How to Convert Hex to Decimal (With Examples)

Converting hexadecimal to decimal is one of the most common base conversion tasks in computing. Whether you are reading a memory address, decoding a color code, or debugging a network packet, translating a hex value into the decimal number you already understand is a skill worth having.

Why Hex Uses Positional Values

Hexadecimal is a base-16 number system. Each digit position represents a power of 16, starting from 16⁰ on the right. Decimal works the same way with powers of 10, which is why converting simply means evaluating the hex value in base 10.

The letters A through F fill the gap between 9 and 10:

Hex	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	A	B	C	D	E	F
Decimal	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15

The Step-by-Step Method

Write down each hex digit and its position, starting from 0 on the right.
Convert letters to their decimal values (A=10 through F=15).
Multiply each digit by 16 raised to the power of its position.
Add all the results together.

Example 1: Convert 1A to Decimal

Position 0: A = 10, and 10 × 16⁰ = 10 × 1 = 10
Position 1: 1 = 1, and 1 × 16¹ = 1 × 16 = 16
Total: 16 + 10 = 26

Example 2: Convert FF to Decimal

Position 0: F = 15, and 15 × 16⁰ = 15
Position 1: F = 15, and 15 × 16¹ = 240
Total: 240 + 15 = 255

That result matters: 255 is the largest value a single byte can hold, which is why you see FF so often in hex dumps and color codes.

Example 3: Convert 2F4 to Decimal

Position 0: 4 × 16⁰ = 4
Position 1: F = 15, so 15 × 16¹ = 240
Position 2: 2 × 16² = 2 × 256 = 512
Total: 512 + 240 + 4 = 756

Quick Conversion Table for Common Values

Hex	10	20	64	100	3E8	FFFF
Decimal	16	32	100	256	1000	65535

Notice that hex 64 equals decimal 100 and hex 3E8 equals 1000. Developers often use hex for these round numbers because prefixes like 0x100 are easier to recognize than 256 in raw output.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Reading A-F as decimal digits. F is 15, not 6 or some other value. Always convert letters first.
Starting positions from the left. Powers increase from right to left, starting at 0.
Forgetting that leading zeros do not change the value. 00FF and FF are the same number, 255.

Try It Yourself

For longer values, use the hex to text converter approach of breaking the value into bytes, or enter any value into our hexadecimal calculator to see the decimal result instantly alongside binary and octal. Once you have worked through a few examples by hand, the pattern becomes second nature — and the calculator becomes a quick way to check your work.