Compass Bearing to Cardinal Direction Calculator
Convert a compass bearing in degrees to its cardinal direction (N, NE, E…) on the 8- and 16-point compass.
How it works
index = round(bearing / 22.5) mod 16 · each 16-point sector spans 22.5°
A compass bearing runs clockwise from 0° at north through 90° east, 180° south and 270° west. Dividing the circle into 16 equal sectors of 22.5° maps any bearing to a named direction such as NE or SSW. This calculator normalises any input — including values over 360° or negative — into the 0–360° range first.
Worked example
A bearing of 135°: 135 / 22.5 = 6, and the 6th index (from 0) is SE — southeast, exactly halfway between south and east.
Sources: Points of the compass — Wikipedia
Frequently asked questions
How wide is each cardinal sector?
On the 16-point compass each named direction covers 22.5°, centred on its exact bearing. North spans roughly 348.75° to 11.25°.
What is the difference between the 8- and 16-point compass?
The 8-point compass uses N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW in 45° steps. The 16-point compass adds the intermediate directions like NNE and ESE for 22.5° resolution.
Does it handle bearings over 360°?
Yes. Any value is wrapped into 0–360° first, so 405° is treated as 45° (northeast) and −90° as 270° (west).
Related calculators
Educational estimate. Uses a spherical-Earth model; results differ slightly from ellipsoidal (WGS84) calculations.