Purpose Glenoid component positioning is an important determinant of outcome in anatomic shoulder arthroplasty. This is dependent on the accurate preparation of bony surfaces. We describe and assess a novel plane for improving the accuracy of bony preparation - the Glenoid Vault Outer Cortex plane (GvOC). Research question Does the GvOC plane provide a more accurate representation of glenoid version and inclination than the standard scapular border (SB) method ? Methods 105 CT scans of normal scapulae were obtained. 46 females and 59 males, aged between 22 to 30 years. Accuracy of the GvOC was compared against the current ‘gold standard’ – the SB method. Measurements of glenoid inclination, version, rotation, and offset were made using both GvOC and SB planes. These were compared to 'actual values' obtained using an alternative method. Results The mean difference between estimates of version based on the GvOC plane and the reference value were 1.8° (-2 to 5, SD 1.6) as compared to 6.7° (-2 to 17, SD 4.3) when the SB plane was used, (p<0.001). The mean difference between estimates of inclination based on the GvOC plane and the reference value were 1.9° (-4 to 6, SD 1.6) as compared to 11.2° (-4 to 25, SD 6.1) when the SB plane was used, (p<0.001). Conclusions The GvOC plane produced estimates of genoid version and inclination closer to the actual with a lower variance than using the standard SB plane. This may provide a more accurate and reproducible method for surgeons when defining native glenoid anatomy.