/24 Subnet
254 usable hosts — the industry standard
The /24 is the most widely used subnet size in both home and enterprise networking. With 256 total addresses and 254 usable hosts, it maps cleanly to the last octet of the IP address. Nearly every home router, office VLAN, and cloud subnet starts with a /24.
Common Use Cases
- → Home and SOHO LAN (192.168.1.0/24)
- → Standard office VLAN
- → AWS/Azure subnet per AZ
- → Docker default bridge (172.17.0.0/24 effective)
- → Kubernetes namespace isolation
Example /24 Networks
| CIDR | Network | First Usable | Last Usable | Broadcast | Hosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0.0.0/24 | 10.0.0.0 | 10.0.0.1 | 10.0.0.254 | 10.0.0.255 | 254 |
| 172.16.0.0/24 | 172.16.0.0 | 172.16.0.1 | 172.16.0.254 | 172.16.0.255 | 254 |
| 172.31.0.0/24 | 172.31.0.0 | 172.31.0.1 | 172.31.0.254 | 172.31.0.255 | 254 |
| 192.168.0.0/24 | 192.168.0.0 | 192.168.0.1 | 192.168.0.254 | 192.168.0.255 | 254 |
| 192.168.1.0/24 | 192.168.1.0 | 192.168.1.1 | 192.168.1.254 | 192.168.1.255 | 254 |
| 10.0.1.0/24 | 10.0.1.0 | 10.0.1.1 | 10.0.1.254 | 10.0.1.255 | 254 |
How /24 Compares
| Prefix | Total IPs | Usable Hosts | Subnet Mask | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /21 | 2,048 | 2,046 | 255.255.248.0 | Enterprise building / large app tier |
| /22 | 1,024 | 1,022 | 255.255.252.0 | Medium office/application segment |
| /23 | 512 | 510 | 255.255.254.0 | Aggregated /24 pair |
| /24 ◀ | 256 | 254 | 255.255.255.0 | Standard subnet — home, office, cloud |
| /25 | 128 | 126 | 255.255.255.128 | Half a /24 — public/private split |
| /26 | 64 | 62 | 255.255.255.192 | Cloud per-tier subnet, small VLAN |
| /27 | 32 | 30 | 255.255.255.224 | Small workgroup / management subnet |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many IPs are in a /24?
A /24 subnet contains 256 total IP addresses and 254 usable host addresses. The network address (first IP) and broadcast address (last IP) are reserved and cannot be assigned to hosts.
What is the subnet mask for /24?
The subnet mask for a /24 is 255.255.255.0.
In CIDR notation, the prefix length /24 means
the first 24 bits of the address are the network portion.
The wildcard (inverse) mask is 0.0.0.255.
How many /24 subnets fit in a /23?
Exactly 2 — a /23 can be split into two /24 subnets of equal size. Each /24 subnet has 254 usable hosts, compared to 510 in the parent /23.