AddressPlotter

Plot postcodes on a map

A column of postcodes is enough. British postcodes are mapped using official postcode data, and Australian postcodes using OpenStreetMap data. Each row becomes a pin.

Loading the tool… Your file stays in your browser: only the text of each address is sent to place it on the map.

Example data from Trafford Council, Defibrillators in Trafford. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Postcodes, the British way

In the UK, about fifteen homes or businesses share a full postcode. A list of postcodes alone, from a survey, a booking system or a membership list, gives an approximate location for each small group of addresses, which is enough to see where your list is.

Paste the column, or drop a sheet in which one column holds postcodes. The tool recognizes the column by its content, accepts upper or lower case, with or without the space, and places each one at the center of its postcode from the open data of the Office for National Statistics (served by postcodes.io). Those lookups do not count toward your daily lookup limit; the 500-row limit per map still applies.

Northern Ireland: BT postcodes are looked up like an address, because their open data does not allow commercial use.

Australia, New Zealand and Ireland

Australian four-digit postcodes cover a suburb or a town; their pin is placed at a central point of it. On this page the default country follows your browser’s language (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the UK); you can change it above the table, or add a Country column for a mixed list. For Ireland, Eircodes are best used with the address.

Full addresses work too

If your sheet also has street and town columns, the address is used and the postcode helps: for a British address, the matched location is checked against the postcode center. When the two disagree by more than 300 meters, the pin is moved to the postcode center and marked “to check”.

Clusters, colors, corrections

Rows sharing a postcode are grouped into a cluster showing the number of rows. Color the pins by a column with a few distinct values, such as Branch, Team or Status. Any pin can be dragged to the right place. When you are done, download the map as a PNG image with its legend and the data credits.

Free and private

Up to 500 rows per map, free, without an account. Your file stays in your browser; only the postcodes and the text of each address are sent. Downloading the list with latitude and longitude added is part of Pro ($19 for 7 days).

Questions

Are British postcodes really free?

Yes. Postcodes in England, Scotland and Wales are placed from open data published by the Office for National Statistics and do not count toward your daily lookup limit (the 500-row limit per map still applies). Northern Ireland postcodes (BT) are looked up like an address, as their open data cannot be used commercially.

How precise is a postcode pin?

In the UK, a full postcode such as M41 6NA covers about fifteen addresses: its pin gives an approximate location for that small group of addresses, rather than an exact building. An Australian postcode covers a whole suburb or town, so its pin is a central point of that area.

Can I paste postcodes with or without the space?

Both work. "SW1A 1AA", "sw1a1aa" and " SW1A 1AA " are the same postcode.

What about partial postcodes such as M41?

An outward code alone (M41, SW1A) is not in the postcode data, so it is searched like a place name: the pin lands somewhere in its district at best, and may be marked to check. For a precise pin, use the full postcode.

Other ways to use AddressPlotter

Guides