Broadcast Address Calculator
Find the broadcast address for any IP address and CIDR prefix length.
- Free to use
- Accurate results
- No registration required
- Works on all devices
Enter an IP address and CIDR prefix to find the broadcast address for that subnet.
Your result
10.10.255.255
Broadcast address
Network address10.10.0.0
Subnet mask255.255.0.0
AI explanation
Formula
Broadcast address = network address OR (NOT subnet mask)Worked example
10.10.10.10 / 16
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| IP address | 10.10.10.10 |
| CIDR prefix (/n) | 16 |
| Broadcast address | 10.10.255.255 |
| Network address | 10.10.0.0 |
| Subnet mask | 255.255.0.0 |
Assumptions
- IPv4 only — IPv6 has no broadcast address (see the IPv6 Subnet Calculator).
- /31 subnets have no separate broadcast address under RFC 3021; /32 is a single host route.
Frequently asked questions
What is a broadcast address used for?
It's a special address used to send a single packet to every host on the subnet at once — commonly used for protocols like DHCP and ARP within a local network.
Can I assign the broadcast address to a device?
No — it's reserved for broadcast traffic and cannot be assigned as a usable host address (except implicitly in /31 point-to-point links, which have no separate broadcast address).
Why doesn't IPv6 have a broadcast address?
IPv6 uses multicast instead, which is more efficient — it lets a packet reach only the hosts that have subscribed to a given multicast group, rather than every host on the subnet.