Home / Conversion Guide
DMS UTM

Convert Degrees Minutes Seconds to Universal Transverse Mercator

To convert DMS to UTM: first convert DMS to Decimal Degrees (DD = D + M/60 + S/3600), then apply the Transverse Mercator projection formula to get UTM zone, easting, and northing.

DMS to UTM Converter

DD Decimal Degrees

DMS Deg. Min. Sec.

DDM Deg. Decimal Min.

UTM Univ. Trans. Mercator

MGRS Military Grid

Geohash Base32

Plus Code Open Location Code

How to Convert DMS to UTM: Step by Step

  1. 1 Convert DMS to DD using DD = D + M/60 + S/3600.
  2. 2 Determine UTM zone number from longitude.
  3. 3 Apply Transverse Mercator projection formula.
  4. 4 Add false easting (500,000m) and false northing if southern hemisphere.

Worked Example

Input 47°36'22"N 122°19'55"W

Latitude conversion:

47 + 36/60 + 22/3600 = 47.6061°

Longitude conversion:

122 + 19/60 + 55/3600 = 122.3319°W → UTM zone 10

Result:

10T 550254 5272543

Why Convert DMS to UTM?

USGS maps and older GPS devices show DMS, while surveyors and topo map users need UTM.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Skipping the intermediate DD conversion
  • Using wrong sign for W longitude