to 60, followed by the latitude band letter or the hemisphere), the easting (metres, roughly 160,000 to 840,000) and the northing (metres from the equator; in the southern hemisphere it starts at 10,000,000 m at the equator and decreases southwards).
Labels and units are optional: 18T 580736 4504700, Zone 18N E 580736 N 4504700 and 18 580736mE 4504700mN all give the same point.
UTM on WGS 84, NAD83 or another datum
The same UTM numbers point to slightly different places on different datums. WGS 84 and NAD83 differ by 1–2 m in North America; older datums such as NAD27 or ED50 differ by tens to hundreds of metres. If the coordinate comes from an old map, choose the datum it was surveyed on.
Frequently asked questions
What does 18T mean in a UTM coordinate?
18 is the zone (78° W to 72° W) and T is the latitude band (40° N to 48° N). The band is optional for the calculation but tells you the hemisphere: letters N to X are north of the equator.
Why is my northing over 10 million?
Northings over 10,000,000 m do not exist in UTM. Check for a typing error or a swapped easting and northing; the converter offers the swapped reading when it detects one.