AGS to CSV Converter
Open an AGS4 geotechnical data file without 12d, HoleBASE, gINT or any other logging package. Every GROUP in the file - LOCA collars, GEOL logs, SPTs, samples, lab results - comes out as its own CSV that opens straight in Excel, plus a combined boreholes.csv that flattens the geology log against each hole. Preview the boreholes as strip logs first. With a free account you can also download a borehole strip-log DXF for AutoCAD, BricsCAD or Civil 3D.
AGS4 is the standard exchange format for geotechnical and geoenvironmental data in Australia and the UK - the file your drilling contractor or lab sends when they hand over factual data. It is plain text, but it is organised into dozens of coded groups (LOCA for hole locations, GEOL for the geology log, ISPT for SPT N-values, SAMP for samples, and so on), which is why it does not open cleanly in Excel: every group has its own columns stacked in one file.
This tool splits the file back out: one CSV per group, columns in the original order, with the AGS unit and type rows preserved. You also get a boreholes.csv that joins each geology layer to its hole's easting, northing and ground level - the flat table most people actually want. Tick only the groups you need before exporting.
The optional strip-log DXF draws each borehole as a vertical, unit-coloured column with depth ticks, hole IDs, water strikes and a stratigraphy legend - drawn in metres so it drops into a CAD drawing at true scale. Use the vertical exaggeration control to stretch the depth axis when layers are thin.
How do I open an AGS file in Excel?
Upload the .ags file here and export CSV. Every GROUP in the file (LOCA, GEOL, ISPT, SAMP and so on) comes out as its own CSV inside a zip, which opens directly in Excel. Line 1 of each CSV is the group's headings, line 2 its units and line 3 its data types; the data rows follow in file order.
Is the conversion lossless?
Yes, with one deliberate change: a cell that starts with =, +, - or @ and is not a plain number is written with a leading apostrophe, so Excel shows it as text instead of running it as a formula. Remove that apostrophe to recover the value exactly as in the AGS file. The README in the zip explains this and lists anything unusual in your file, such as a group that appears twice.
What is in boreholes.csv?
One row per geology layer from the GEOL group, joined to its hole's easting, northing, ground level and final depth from LOCA, with the geology name, legend code and full description. It is included when both LOCA and GEOL are exported. A blank ground level in the AGS file stays blank.
Does it read AGS3 files?
No. This converter reads AGS4, the current standard. Most logging packages can re-export an AGS3 project as AGS4; if yours cannot, contact us and we will convert it for you.
What does a free account add?
A borehole strip-log DXF: each hole drawn as a unit-coloured column with depth ticks, hole ID, water strikes and a stratigraphy legend, in metres, for AutoCAD, BricsCAD or Civil 3D. It also lifts the limits of 3 conversions a day and 50 MB per file to unlimited conversions of files up to 200 MB.
Is my data kept?
No. The uploaded file is not stored; its parsed contents are held on the server only so you can preview and export, and are deleted within 30 minutes. We log the file name and row counts, nothing else.