Converter6 min read

Understanding Number Bases (Binary, Octal, Decimal, Hex)

Learn positional numeral systems, radices, and how to convert between Base 2, 8, 10, and 16.

Interactive Tool: Practice in real-time with Pixlint's free browser-based Number Base Converter. No data is uploaded.

A numeral base (radix) represents the number of unique digits used to represent numbers in a positional number system.

The 4 Primary Bases in Computing

Decimal (Base 10): Digits 0–9. The universal standard for human counting.
Binary (Base 2): Digits 0 and 1. The native language of computer transistors and CPU registers.
Hexadecimal (Base 16): Digits 0–9 and letters A–F (representing 10–15). Compact representation where each hex digit equals exactly 4 binary bits (a nibble).
Octal (Base 8): Digits 0–7. Frequently used for Unix file permissions (e.g. chmod 755).

Decimal (10)	Binary (2)	Octal (8)	Hex (16)
0	0000	0	0
5	0101	5	5
10	1010	12	A
15	1111	17	F
16	0001 0000	20	10
255	1111 1111	377	FF