Hex to Base36 Converter
Convert a hexadecimal value into base36 — the most compact positional numeral system, using 0-9 and a-z, common for short URL and ID encoding.
How to Convert Hex to Base36
There's no direct digit-for-digit shortcut between hex and base36, since 16 and 36 don't share a clean relationship the way hex and binary do. The reliable method is to convert through decimal: turn the hex value into its decimal equivalent, then convert that decimal value into base36 using repeated division by 36.
Base36 uses 0-9 for the first ten digits and a-z for the next twenty-six, giving it 36 symbols total — more than twice as many as hex, which is why it produces shorter strings for the same underlying number.
Hex to Base36 Example, Step by Step
1A3 = BN
0x1A3 (hex) = BN (base36)
1A3 hex = 419 decimal 419 / 36 = 11 remainder 23 (N) 11 / 36 = 0 remainder 11 (B) Read bottom to top: B N
| Step | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Convert to decimal | 1A3 (hex) = 419 (decimal) | 419 |
| Divide 419 by 36 | quotient 11, remainder 23 (N) | N |
| Divide 11 by 36 | quotient 0, remainder 11 (B) | B |
| Read remainders in reverse | last remainder first | BN |
This is the exact same repeated-division method used for decimal to hex, just swapping 16 for 36 as the divisor and using a 36-symbol alphabet to write each remainder.
Common Mistakes When Converting Hex to Base36
- Trying to convert digit by digit instead of going through decimal.
- Forgetting that base36 remainders above 9 use letters (10=a through 35=z), not two digits.
- Reading the remainders in the order they were found instead of reversing them.
- Mixing up base36 with Base64 encoding, which is a byte-oriented text encoding, not a positional numeral system.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is base36?
A positional numeral system using all 10 digits (0-9) plus all 26 letters of the alphabet (a-z) as its 36 symbols — the largest base that can be written with plain alphanumeric characters, no extra symbols needed.
How do you convert hex to base36?
Convert the hex value to its decimal equivalent, then repeatedly divide that decimal value by 36, collecting remainders the same way decimal-to-hex conversion works, just with 36 as the divisor instead of 16.
Why is base36 used for short URLs and IDs?
Because it packs a number into the fewest possible alphanumeric characters — a value that takes 6 hex digits takes noticeably fewer base36 characters, which is why link shorteners and ID generators often use it.
Is base36 case-sensitive?
The math isn't — a and A represent the same digit value. This converter outputs uppercase letters for readability, matching how it displays hex output too.
How does base36 compare to hex in terms of compactness?
Base36 packs values into fewer characters than hex, since it has more than twice as many symbols per digit (36 versus 16) — but hex stays far more common in programming because its digits map cleanly onto 4-bit binary groups, which base36 digits don't.
Can I convert directly between hex and base36 without going through decimal?
Not with a simple shortcut — since 16 and 36 don't share a clean bit or digit relationship the way hex and binary do, decimal is the practical common ground for converting between them.