A six-figure grid reference gives three digits for the easting followed by three digits for the northing. Begin with the grid lines immediately west and south of the feature, then add the tenths within that square. The order matters: read across towards the east first, then upwards towards the north.
This lesson supplies two original fictional grids, so you do not need a separate map extract. The features, coordinates and answers are invented for practice. The grid sections concern grid references; the linked continuation below supplies bearing calculations. These grids do not calculate distances along routes or latitude and longitude.
Understand the lines before writing digits
Eastings are the vertical grid lines, numbered in an increasing sequence towards the east. Northings are horizontal lines, numbered in an increasing sequence towards the north. On the grids below, east is to the right and north is at the top. A four-figure reference names the square using its lower-left corner: two easting digits followed by two northing digits.
A six-figure reference adds a third digit to each part. In this lesson, main grid lines are one kilometre apart, and each small interval is one tenth of a kilometre, or 100 metres. Thus the extra digits provide 100-metre resolution. They do not prove that a real map feature has been surveyed to metre-level accuracy.
Teaching grid: a fictional one-kilometre square
The main boundaries are eastings 42 and 43 and northings 18 and 19. The decimal labels show the tenth divisions for learning; ordinary six-figure answers omit the decimal points. Every table entry represents a coordinate intersection, not the centre of a rectangular cell. A dot means no marked feature at that intersection.
Legend: A = water point; B = school flagpole; C = footbridge centre; D = survey pillar. Each letter marks a single point. Read the coordinate at the left of its row and above its column. The full coordinate list following the grid is an equivalent text version.
| Northing / Easting | 42.0 | 42.1 | 42.2 | 42.3 | 42.4 | 42.5 | 42.6 | 42.7 | 42.8 | 42.9 | 43.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.9 | · | · | · | · | · | C | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.8 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.7 | · | · | A | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.6 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.5 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.4 | D | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.3 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | B | · | · |
| 18.2 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 18.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Text version: A is at easting 42.2, northing 18.7; B is at 42.8, 18.3; C is at 42.5, 18.9; D is exactly on easting 42.0 at northing 18.4. The units in both directions are kilometres from this fictional grid’s origin.
Worked example 1: find water point A
A lies east of line 42 and north of line 18, so its four-figure square is 4218. It is two tenths across from 42 towards 43. The easting part is therefore 422. It is seven tenths up from 18 towards 19, giving northing part 187.
Join the complete easting part to the complete northing part: 422187. Check by reversing the process. Split 422187 into 422 and 187; the first points to 42.2, and the second to 18.7. Both agree with A in the table. Do not append both extra digits to 4218: 421827 would mix the parts.
Worked example 2: keep northings upwards
B has easting 42.8 and northing 18.3. Its easting part is 428, and its northing part is 183. Its reference is 428183. B is eight tenths across and three tenths up within square 4218.
A frequent mistake is to count downward from line 19 because it appears above the point. Seven tenths down from 19 reaches the same physical point, but it is not the required reading convention. Use the lower northing 18 and count three tenths upwards. The reference is not built from the nearest line on whichever side seems convenient.
Worked example 3: stay in the containing square
C lies at 42.5, 18.9. The easting is halfway across square 4218, so the first part is 425. The point is nine tenths up, so the second part is 189. The answer is 425189.
Although C is close to northing 19, it has not reached it. Its four-figure reference remains 4218. Do not round 18.9 to 19 before writing the reference: that would move the feature into a different square. The added digits describe its position within the original square rather than replacing the square’s lower boundary numbers.
Worked example 4: a point on a line
D is exactly on easting 42 and four tenths above northing 18. Its easting part is 420, because the distance eastwards from line 42 is zero tenths. Its northing part is 184. The full reference is 420184.
The zero is essential; removing it leaves only five digits and changes how the reference is read. A point exactly on a grid line uses that line’s coordinate. Do not force it into the square to the west by inventing a tenth digit of ten. A tenth digit is one digit, from zero to nine.
Diagnose a reversed-order answer
A learner writes 187422 for A. Splitting it gives easting 18.7 and northing 42.2. Those values are outside the displayed grid, which runs from 42 to 43 eastwards and 18 to 19 northwards. This range check exposes the reversal even before we locate the exact feature.
The correction is 422187. First label the two parts “easting” and “northing”, then join them. Avoid relying only on a memorised six-digit string; a string can look plausible while pointing to an entirely different area.
A separate practice grid
This second fictional grid runs from easting 07 to 08 and northing 31 to 32. Main intervals are again one kilometre; smaller intervals are 100 metres. North increases upwards and east increases rightwards. Retain the leading zero in every easting part below 100.
