Magnetic Declination Calculator

Your details

Choose "Bearing correction" mode to also enter a known bearing and get the corrected value.
Positive for North, negative for South. For example, New York City is about 40.71, Sydney is about -33.87.
deg
Positive for East, negative for West. New York City is about -74.01, London is about -0.13.
deg
Height above sea level in kilometres. Effect on declination is very small (under 0.01 deg per km) but included for completeness.
km
Declination changes over time due to slow shifts in Earth's core. The model is most accurate between 2020 and 2034.
Magnetic DeclinationNear agonic line - minimal correction
-0.38deg

Positive = east of true north, negative = west of true north

Direction0.38 deg West
Annual change0.013deg/yr
Magnetic Inclination (Dip)67.2deg
-0.38 deg
Strong West<-15Moderate West-15--5Near Agonic-5-5Moderate East5-15Strong East15+

Declination: 0.38 deg west at this location.

  • At latitude 40.71 deg, longitude -74.01 deg, your compass needle points 0.38 degrees west of true north.
  • Declination is shifting 0.013 deg/yr eastward at this location, so re-check the value every few years.
  • You are very close to the agonic line where no compass correction is needed - a navigator's ideal situation.

Next stepTo find true north: add the absolute declination to your compass reading. To walk a true bearing: subtract the absolute declination to get your compass heading.

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