How many hosts can a /24 subnet support?

A /24 subnet supports 254 usable host addresses. It has 256 total IP addresses, but two are reserved: the network address (e.g., 192.168.1.0) and the broadcast address (e.g., 192.168.1.255).

What is the subnet mask for a /24 network?

The subnet mask for a /24 network is 255.255.255.0. In binary, 24 bits are set to 1 followed by 8 bits of 0: 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000.

How many /24 subnets fit inside a /16 network?

A /16 network can be divided into 256 subnets of /24 size. The difference in prefix length is 24 - 16 = 8 bits, and 2^8 = 256. For example, 10.0.0.0/16 contains 10.0.0.0/24 through 10.0.255.0/24.

What is a /24 Subnet?

Last reviewed: May 2026

A /24 subnet is one of the most common network segments in IPv4 networking. The "/24" refers to the prefix length — 24 bits are used for the network address, leaving 8 bits for host addresses. This gives 256 total IP addresses and 254 usable host addresses.

Calculate any /24 subnet instantly →

Quick Facts: 192.168.1.0/24 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 · Wildcard: 0.0.0.255 · Network: 192.168.1.0 · Broadcast: 192.168.1.255 · Usable range: 192.168.1.1 – 192.168.1.254 · Usable hosts: 254

Full Breakdown

Property	Value
Prefix length	/24
Subnet mask	255.255.255.0
Wildcard mask	0.0.0.255
Total addresses	256
Usable host addresses	254
Network address	x.x.x.0
Broadcast address	x.x.x.255
Binary mask	11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000

Common Use Cases for /24 Subnets

Home and small office networks — the default for most home routers (192.168.1.0/24)
AWS VPC subnets — the recommended size for standard EC2 and EKS workload subnets
Azure VNet tiers — application, data, and management layers in hub-spoke designs
VLAN segments — per-floor or per-department segments in corporate networks
DMZ subnets — large enough for web servers with room to grow

Comparison: /24 vs Nearby Prefix Lengths

CIDR	Subnet Mask	Total IPs	Usable Hosts	Typical Use
/22	255.255.252.0	1,024	1,022	Large office floor, EKS cluster
/23	255.255.254.0	512	510	Medium department VLAN
/24	255.255.255.0	256	254	Standard subnet — most common choice
/25	255.255.255.128	128	126	Split /24 into two halves
/26	255.255.255.192	64	62	Small team or service subnet
/27	255.255.255.224	32	30	Infrastructure (NTP, DNS, gateways)
/28	255.255.255.240	16	14	Smallest AWS subnet; point-to-point links

How Many /24 Subnets Fit in a /16?

A /16 block contains 2^(24−16) = 256 subnets of /24 size. For example, 10.0.0.0/16 can be subdivided into 10.0.0.0/24, 10.0.1.0/24, … 10.0.255.0/24.

Try the subnet splitter in SubnetSolver →

What is a /24 Subnet?

Full Breakdown

Common Use Cases for /24 Subnets

Comparison: /24 vs Nearby Prefix Lengths

How Many /24 Subnets Fit in a /16?

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