Hexadecimal Table & Visualizer
The ultimate reference for Base-16. Convert Hex to Decimal, understand Hex Color Codes, and visualize Nibbles with our interactive tool.
Hex Visualizer
See how 4 bits combine to make 1 Hex Digit (Nibble).
Edit Hex code directly to update bits.
Hex Reference Chart
Standard 0-255 lookup table with Colors.
Why Do Computers Love Hex?
If computers only understand Binary (0 and 1), why do programmers constantly use Hexadecimal (0-9, A-F)?
The answer is readability. Converting Binary to Decimal is hard math (e.g., 10101010 = 170). But converting Binary to Hex is just grouping. You take 4 bits, and you get 1 Hex digit.
1111 0000 1010 0101 (Binary) becomes F0A5 (Hex) instantly. No calculator required. This makes Hex the perfect shorthand for humans to read the massive binary streams that run our software.
Secret Code of Colors
Every time you see a color code like #FF5733, you are reading Hexadecimal.
- #: Means "This is Hex".
- FF (Red): Intensity 255/255.
- 57 (Green): Intensity 87/255.
- 33 (Blue): Intensity 51/255.
The "Nibble" Trick
A "Byte" is 8 bits. A "Nibble" is 4 bits. Hex works perfectly because 1 Hex Digit = 1 Nibble.
How to Count in Hex (0-F)
The hardest part of Hex is getting used to letters being numbers. Here is the definitive conversion chart for the single digits.
Note how 10 becomes A, and 15 becomes F.
Memory Addresses Explained
When a program crashes, you might see an error at 0x00400000. This is the Memory Address. It describes the physical location in your RAM where the data was stored. Using Hex allows operating systems like Windows and Linux to organize billions of memory cells into a map that engineers can actually read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hexadecimal (Base-16)?
Hexadecimal is a numeral system with a base of 16. It uses sixteen distinct symbols: the numbers 0-9 to represent values zero to nine, and the letters A-F to represent values ten to fifteen. It is widely used in computing because it is a more human-friendly way to represent binary code.
Why do we use letters A-F in Hex?
In our standard decimal system, we only have single digits for 0-9. To represent values like 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 as single digits, we need new symbols. Computer scientists chose the first six letters of the alphabet: A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15.
How does Hex relate to Binary?
This is the most important relationship in Computer Science. One Hexadecimal Digit represents exactly 4 bits of Binary (a "Nibble"). For example, Hex "F" is Binary "1111". Hex "A" is "1010". This perfect 1:4 mapping makes Hex the standard shorthand for writing long binary strings.
How are Hex Color Codes used in web design?
Web colors use a 6-digit Hex code (e.g., #FF5733). This is actually three pairs of Hex digits. The first pair (FF) is the amount of Red, the second (57) is Green, and the third (33) is Blue. "FF" means 255 (the maximum intensity), and "00" mean 0 (no intensity).
What is a "Nibble"?
A Nibble is a group of 4 bits (half a Byte). Since a single Hex digit represents values from 0-15 (which takes exactly 4 bits), one Hex digit equals one Nibble. Two Hex digits make one full Byte (8 bits).
How do I convert Hex to Decimal?
You use powers of 16. In the number "2B", the "2" is in the 16s place, and "B" (11) is in the 1s place. So, 2 * 16 + 11 * 1 = 32 + 11 = 43.
Why do memory addresses look like 0x7FFF?
Memory addresses in modern computers are extremely large numbers (often 32-bit or 64-bit). Writing them in decimal (e.g., 2,147,483,647) is confusing and hard to align. Writing them in Hex (0x7FFFFFFF) is compact, fixed-width, and clearly shows the byte usage.
What does the "0x" prefix mean?
The "0x" prefix is a convention in programming (C, Java, Python, JavaScript) to tell the compiler "The following number is Hexadecimal, not Decimal". Without it, the computer might read "10" as "ten" instead of "sixteen".
What comes after Hex "F"?
After F (15), the single digit resets to 0 and we carry over a 1 to the next place. So, after F comes 10 (which is 16 in decimal). After 19 comes 1A. After FF comes 100.
Can negative numbers be written in Hex?
Yes, typically using Two's Complement representation just like binary. In a 32-bit signed integer system, the number -1 is represented as 0xFFFFFFFF.
Is Hexadecimal used in IPv6?
Yes! While the old IPv4 used decimal (192.168.1.1), the new IPv6 addresses are so huge (128-bit) that they must use Hexadecimal to be readable. Example: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334.
What is the largest value 2 Hex digits can hold?
Two Hex digits (like FF) can hold a maximum value of 255. This corresponds exactly to 8 bits, or exactly one Byte. This is why you see values capped at 255 in color pickers and IP addresses.
How do computer errors use Hex?
Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) or segmentation faults often show an error code like "0xC0000005". This code points to a specific memory address or exception type defined by the operating system kernel.
Is Hexadecimal case-sensitive?
No. In standard computing, 0xFF is exactly the same as 0xff. However, some programmers prefer uppercase for readability, while others prefer lowercase.
Are there other bases like Base-32 or Base-64?
Yes. Base-64 is very common for encoding data to be sent over the web (like email or image data). It uses A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and two symbols like + and /. Hex is Base-16.