Parcel Bearing & Area Calculator
Compute parcel area, perimeter, and closure from a sequence of bearings and distances. Standard for cadastral and boundary surveys.
Input
Result
About bearing-distance parcel surveys
Cadastral and boundary surveys typically describe a parcel as a series of "courses": each course is a bearing (direction) and distance from a previous corner. Given N courses starting from the first corner, you can compute the full parcel geometry: perimeter, area, and the misclosure (gap between computed last corner and the known first corner).
This tool uses the Departure-Latitude method: for each course, compute ΔN = D·cos(bearing) and ΔE = D·sin(bearing). The sum of all ΔN and ΔE gives the misclosure. The area is computed by the Shoelace formula on the cumulative coordinates. The accuracy ratio (perimeter/misclosure) determines survey quality.
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Practical use cases
Processing deed descriptions that list bearings and distances for a property boundary.
Checking fieldwork closure before submitting a cadastral report.
Computing area from legal survey data without requiring coordinate lists.
Educational: demonstrating closure and area concepts with test polygons.
Frequently asked questions
Do the bearings need to be in order around the parcel?
Yes. Enter courses in the order they appear around the parcel (either clockwise or counter-clockwise). The direction affects only the sign of the computed area, which this tool takes absolute value of.
What is acceptable misclosure for a parcel?
Depends on jurisdiction: rural work accepts 1:5,000; urban cadastral 1:10,000 or tighter. This tool classifies closure for you.
Can I enter negative bearings?
Not directly. Convert bearings like S45°W to azimuth (225°) first. Use our bearing-azimuth converter for quick conversion.
Does this adjust the traverse?
No. This is a raw closure check. To adjust (distribute misclosure back to each course), use the Compass Rule or least-squares adjustment in full surveying software.
Related tools
Use with our area calculator for polygon coordinate input and traverse closure tool for post-adjustment analysis.