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Angles — in surveying, astronomy, or navigation bearings — are often expressed in degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS) notation rather than decimal degrees. This tool converts a single generic angle between the two formats, with a plain +/- sign rather than a compass hemisphere.
How it works
The whole number of degrees is kept as-is; the fractional part is multiplied by 60 to get minutes, and the fractional part of that is multiplied by 60 again to get seconds: DD = degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3600.
- Enter conversion direction.
- Enter angle (decimal degrees) — for Decimal → DMS.
- Enter degrees — for DMS → Decimal.
- Enter minutes — for DMS → Decimal.
- Enter seconds — for DMS → Decimal.
- Click Calculate to see your results.
Examples
A 45.5 degree angle
45.5° converts to 45°30'0" in DMS notation.
Who should use it
- Converting a surveying bearing or astronomical angle between notations.
- Engineering and physics calculations involving angle measurements.
Industry applications
- Surveying
- Astronomy
- Navigation and engineering
Advantages
- Works for any generic angle, not just geographic coordinates.
- Both directions (decimal to DMS and DMS to decimal) supported.
Limitations
- No hemisphere/compass direction concept — use the Coordinate Format Converter for lat/long pairs.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using this tool for GPS coordinates that need a hemisphere letter — use the Coordinate Format Converter for that instead.
Best practices
- For angles beyond ±360°, consider normalizing to a standard range first, since DMS notation is most meaningful within one full rotation.
Tips
- For latitude/longitude coordinate pairs specifically, use the Coordinate Format Converter, which adds the correct hemisphere letter automatically.