Legend: E = well; F = noticeboard; G = path junction. Each letter represents the exact intersection indicated by its row and column.
| Northing / Easting | 07.0 | 07.1 | 07.2 | 07.3 | 07.4 | 07.5 | 07.6 | 07.7 | 07.8 | 07.9 | 08.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.9 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.8 | · | E | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.7 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.6 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | G | · |
| 31.5 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.4 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.3 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.2 | · | · | · | · | · | · | F | · | · | · | · |
| 31.1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 31.0 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Text version: E is at easting 07.1, northing 31.8; F is at 07.6, 31.2; G is at 07.9, 31.6. These listed positions reproduce all marked points in the practice grid.
Practice task 1: locate E
Write the four-figure and six-figure references of E, explaining each additional digit.
Solved answer: E lies in square 0731. It is one tenth east of 07, so its easting part is 071. It is eight tenths north of 31, giving 318. The six-figure answer is 071318. The initial zero is part of the easting label, not an optional decoration.
Practice task 2: read a reference backwards
Which marked feature has reference 076312? State its position within its four-figure square.
Solved answer: Split the reference into 076 and 312. Travel six tenths east from 07 and two tenths north from 31. This reaches F, the noticeboard, in square 0731. The complete three-digit halves must stay together during the interpretation.
Practice task 3: correct two different errors
A learner gives G as 079326 and says that its square is 0732. Correct both answers using the grid.
Solved answer: G is below northing 32 and above 31. It is six tenths above 31, so the correct northing part is 316. Its reference is 079316, and its square is 0731. The easting part 079 was already correct and should remain unchanged.
How to transfer the method to a printed map
Read the map’s own grid labels and legend before using this method. Find the precise symbol requested, such as a spot, pillar or bridge centre, rather than the middle of a printed place name. Imagine or lightly measure ten equal divisions inside the square. Check each coordinate independently, then confirm that the combined reference returns to the feature.
Our examples lie exactly on tenth divisions to make their answers unambiguous. On an actual printed map, symbol size and estimation can limit precision. Use the relevant question’s instructions and accepted tolerance; there is no universal allowance invented for this lesson. A local six-digit reference also needs the correct map sheet or wider grid context to identify a place uniquely.
Complete the map-work path: position, then bearing
The grids above answer where is the feature? A bearing answers in which direction is it from another point? Complete the two-part lesson with Bearings and Scale Drawings: Draw the North Line First. This is a prepared companion inspected in the local draft collection; its intended website destination must be verified before publication. Its diagrams, worked answers and independent practice are already supplied, so a second bearings article is unnecessary.
- Finish the grid-reference cases and the separate E–F–G practice here. Keep the three easting digits before the three northing digits.
- In the companion, read “Make the north line part of every diagram” and “Worked example 1”. Put the north line at the point named after from; measure clockwise and retain three bearing digits.
- Use “Worked example 3: construct and check a two-leg route” to connect a point’s eastward and northward displacement to a direct bearing. The supplied P–Q–R route has a schematic, complete coordinate table and an independent calculation.
- Complete the companion’s three practice tasks before reading their solutions. These check reverse direction, a compass description with a scale, and a fresh two-leg route.
Keep the two coordinate systems separate. This page’s A–D and E–G grids are not the companion’s P–Q–R or L–M–N routes. The companion assumes a flat model with parallel north lines; the grids here are fictional local kilometre grids. Neither supplies a real place, magnetic correction or journey instruction. When transferring to an actual map, identify which north the question requires before measuring.
Completion check: you can reverse a six-figure reference to locate the correct feature, and explain why an angle from east or a turn at the wrong point is not the requested north-referenced bearing. The answers stay with the original tasks rather than being repeated here.
Frequently asked questions
Why are eastings read first?
That is the grid-reference convention. Keeping the same order lets readers interpret the first half horizontally and the second half vertically without guessing.
What changes between four and six figures?
Four figures identify the main square. Six figures add a tenth-position digit to each coordinate, giving finer resolution within that square.
Does a six-figure reference identify an infinitely precise point?
No. With kilometre grid squares, it expresses 100-metre resolution. The points here have exact supplied coordinates for teaching; real-map reading has practical limits.
Can I drop a leading zero?
No. E’s reference is 071318. Dropping its initial zero destroys the required three easting digits followed by three northing digits.
Do I use the closest main line?
Use the line immediately west for the easting and immediately south for the northing, counting east and north from those lines. Treat exact line positions directly.
What if a symbol is wider than one tenth?
Use the defined reference point in the map legend or question. Do not invent extra accuracy from the outer edge of a broad symbol or label.
Is the British National Grid lettering needed here?
No. These are fictional local practice grids. Follow the identifiers supplied on a real map; do not add another country’s grid letters to a Kenyan map exercise.
References and further revision
Ordnance Survey’s quick guide to grid references supports the eastings-first and tenths method. Its illustrated grid has not been reproduced here. The site’s Geography topical revision collection may require membership and login for its resource contents.
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