# Curious what most people are using Fortran for **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [May 14, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901 "2026-05-14T17:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BFelsher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BFelsher](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/BFelsher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/1 "2026-05-14T17:05:36Z")
Hi, I’m just interested in what most people are using FORTRAN for and I thought it might be fun to talk about. I use it professionally mostly for writing CNC machine post-processors, but also other numerical utilities related to manufacturing. These are basically inverse-kinematic engines which take point-vectors and convert to machine kinematics between 2 and 7 axes. Naturally, FORTRAN is the best choice for its portability, easy to read/debug code, and very strong legacy in this field. ---
**Author:** ![Beliavsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Beliavsky](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/Beliavsky)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/2 "2026-05-14T18:39:17Z")
In my career I have used Fortran to price financial derivatives and backtest investment strategies. A recent project is > **[GitHub - Beliavsky/Multivariate-ChangePoints: Find changepoints in the correlation and...](https://github.com/Beliavsky/Multivariate-ChangePoints)** > > Find changepoints in the correlation and covariance matrices of a multivariate time series and in the mean and variance of a univariate time series Since the Fortran 90 standard the preferred spelling is Fortran not FORTRAN. ---
**Author:** ![BFelsher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BFelsher](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/BFelsher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/3 "2026-05-14T19:03:11Z")
Spent so many years all caps… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Harper](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/Harper)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/4 "2026-05-14T21:12:15Z")
I have used Fortran for solving partial differential equations or integral equations arising in fluid mechanics, and for plotting their solutions. Also for plotting contours in the complex plane that avoided branch cuts. Also for testing compilers for suspected bugs. ---
**Author:** ![fxm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/fxm/32/5726_2.png) [@fxm](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/fxm)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/5 "2026-05-14T21:52:58Z")
Professionally, I use Fortran for climate/Earth system modelling (process-based models), data analysis, statistics and machine learning. Outside of work, I have used/am using Fortran for many projects, incl.: - a simple task manager, - an app to keep track of, analyse, and plot my daily calories and water intake and exercise, - a game engine (currently I’m re-implementing it, separating SDL-related stuff from the game system and other components), - a fantasy world generator for creating random world maps (for teaching and games). It’s a fun and versatile language, after all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rwmsu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/48db29/32.png) [@rwmsu](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/rwmsu)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/6 "2026-05-14T22:18:07Z")
Fortran is used extensively in areas like structural dynamics/shock physics and CFD. In particular, codes like the [Sandia CTH hydrocode](https://www.sandia.gov/cth/) and the [EPIC](https://www.swri.org/markets/defense-security/blast-impact/ballistics-explosives/epic-dynamic-finite-element-code) dynamic finite element code are used extensively inside US DoD labs and some NATO partners for blast and penetration analysis. These are still to the best of my knowledge almost entirely Fortran. I think that [LSDYNA](https://lsdyna.ansys.com/) and [ABAQUS](https://www.3ds.com/products/simulia/abaqus) FEM codes are also still mostly Fortran. Two of NASA’s workhorse CFD codes [OVERFLOW](https://www.nasa.gov/reference/overflow-cfd/) and [FUN3D](https://fun3d.larc.nasa.gov/) are still mostly Fortran. I think that Fortran still has a large footprint in the CWO (Climate, Weather, Ocean) modeling community. The DoD HPC center I worked at a few years ago would keep statistics on the types of codes (and the language they were written in) that burned the most cycles on their systems (very large Cray and SGI systems at the time). In most years, Fortran codes would burn 65 to 70 percent of all the cycles on those systems. ---
**Author:** ![urbanjost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/0ea827/32.png) [@urbanjost](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/urbanjost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/7 "2026-05-14T23:41:25Z")
Some lists and repositories composed primarily of recent or maintained code might be of use: > **[GitHub - Beliavsky/Fortran-packages-list: List of projects that can be built with the...](https://github.com/Beliavsky/Fortran-packages-list)** > > List of projects that can be built with the Fortran Package Manager > **[Fortran Wiki](https://fortranwiki.org/fortran/show/HomePage)** [https://github.com/topics/fortran](https://github.com/topics/fortran) [https://github.com/topics/fortran-package-manager](https://github.com/topics/fortran-package-manager) ---
**Author:** ![RJaBi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/rjabi/32/5161_2.png) [@RJaBi](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/RJaBi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/8 "2026-05-15T00:56:51Z")
Most recently I use it when I need to do some [Jackknife](https://gitlab.com/fastsum/wilsonflow/FJsample) re-sampling. A naive implementation in python was too slow so I did some python bindings to the Fortran code. It also gets used directly in some Fortran analysis code for [scale setting](https://gitlab.com/fastsum/wilsonflow/AnisoGradientFlowAnalysis) in Lattice quantum chromodynamics. I rewrote some of our old simulation code in Modern Fortran a couple of years ago from F77. I used co-arrays which was probably a mistake at the time. This [code](https://gitlab.com/fastsum/NRQCD) can be thought of as evolving the solution to a DE from some initial conditions on some background. I have another [project](https://github.com/RJaBi/FLUE_Lat) for doing Lattice QCD related things which is not just analysis. This is a bit of a side-project mainly to explore writing some modern Fortran from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![MattAl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@MattAl](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/MattAl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 6:38am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/9 "2026-05-15T06:38:09Z")
My group uses Fortran + MPI to simulate [binary alloy solidification](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135964542300438X) on the microstructure level, coupled with fluid flow, magnetohydrodynamics, and structural mechanics. The codebase implements a Cellular Automata method for solidification simulation, a D3Q19 Lattice-Boltzmann method for fluid flow, and a thermoelectrics solver for TEMHD. Simulating the microstructure of real industrial components can push the requirements for domain size to O(10B) cells and compute to 100s-2k cores, and IO to 100s of GBs per output. The codebase was written in F90 but borrowed a lot from imperative F77-style. Architecture and design was whatever each developer believed to be good enough at the time. I’ve spent some time modernizing and improving the codebase to include fpm, (some) stdlib, modern interfaces using derived types for MPI and states/solvers, modern configuration using YAML + pydantic, etc. ---
