/ˈjuːˌɪnt ˈeɪt/
noun … “non-negative numbers packed in a single byte.”
UINT8 is a numeric data type used in computing to represent whole numbers without a sign, stored in exactly 8 bits of memory. Unlike INT8, UINT8 cannot represent negative values; its range spans from 0 to 255. This type is often used when only non-negative values are needed, such as byte-level data, color channels in images, or flags in binary protocols.
The representation uses all 8 bits for magnitude, maximizing the numeric range for a single byte. Arithmetic on UINT8 values wraps modulo 256, similar to INT8, and aligns naturally with Byte-addressable memory for efficient storage and computation.
UINT8 is closely related to other integer types such as INT16, UINT16, INT32, and UINT32. It is widely used in low-level data manipulation, graphics programming, and network packet structures where predictable byte-level layout is required.
See INT8, INT16, UINT16, INT32, UINT32.
The intuition anchor is that UINT8 is a compact, non-negative counter: small, efficient, and predictable. When you know values will never be negative, it is the most memory-conscious choice for representing numbers in a single byte.