MGRS / UTM Grid
Overlay the global MGRS and UTM military grid on an interactive map, and convert any point between latitude/longitude, UTM and MGRS grid references.
About This Tool
The MGRS / UTM Grid tool displays two standardised, worldwide grid reference systems on an interactive map and converts any location between them. Unlike a custom grid you define yourself, these grids are fixed by international specification: the same lines and square identifiers apply everywhere on Earth, which is what makes them useful for navigation, search and rescue, defence, surveying and back-country travel where paper maps carry the same grid.
UTM
The Universal Transverse Mercator system divides the world into 60 north/south zones, each 6° of longitude wide, and projects each zone separately so positions are expressed in metres as an easting and northing. UTM is ideal for measuring distances and areas because its units are linear metres rather than degrees.
MGRS
The Military Grid Reference System is built on UTM. It labels each 6° zone with a latitude-band letter (the Grid Zone Designator, e.g. 18T), subdivides each zone into 100,000 m squares identified by two letters (e.g. WL), and then gives an easting and northing within that square. Truncating the numeric part controls precision: 18T WL 80 04 locates a 10 km square, while 18T WL 80736 04695 pins a point to 1 metre.
Reading the map
Toggle the grid between the 6° zone boundaries, 100 km squares, 10 km lines and 1 km lines. Grid lines follow the transverse-Mercator projection of each zone, so they curve slightly away from the zone central meridian — this is correct, not a rendering error. Finer grids appear only once you zoom in far enough to keep the map readable.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between UTM and MGRS?
UTM expresses a position as a zone plus an easting and northing in metres. MGRS is a shorthand built on UTM that adds a latitude-band letter and a 100 km square code, then a truncated easting/northing, giving a compact alphanumeric reference at any precision.
How do I convert lat/lng to MGRS?
Click the point on the map, search for a place, or paste latitude and longitude into the locate box. The tool shows the MGRS reference alongside UTM and decimal degrees, and you can set the precision from 10 km down to 1 metre.
How do I find a location from an MGRS or UTM reference?
Paste the reference into the locate box and press Go. The tool parses MGRS strings like 18T WL 8073 0469, UTM strings, and plain lat, lng pairs, then centres the map and drops a marker.
Why do the grid lines look curved?
Each UTM zone is projected on its own transverse-Mercator plane. Straight grid lines in that projected metric space map to gently curved lines on a lat/lng or web-Mercator map, especially far from the zone central meridian. This is geometrically correct.
What does a 100 km square code like WL mean?
Within each UTM zone, MGRS divides the area into 100,000 m squares. Each square gets a two-letter code — the first letter is the column (easting) and the second is the row (northing) — so a full reference such as 18T WL narrows a position to one 100 km square before the numeric digits refine it further.
Does this cover the polar regions?
UTM and this tool cover latitudes from 80°S to 84°N. The polar caps use the separate UPS (Universal Polar Stereographic) system, which is outside this tool. Points beyond that range cannot be expressed as UTM or standard MGRS.
Which datum is used?
All conversions use the WGS84 datum, the standard for GPS and most modern mapping. References based on other datums such as NAD27 can differ by up to a few hundred metres, so confirm the datum of any reference before using it.