Which north does a direction label mean?

Present

Keep the reference with the direction.

2 minute read · Gretna Junction Research Desk

AI-assisted · Last verified Checked October 17, 2026.

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Name the difference

NOAA defines magnetic declination as the angle between magnetic and true north. Eastward values are positive; westward values are negative.

It varies with place and time.

NOAA explains that a compass follows the horizontal magnetic field at its location, not a single magnetic pole.

An imaginary number

For a paper example only, suppose a magnetic bearing is 40 degrees and the stipulated declination is positive six degrees. NOAA’s method adds declination to the magnetic bearing to obtain a true bearing.

Under those invented conditions, 40 plus six gives a true bearing of 46 degrees.

Change the stipulated declination to negative six degrees while leaving the magnetic bearing at 40. The paper answer becomes 34 degrees.

Writing only six degrees, without east, west or a sign, would conceal which of these two answers follows. Neither six-degree value is a local estimate.

Check the reference

A worksheet can preserve the original direction, its reference, the location and the date together. If two numbers disagree, first ask whether both use the same reference.

Do not silently turn a magnetic label into a true-direction label because the unlabeled numbers look easier to compare.

The linked NOAA page provides access to geomagnetic tools, but this article has not run a calculation for a reader's location, checked a device or verified a route. The worked example is a paper calculation, not a navigation instruction or a way to establish a property boundary.

Keep any real-world decision with the relevant current map, equipment instructions and qualified guidance.

Sources & verification

NOAA NCEI — Magnetic Declination

Definitions and sign convention; accessed October 17, 2026.

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