About the Hex Calculator

Hexadecimal (base-16) is the preferred number system for programmers, web developers, and digital designers. Unlike binary's long strings of 0s and 1s, hex compresses data into a more readable format while maintaining a direct relationship with binary (each hex digit represents exactly 4 bits).

Our hex calculator lets you:

Perform arithmetic: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in hex
Convert bases: Hex ↔ Decimal ↔ Binary ↔ Octal
Work with colors: Convert RGB values to hex color codes
Debug memory: Calculate memory addresses and offsets

Understanding Hexadecimal

Hex uses 16 digits: 0-9 and A-F (where A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15).

Hex	Decimal	Binary
0	0	0000
1	1	0001
2	2	0010
3	3	0011
4	4	0100
5	5	0101
6	6	0110
7	7	0111
8	8	1000
9	9	1001
A	10	1010
B	11	1011
C	12	1100
D	13	1101
E	14	1110
F	15	1111

Hex Addition

Add digit by digit, carrying when the sum reaches 16:

Example: A3F + 2B5

  ¹ ¹   (carries)
   A3F  (2623 in decimal)
 + 2B5  (693 in decimal)
 -----
   CF4  (3316 in decimal)

Step by step:

F(15) + 5 = 20 → 20 - 16 = 4, carry 1
3 + B(11) + 1(carry) = 15 → F, carry 0
A(10) + 2 = 12 → C

Hex Subtraction

Example: CF4 - A3F

   CF4  (3316 in decimal)
 - A3F  (2623 in decimal)
 -----
   2B5  (693 in decimal)

Converting Hex to Decimal

Multiply each digit by 16 raised to its position power:

Example: Convert 2A7F to decimal

2 × 16³ = 2 × 4096 = 8192
A(10) × 16² = 10 × 256 = 2560
7 × 16¹ = 7 × 16 = 112
F(15) × 16⁰ = 15 × 1 = 15
Total: 8192 + 2560 + 112 + 15 = 10,879

Converting Decimal to Hex

Divide by 16 repeatedly and record remainders:

Example: Convert 3500 to hex

3500 ÷ 16 = 218 remainder C(12)
218 ÷ 16 = 13 remainder A(10)
13 ÷ 16 = 0 remainder D(13)

Read remainders bottom to top: DAC

Hex in Web Development: Color Codes

CSS color codes use hex to represent RGB values:

Color	Hex Code	RGB
Red	#FF0000	rgb(255, 0, 0)
Green	#00FF00	rgb(0, 255, 0)
Blue	#0000FF	rgb(0, 0, 255)
White	#FFFFFF	rgb(255, 255, 255)
Black	#000000	rgb(0, 0, 0)
Gray	#808080	rgb(128, 128, 128)

Example: Convert rgb(173, 216, 230) to hex

173 = AD
216 = D8
230 = E6
Result: #ADD8E6 (light blue)

Real-World Hex Applications

Application	Example
Memory addresses	0x7FFF5E2C (RAM location)
MAC addresses	00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E
IPv6 addresses	2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334
Unicode	U+1F600 (😀 emoji)
Error codes	0x80070005 (Windows access denied)
File signatures	0x89504E47 (PNG file header)
Assembly language	MOV AX, 0x4C00

Hexadecimal Notation

Different languages and systems denote hex differently:

Prefix/Suffix	Used In
`0x`	C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript
`&H`	Visual Basic
`#`	HTML/CSS colors
`$`	Pascal, some assemblers
`0h`	Some calculators
`h` suffix	Assembly language

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do programmers prefer hex over binary?

Hex is more compact and readable. One hex digit represents 4 binary digits, so FF is much easier to read than 11111111.

What's the difference between hex and decimal?

Decimal is base-10 (digits 0-9) which humans use daily. Hex is base-16 (digits 0-9, A-F) which aligns perfectly with binary and is used in computing.

How many hex digits are in a byte?

A byte is 8 bits, which equals exactly 2 hex digits (since each hex digit = 4 bits).

What is the largest value in 32-bit hex?

FFFFFFFF = 4,294,967,295 (unsigned) or -1 (signed two's complement).

Can I use lowercase letters in hex?

Yes. a3f and A3F represent the same value. Uppercase is more common in programming.

Related Calculators

Binary Calculator - Binary arithmetic and conversions
Decimal to Hex Calculator - Focused decimal-to-hex converter
RGB to Hex Converter - Color code conversion
Scientific Calculator - Advanced math with hex support
Data Storage Converter - Convert between digital storage units

Hex Calculator — Free Base-16 Converter and Math Tool

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