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EPSG:31370 — BD72 / Belgian Lambert 72

Belgian Lambert 72 — Belgium's national projected CRS, used for cadastre and federal mapping.

Code
EPSG:31370
Type
Projected
Area
Belgium - onshore

PROJ definition

+proj=lcc +lat_0=90 +lon_0=4.36748666666667 +lat_1=51.1666672333333 +lat_2=49.8333339 +x_0=150000.013 +y_0=5400088.438 +ellps=intl +units=m +no_defs +type=crs

Geographic bounds

W 2.5°   S 49.5°   E 6.4°   N 51.51°

Convert coordinates with EPSG:31370

About EPSG:31370

EPSG:31370 is the Belge Lambert 72 — a Lambert Conformal Conic projection on the International 1924 ellipsoid (Belgium 1972 datum) with two standard parallels at 49°50'N and 51°10'N. Used by the Belgian cadastre, the National Geographic Institute (NGI), and most federal and regional GIS systems.

A modern alternative is Lambert 2008 (EPSG:3812), built on ETRS89 — increasingly preferred for INSPIRE-compliant data exchange because it avoids the older Belgium 1972 datum's ~70 cm offset from ETRS89/WGS 84. Most legacy datasets remain in EPSG:31370.

Common use cases

  • Belgian cadastre
  • NGI national mapping
  • Local-authority GIS in Belgium
  • Walloon and Flemish public open-data portals

Common transformations from EPSG:31370

Frequently asked questions

Should I use EPSG:31370 or EPSG:3812?
EPSG:31370 (Lambert 72 on Belgium 1972 datum) is most common in legacy data. EPSG:3812 (Lambert 2008 on ETRS89) is the INSPIRE-compatible modern choice. Many Belgian agencies publish in both.
What is the proj4 string for EPSG:31370?
The proj4 definition for EPSG:31370 is: +proj=lcc +lat_0=90 +lon_0=4.36748666666667 +lat_1=51.1666672333333 +lat_2=49.8333339 +x_0=150000.013 +y_0=5400088.438 +ellps=intl +units=m +no_defs +type=crs
Where is EPSG:31370 used?
EPSG:31370 (BD72 / Belgian Lambert 72) is defined for the area: Belgium - onshore.