**Author:** ![nosycat](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/nosycat/32/4839_2.png) [@nosycat](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/nosycat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 7:43am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/10 "2026-05-15T07:43:14Z")
My one attempt to use Fortran involved yet another game port (from Basic) of my pet _Trek_ clone. I stopped upon realizing it was a step back from most other versions and didn’t offer me anything new. ---
**Author:** ![NormanKirkby](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/normankirkby/32/1091_2.png) [@NormanKirkby](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/NormanKirkby)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 7:45am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/11 "2026-05-15T07:45:05Z")
Although now retired, I used Fortran for a wide range of radiotherapy-related models, from response of tumour and normal tissue to radiation, right up to a national model of incidence of cancer and demand for radiotherapy equipment and staff. I am now working on pressure logging in our local water supply, and a model of flow and pressure distibution to take evidence to our water supply company! All in Fortran of course. ---
**Author:** ![Audun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Audun](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/Audun)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/12 "2026-05-15T10:58:39Z")
A retired manager in order to teach myself Fortran Coarray I wrote a program for simulating corporate monthly cash balances flowing from operations, planned investments and loans etc with the output transactions in a double entry accounting format. ---
**Author:** ![cmaapic](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/cmaapic/32/659_2.png) [@cmaapic](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/cmaapic)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/13 "2026-05-15T14:03:13Z")
Jane Sleightholme and I provide Fortran training and consultancy. Here is a list of some of the people we’ve provided training for. Nuclear industry Nuclear fusion Nuclear weapons Naval reactors Civil reactors Nuclear Inspectorate Weather forecasting UK Met Office Slovak Met Office Econometric modelling National Resources Canada - UK Bank of England - UK Treasury Environmental Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford UK Environment Agency University sector Imperial College King’s College DTU - Danish Technical University University of Ulster, Jordanstown, Northern Ireland Oil industry Petroleum Geo-Services - Houston, Texas Petroleum Geo-Services - Weybridge, UK Aviation Rolls Royce UK Air Force - RAF Waddington Qinetiq - European fighter Westland Helicopters - now part of Finmeccanica Car Industry Ricardo ```auto https://www.ricardo.com/en/who-we-are https://www.ricardo.com/en/contact-us ``` Other AMEC ```auto https://www.woodgroup.com/ ``` GE Vernova ```auto https://www.gevernova.com/company/about ``` PTR - Independent Technical IT Training Providers ```auto https://www.ptr.co.uk/ ``` Jacobs ```auto https://www.jacobs.com/ ``` - Approached for quotes for Fortran 90 conversion courses ---
**Author:** ![BFelsher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BFelsher](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/BFelsher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/14 "2026-05-15T15:23:42Z")
So cool Norman. My older brother is a professor of oncology at Stanford. I know they use a lot of R in his lab. I bet the two of you would have a great conversation that I’d love to hear, even though I wouldn’t understand any of it. My brother is Dr. Dean Felsher. You can tell him Bryan Felsher put you in touch. ---
**Author:** ![Machalot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Machalot](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/Machalot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/15 "2026-05-16T00:45:57Z")
I use Fortran to simulate the motion of rockets and other flying objects. Over time the Fortran simulations are being replaced by new C++ simulations. We have partially modernized the Fortran, but there’s a long way to go, and the effort required can’t keep up with the momentum behind the new modern C++ sims. ---
**Author:** ![dwannetts](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/dwannetts/32/6530_2.png) [@dwannetts](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/dwannetts)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 5:30am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/16 "2026-05-16T05:30:50Z")
Exploration geophysics for minerals & groundwater. Numerically modelling the response of electromagnetic surveys. ---
**Author:** ![mskocic](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/mskocic/32/3378_2.png) [@mskocic](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/mskocic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 6:22am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/17 "2026-05-16T06:22:48Z")
Numerical modelling of electrochemical analyses applied to high temperature aqueous corrosion tests in autoclaves. ---
**Author:** ![gardhor](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/gardhor/32/88_2.png) [@gardhor](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/gardhor)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 6:59am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/18 "2026-05-16T06:59:04Z")
I use Fortran for quantum chemistry (most of the codes are in Fortran) and more precisely, I’m developing a Quantum dynamics code and also several libraries in this field. ---
**Author:** ![Jcollins](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/jcollins/32/540_2.png) [@Jcollins](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/Jcollins)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 9:21am UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/19 "2026-05-16T09:21:56Z")
We have found Fortran in some interesting places. We have a library of codes which include: The obvious ones: - Weather and Climate, e.g. WRF from UCAR - Ocean and river hydrodynamics, e.g. TELEMAC - Aerospace design and simulation (Can’t tell you - proprietary) - Radar signal processing, e,g, the tracking radars at DENEL/OTB - Power grid control (again proprietary) But also: - Point of sale catalogue management - Insurance administration - Financial planning and simulation - Factory production control - Compilers - e.g. the ADSIM front-end, MPS10 and fpt itself. Yes - you can write compilers in Fortran! ---
**Author:** ![szaghi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/fortran-lang.discourse.group/szaghi/32/6974_2.png) [@szaghi](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/u/szaghi)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901/20 "2026-05-16T13:07:16Z")
high performance computing [Next page](https://fortran-lang.discourse.group/t/curious-what-most-people-are-using-fortran-for/10901.md?page=2)