Examples of grid references

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In the National Grid reference system the initial two prefix letters immediately locate the 100 km square in which the point falls. The remaining digits (the number of which depends on the precision required to locate the feature of interest), enable the point to be located with respect to the west and south sides of the 100 km square concerned. When giving a National Grid reference or full coordinates for any point, the distance eastwards (eastings) is always given before the distance northwards (northings). Eastings and northings must always be recorded in the same number of figures, even though some of them may be zero. Examples of full grid references which would be used with various scales of OS mapping are given in the table below.

Prefix letters can be omitted when there is no likelihood of ambiguity arising from a reference, being repeated elsewhere at 500 km or 100 km distance.

Table grid references for a point, P*, at various map scales

*Point P has National Grid rectangular coordinates (to the nearest metre) of 538852 east and 177345 north (see figure)

**Maps at this scale are withdrawn