IALA north cardinal mark

Two cones pointing up.

Also known as: North cardinal buoy, Northern cardinal mark

Maps & navigationRoad & transportStandard profile

Meanings

The IALA cardinal mark indicating that the safe water lies to the north of it.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Indicates that the safe water lies to the north of the mark.
Contexts: Navigation
Officially standardisedVerified fact
Opens a family of four in which the two cone topmarks point in a direction that can be read off directly: both up for north, both down for south.
Contexts: Navigation

A pillar or spar carrying two cone topmarks one above the other, both points upward.

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

IALA Maritime Buoyage System (Recommendation R0001)
International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities · retrieved 2026-08-23
The system that governs the colour, shape and light characteristic of every buoy in international waters, and which splits the world into Region A and Region B. The full text is NOT REPRODUCED here and has NOT BEEN READ in full; records cite it for the existence, issuing body and defined form of a mark. See docs/paywalled-standards.md.

Last reviewed 2026-08-25

Meanings

The IALA cardinal mark indicating that the safe water lies to the north of it.

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Indicates that the safe water lies to the north of the mark.

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Opens a family of four in which the two cone topmarks point in a direction that can be read off directly: both up for north, both down for south.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

IALA Maritime Buoyage System (Recommendation R0001)
International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities · retrieved 2026-08-23
The system that governs the colour, shape and light characteristic of every buoy in international waters, and which splits the world into Region A and Region B. The full text is NOT REPRODUCED here and has NOT BEEN READ in full; records cite it for the existence, issuing body and defined form of a mark. See docs/paywalled-standards.md.

Last reviewed 2026-08-25