Calculate Grade From Two Elevations
Calculate percent grade from elevation difference and horizontal run, then interpret direction.
Point A elevation is 103.00 ft. Point B elevation is 101.92 ft. The horizontal run from A to B is 72 ft. What is the percent grade from A to B? Percent grade = (elevation change / horizontal run) x 100, with direction named. The common shortcut is to ignore sign and say "1.5 percent" without stating whether the segment rises or falls in the direction being checked. Step 1 Define direction: calculate from A to B. The sign only makes sense when the direction is explicit. Step 2 Compute elevation change: 101.92 - 103.00 = -1.08 ft. Negative means…
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