How many points are on a compass rose?

A full mariner's compass rose has 32 points spaced 11.25 degrees apart. They build up from 4 cardinal points (N, E, S, W), then 4 intercardinal (NE, SE, SW, NW), then 8 secondary intercardinal, and finally 16 by-points such as North by east.

What degree is each compass point?

Starting at North = 0 degrees, each successive point adds 11.25 degrees: NbE is 11.25, NNE is 22.5, NE is 45, E is 90, S is 180, W is 270 and so on. The 32 sectors evenly divide the full 360-degree circle.

Does wind direction mean where the wind comes from or goes?

By meteorological convention, wind direction names the direction the wind blows from. A westerly wind comes from the west and blows toward the east, and a northwesterly (NW, 315 degrees) comes from the northwest.

How do I convert degrees to a compass direction?

Divide the bearing by 11.25, round to the nearest whole number, and take that index modulo 32. Multiplying back gives the centre azimuth. The converter on this page does exactly that for any value from 0 to 360 degrees.

What is a by-point like North by east?

By-points are the finest 16 divisions of the 32-point rose, each one point (11.25 degrees) off a named direction. North by east (NbE) sits 11.25 degrees clockwise of due North, between N and NNE.

Wind Direction & Compass Reference

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The full 32-point compass rose

This reference lists all 32 points of the traditional compass rose, each with its abbreviation, full name and centre bearing in degrees. It is useful for sailing, aviation, surveying, meteorology and any work that translates between numeric bearings and named directions. A built-in converter maps any bearing to its nearest heading.

How it works

The compass divides a full circle of 360 degrees into 32 equal sectors. Each sector spans 360 / 32 = 11.25 degrees, and the centre of point number i (starting at North = 0) sits at i * 11.25 degrees. To convert a bearing to a heading:

index = round(bearing / 11.25) mod 32
heading = points[index]

Bearings are normalised into the 0 to 360 range first, so 370 degrees folds back to 10 degrees and a negative bearing wraps around. Rounding to the nearest sector centre chooses the closest named direction.

Tips and examples

The four cardinals sit at clean multiples of 90: N = 0, E = 90, S = 180, W = 270.
Intercardinals fall on multiples of 45: NE = 45, SE = 135, SW = 225, NW = 315.
A bearing of 247.5 degrees converts to WSW, exactly two points clockwise of W.
Remember wind is reported by its source: an “easterly” blows from the east.