EPSG:4326 to EPSG:25832 (UTM 32N) with ogr2ogr
How to reproject vector data from WGS84 (EPSG:4326) to ETRS89 / UTM zone 32N (EPSG:25832) with ogr2ogr, with tested results.
The converters on this site do not reproject. This guide shows the ogr2ogr command, which transformation PROJ uses and what comes out for four test points. Tested with GDAL 3.10.3 and PROJ 9.6.0.
Guide: run this conversion locally with GDAL
The GDAL worker behind this site converts formats but does not reproject. Run the command below with GDAL on your computer.
What the command does
- ogr2ogr reads the source coordinate system from the file (a GeoJSON without crs member is WGS84 longitude/latitude) and transforms to EPSG:25832 with -t_srs.
- PROJ 9.6.0 finds exactly one operation: "Inverse of ETRS89 to WGS 84 (1) + UTM zone 32N". WGS84 and ETRS89 are treated as identical; PROJ states an accuracy of 1 m for this step.
- -s_srs EPSG:4326 is only needed when the input has no coordinate system, e.g. a Shapefile without .prj or a CSV.
- Points outside 6°E to 12°E are transformed without any warning, although they lie outside the area of use of EPSG:25832. For 12°E to 18°E EPSG:25833 (UTM 33N) is the matching system.
GDAL command to run locally
For a Shapefile without .prj add -s_srs EPSG:4326. Any output format ogr2ogr writes works, e.g. -f "ESRI Shapefile" output_folder.
Tested with
| Test file | Result |
|---|---|
| Köln Hbf, 6.9583°E 50.943°N | E 356565.49, N 5645471.16 (scale factor 0.99985) |
| München Marienplatz, 11.5755°E 48.1374°N | E 691603.03, N 5334780.03 (scale factor 1.00005) |
| Aachen Dom, 6.0839°E 50.7753°N | E 294409.40, N 5628892.41 (scale factor 1.00012) |
| Görlitz, 14.9872°E 51.1529°N (outside zone 32) | E 918574.16, N 5683888.66, no warning; scale factor 1.00175, i.e. 1.75 m per km. In EPSG:25833: E 499104.78, N 5666828.25 (0.9996) |
Tested on 24 Sep 2026 with GDAL 3.10.3 and PROJ 9.6.0 (conda-forge build on Windows). Scale factors from proj -S.
Limits
- Accuracy about 1 m: PROJ treats WGS84 and ETRS89 as coincident "to within 1 metre". EPSG:4326 itself is the WGS 84 datum ensemble with a stated accuracy of 2 m. Not suitable for survey-grade work.
- EPSG:25832 is defined for 6°E to 12°E. ogr2ogr does not warn outside this area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there no online converter on this page?
The GDAL worker behind this site only converts formats; it has no reprojection option. The command above runs on any computer with GDAL.
Do I need -s_srs EPSG:4326?
Only if the input has no coordinate system. A GeoJSON without crs member is WGS84; a Shapefile with .prj or a GeoPackage carries its own system. With -s_srs you override what the file says.
Which EPSG code for areas east of 12°E?
EPSG:25833 (ETRS89 / UTM zone 33N), defined for 12°E to 18°E. In the test Görlitz (14.99°E) got the scale factor 0.9996 there instead of 1.00175 in zone 32.