Crosswind Component Chart
Crosswind and headwind components for every 10° of wind angle and every 5 knots of wind, with the sine and cosine factors and the clock rule pilots use as a quick check.
Standards and method
Every component is calculated with sin and cos of the wind angle; the clock rule is shown for comparison.
Maintained by Miguel Coelho. Updated . See our editorial policy.
Printable crosswind component chart
Crosswind and headwind components for wind angles from 0° to 90° and wind speeds up to 50 knots. Includes the exact definition, formulas, a worked example and sources. Conversion values are checked against the defining constants, and reference data is cited to its source, before the PDF is published.
Free to print, share and use in teaching materials with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
Also in the Pilot Reference Pack, with related sheets in one PDF.
Full crosswind component chart
Crosswind and headwind components for wind angles from 0° to 90° and wind speeds up to 50 knots. These are the same tables as the printable PDF. For: Pilots, flight students and flight instructors.
- Key relationship
- Wind angle = difference between wind direction and runway heading
- Formula
- Crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle); headwind = wind speed × cos(angle)
- Reverse
- Angle = arcsin(crosswind ÷ wind speed)
- Worked example
- Runway 27, wind 300° at 20 kt: 30° off, crosswind 10 kt, headwind 17.3 kt
- Rounding
- Components to 1 decimal place of a knot. Use the gust value as well as the steady wind when checking a crosswind limit.
Component factors by wind angle
| Angle | Crosswind factor (sin) | Headwind factor (cos) | Clock rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0° | 0.000 | 1.000 | 0 |
| 5° | 0.087 | 0.996 | |
| 10° | 0.174 | 0.985 | |
| 15° | 0.259 | 0.966 | 1/4 |
| 20° | 0.342 | 0.940 | |
| 25° | 0.423 | 0.906 | |
| 30° | 0.500 | 0.866 | 1/2 |
| 35° | 0.574 | 0.819 | |
| 40° | 0.643 | 0.766 | |
| 45° | 0.707 | 0.707 | 3/4 |
| Angle | Crosswind factor (sin) | Headwind factor (cos) | Clock rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50° | 0.766 | 0.643 | |
| 55° | 0.819 | 0.574 | |
| 60° | 0.866 | 0.500 | all |
| 65° | 0.906 | 0.423 | |
| 70° | 0.940 | 0.342 | |
| 75° | 0.966 | 0.259 | |
| 80° | 0.985 | 0.174 | |
| 85° | 0.996 | 0.087 | |
| 90° | 1.000 | 0.000 |
Crosswind component (knots)
Rows: wind speed (kt). Columns: angle between wind and runway.
| Wind (kt) | 10° | 20° | 30° | 40° | 45° | 50° | 60° | 70° | 80° | 90° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
| 10 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 6.4 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 10.0 |
| 15 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 7.5 | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.5 | 13.0 | 14.1 | 14.8 | 15.0 |
| 20 | 3.5 | 6.8 | 10.0 | 12.9 | 14.1 | 15.3 | 17.3 | 18.8 | 19.7 | 20.0 |
| 25 | 4.3 | 8.6 | 12.5 | 16.1 | 17.7 | 19.2 | 21.7 | 23.5 | 24.6 | 25.0 |
| 30 | 5.2 | 10.3 | 15.0 | 19.3 | 21.2 | 23.0 | 26.0 | 28.2 | 29.5 | 30.0 |
| 35 | 6.1 | 12.0 | 17.5 | 22.5 | 24.7 | 26.8 | 30.3 | 32.9 | 34.5 | 35.0 |
| 40 | 6.9 | 13.7 | 20.0 | 25.7 | 28.3 | 30.6 | 34.6 | 37.6 | 39.4 | 40.0 |
| 45 | 7.8 | 15.4 | 22.5 | 28.9 | 31.8 | 34.5 | 39.0 | 42.3 | 44.3 | 45.0 |
| 50 | 8.7 | 17.1 | 25.0 | 32.1 | 35.4 | 38.3 | 43.3 | 47.0 | 49.2 | 50.0 |
Headwind component (knots)
Beyond 90° the wind is behind the aircraft: the same values become a tailwind.
| Wind (kt) | 10° | 20° | 30° | 40° | 45° | 50° | 60° | 70° | 80° | 90° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| 10 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| 15 | 14.8 | 14.1 | 13.0 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 9.6 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| 20 | 19.7 | 18.8 | 17.3 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.9 | 10.0 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| 25 | 24.6 | 23.5 | 21.7 | 19.2 | 17.7 | 16.1 | 12.5 | 8.6 | 4.3 | 0.0 |
| 30 | 29.5 | 28.2 | 26.0 | 23.0 | 21.2 | 19.3 | 15.0 | 10.3 | 5.2 | 0.0 |
| 35 | 34.5 | 32.9 | 30.3 | 26.8 | 24.7 | 22.5 | 17.5 | 12.0 | 6.1 | 0.0 |
| 40 | 39.4 | 37.6 | 34.6 | 30.6 | 28.3 | 25.7 | 20.0 | 13.7 | 6.9 | 0.0 |
| 45 | 44.3 | 42.3 | 39.0 | 34.5 | 31.8 | 28.9 | 22.5 | 15.4 | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| 50 | 49.2 | 47.0 | 43.3 | 38.3 | 35.4 | 32.1 | 25.0 | 17.1 | 8.7 | 0.0 |
Using the chart
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Runway heading | Runway number × 10 is the approximate magnetic heading: runway 27 ≈ 270°. |
| Wind source | METAR and TAF winds are relative to true north; ATIS and tower winds are magnetic. Use magnetic wind with runway headings. |
| Clock rule | 15° ≈ 1/4, 30° ≈ 1/2, 45° ≈ 3/4 and 60° or more ≈ all of the wind speed as crosswind. |
| Limits | Compare with the maximum demonstrated crosswind in the aircraft flight manual, and your own limits; include gusts. |
Sources for this chart
Every component is calculated with sin and cos of the wind angle; the clock rule is shown for comparison.
- FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25) — Density altitude, crosswind and headwind components
Related Converters & Charts
Crosswind Component Chart FAQs
Common questions about the crosswind component chart.
How do you calculate the crosswind component?
Crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle between the wind and the runway). 20 kt at 30° gives 20 × 0.5 = 10 kt of crosswind and 17.3 kt of headwind.
What is the crosswind component of 15 knots at 45 degrees?
15 × sin 45° = 15 × 0.707 = 10.6 kt of crosswind, with the same 10.6 kt as headwind.
What is the clock method for crosswind?
Treat the wind angle as minutes on a clock: 15° ≈ a quarter of the wind speed, 30° ≈ half, 45° ≈ three quarters and 60° or more ≈ all of it.
Can I download this chart as a PDF, CSV, or JSON?
Yes. Use the Download A4 PDF or US Letter PDF buttons for a printable version, or download the same tables as CSV or JSON from the links on this page.