|  | 10.5 | Reserved Address Space
| 10.5.5 | Hosts for classes of IP addresses

Each class of network allows a fixed number of hosts. In a Class A network, the first octet is assigned, leaving the last three octets (24 bits) to be assigned to hosts. The maximum number of hosts, in a Class A network, is 224 (minus 2: the network and broadcast reserved addresses), or 16,777,214 hosts.

In a Class B network, the first two octets are assigned, leaving the final two octets (16 bits) to be assigned to hosts. The maximum number of hosts, in a Class B network, is 216 (minus 2), or 65,534 hosts.

In a Class C network, the first three octets are assigned. This leaves the final octet (8 bits) to assign to hosts, so the maximum number of hosts is 28 (minus 2), or 254 hosts.

Remember that the first address in each network is reserved for the actual network address (or network number), and the final address in each network is reserved for broadcasts.