GeoJSON to DXF (AutoCAD) converter
Upload your GeoJSON file and get DXF, which opens in AutoCAD in a couple of minutes: osm2cdr reads the geometry of your file and hands you a ready DXF straight away. Processing runs on our servers, the result is ready to download as soon as it finishes, and files up to 50 MB are supported. And if you have no file of your own, or need a fresh map of an area, osm2cdr builds DXF straight from the OpenStreetMap map: you simply pick an area on the map, choose the DXF format and download the result with up-to-date OSM data — with layers for buildings, roads, water and features.
How GeoJSON differs from DXF
| Format | Extension | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeoJSON | .geojson | GIS | Web mapping, geodata exchange via API, Leaflet/Mapbox visualization, analytics |
| DXF | .dxf | CAD | Site plans, engineering surveys, importing maps into AutoCAD, land planning |
How to get DXF on osm2cdr
- 1Select an area on the map on the osm2cdr home page
- 2Choose the DXF format and, if needed, a style and CRS
- 3Click Export and download the ready DXF file
DXF format properties
| Extension | .dxf |
| Type | CAD |
| Purpose | Site plans, engineering surveys, importing maps into AutoCAD, land planning |
When you need DXF
The main scenario is simple: you already have a GeoJSON file — upload it and osm2cdr returns DXF, ready to use in a dedicated program (editing, printing, analysis, embedding in a project). The alternative is for when you have no file at hand or need a fresh map of an area: the same DXF is then built straight from up-to-date OpenStreetMap data for your chosen area, split into layers for buildings, roads, water and features.
What changes when going GeoJSON → DXF
Drop in a GeoJSON file and osm2cdr reads its geometry and returns DXF; and with no file of your own, the same DXF is built straight from the OpenStreetMap map for your chosen area. Either way the data model changes. Going GeoJSON → DXF, GIS attribute tables are not carried into the drawing: geometry is laid out across named layers (buildings, roads, water) while coordinate accuracy is preserved. The result targets CAD work, not attribute analysis. osm2cdr builds DXF straight from OpenStreetMap data, so an intermediate GeoJSON file is not needed.
Upload your own GeoJSON file → DXF
No need to hunt for a third-party converter anymore: drop your GeoJSON file in the form above and osm2cdr will read the geometry and hand you a ready DXF. Files up to 50 MB are supported; processing runs on our servers and the result is ready to download as soon as it finishes.
The DXF format in depth
GeoJSON to DXF: from a web map to a drawing any program can open
When data is born on the web, whether in an API, a Leaflet map or a Python notebook, and then has to live in a drawing, DXF is the most universal bridge. A text DXF opens in any CAD tool, can be inspected in an ordinary editor, and can even feed a CNC toolpath.
This route suits developers whose designer simply asked for the outlines as DXF, makers producing engraved neighbourhood maps, and engineers who pulled OpenStreetMap data from Overpass Turbo as GeoJSON and need it in software that cannot read DWG.
Upload the file here and you get a DXF with layers, Unicode labels and the standard map style.
What carries over and what gets lost
Geometry transfers in full, and invalid polygons (self-intersections, unclosed rings) are fixed automatically. GeoJSON has no curves, so circles and smooth lines arrive as polylines through the same vertices.
Properties are not written to the DXF, since the format stores geometry rather than tables. If the properties carry OSM tags, as Overpass Turbo exports do, features are split into thematic layers just like the site's own maps; otherwise they follow geometry type, with polygons on the buildings layer, lines on the roads layer and points on the places layer.
The result is an AutoCAD 2007 (AC1021) DXF in Web Mercator metres, with heights discarded. Because the file is plain text, its contents are easy to check even without CAD.
Step by step
- Save your data as .geojson: Export, GeoJSON in Overpass Turbo, Export, Save Features As in QGIS, or json.dump of a FeatureCollection in your own code.
- Upload the file in the form on this page; DXF is already selected.
- Download the .dxf once processing is complete.
- Open it in LibreCAD, QCAD, BricsCAD, nanoCAD or AutoCAD; in AutoCAD-compatible programs run _ZOOM then _E.
- For engraving or cutting, load the DXF into the machine software or Inkscape and keep only the layers you need.
- If the outlines must fit a workpiece in millimetres, scale them from a base point (_SCALE in CAD).
Limits
Up to 50 MB per file and up to 200,000 features.
Around Seville (about 37.4° N) DXF lengths are roughly 1.26 times the true ones; Web Mercator stretches distances more the further you are from the equator.
Properties, including simplestyle styling, are not carried into the file.
Getting true scale back: Web Mercator stretches everything by 1/cos(latitude), so at 58° north the shrink factor is roughly 0.53. Select everything, run _SCALE from a point in the middle of the extract and type 0.53; across a district a few kilometres wide the remaining error is a fraction of a percent, which is fine for a souvenir map or a cutting job.
Encoding needs no setup: the GeoJSON standard mandates UTF-8 and a 2007 DXF stores text as Unicode, so Cyrillic or accented street names open cleanly in LibreCAD and QCAD. A hand-made file saved in a legacy code page should be re-saved as UTF-8 first.
Example result
Example: an Overpass Turbo export of central Seville with buildings and streets carrying OSM tags. Thanks to the tags, features are not lumped into three generic layers but sorted by theme: buildings on the buildings layer, streets on the roads layer, and street names running along the centrelines on the labels layer. The DXF can go straight into LibreCAD to prepare an engraved souvenir map.
FAQ: GeoJSON → DXF
Can I upload my GeoJSON file?
Yes, now you can: upload your GeoJSON file right on this page and osm2cdr will read the geometry and convert it to DXF. Files up to 50 MB are supported. If the data comes from OpenStreetMap, you can skip the upload entirely — we'll export the map straight into DXF.
Is it free?
Yes, exporting an OpenStreetMap map to DXF on osm2cdr is free. Select an area, the DXF format and download the result.
Which programs open DXF?
The DXF format opens in dedicated programs for its category. See the DXF format page for the full list and details.
Why is this better than an online GeoJSON → DXF converter?
An online converter caps the result quality at the quality of the source GeoJSON file. osm2cdr takes data from the OpenStreetMap source and builds DXF with correct layers directly — with no loss on an intermediate GeoJSON file.
Does an Overpass Turbo export work?
Yes. Overpass Turbo keeps OSM tags in the properties, and the service uses them to sort features into thematic layers.
Why DXF rather than DWG for GeoJSON?
DXF is open and text-based, so free CAD tools, machine software and Inkscape all read it. DWG is better only for an AutoCAD-only workflow.
Will circles become arcs?
No. GeoJSON has no arcs, so a circle arrives as a polyline through its vertices.
Do properties end up in the DXF?
No. DXF holds geometry and text; the feature name may appear as a label.
Which DXF version is produced?
AutoCAD 2007 (AC1021), which stores text as Unicode, so labels in any script render correctly.