CRC-24 Checksum Calculator

What is CRC-24?

CRC-24 (Cyclic Redundancy Check 24-bit) is a checksum algorithm that generates a 24-bit (6-character) hash value. It's commonly used for error detection and data integrity verification in various specialized applications, including telecommunications, OpenPGP, and Bluetooth Low Energy protocols.

Understanding Checksums

A checksum is like a digital fingerprint of your data. When you create or download a file, its checksum is a unique value calculated from its contents. If even a single bit in the file changes, the checksum will be completely different. This makes checksums perfect for:

  • File Verification: Compare checksums to ensure a file hasn't been corrupted during download or transfer
  • Data Integrity: Quickly detect if files have been modified or tampered with
  • Deduplication: Identify identical files even if they have different names

How It Works

  • Processes input data through a polynomial division algorithm
  • Generates a fixed-length 6-character hexadecimal checksum
  • Is deterministic (same input always produces the same output)
  • Is designed for error detection rather than cryptographic security

Use Cases

1. Telecommunications

  • LTE (4G) communication protocol error detection
  • FlexRay automotive network communications
  • Interlaken chip-to-chip protocol

2. Security Protocols

  • OpenPGP message integrity verification
  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) packet validation
  • Data authentication in specialized systems

3. Data Transmission

  • High-speed data link error detection
  • Frame synchronization in communication systems
  • Data integrity in streaming protocols

Why is CRC-24 Important?

CRC-24 provides a valuable balance of features for specialized applications:

  • Enhanced Error Detection – More robust than CRC-16 but with less overhead than CRC-32
  • Efficiency – Fast computation with an optimal balance of size and reliability
  • Protocol Compatibility – Used in specific industry-standard protocols
  • Specialized Systems – Ideal for telecommunications and embedded systems with specific integrity requirements

How to Use This Tool

  1. Enter text in the input field or upload any file
  2. The CRC-24 hash will be generated automatically in two formats:
    • Hex format: Standard 6-character hexadecimal representation
    • Base64 format: The same checksum encoded in Base64
  3. Click the copy button next to either format to copy the hash to your clipboard
  4. Use the hash for data integrity verification