EBCDIC Mainframe File Converter
Convert IBM EBCDIC-encoded data files to CSV, Excel, Parquet, JSON, and more — online, without installing anything. Supports all major EBCDIC variants including cp037, cp500, cp1047, and cp1140.
Open the EBCDIC / Fixed-Width Converter →What is EBCDIC?
EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code) is a character encoding developed by IBM in 1964 for their System/360 mainframe computers. Unlike ASCII and Unicode, EBCDIC assigns completely different byte values to characters — the letter 'A' is 0xC1 in EBCDIC but 0x41 in ASCII. Files that look like garbage when opened on a PC are often EBCDIC-encoded. Reparatio detects EBCDIC automatically and can convert these files using the correct IBM code page.
Supported EBCDIC Code Pages
Reparatio auto-detects EBCDIC encoding from your file. You can also manually select a code page from the encoding dropdown in the Fixed-Width tab.
How to convert an EBCDIC file
- 1. Click the button above to open Reparatio. Select the Fixed-Width tab (EBCDIC files are nearly always fixed-width mainframe exports).
- 2. Upload your file. Reparatio automatically detects the EBCDIC encoding and decodes the bytes. A preview of the raw text will appear.
-
3.
If auto-detection is incorrect, select the correct code page (e.g.
cp037) from the Encoding dropdown. - 4. Define your column boundaries using the visual ruler. Reparatio auto-suggests splits based on whitespace density — adjust as needed.
- 5. Name your columns and choose an output format (CSV, Excel, Parquet, JSON…). Click Convert & Download.
EBCDIC in standard file formats
If your EBCDIC data comes as a delimited file (CSV, TSV) rather than a fixed-width file, use the main Convert tab and select the appropriate encoding from the Encoding dropdown. Reparatio supports EBCDIC encoding detection and override in all conversion modes.
Open the Convert tab →Common questions
Is it free?
The Fixed-Width and EBCDIC features require a Professional plan ($79/month). The Professional plan includes unlimited file sizes up to 2 GB, REST API, CLI, Python/JS SDK, and MCP server access.
Is my data safe?
Files are processed in memory and never stored on disk. Your data is not used for any purpose other than the conversion you request. See the Privacy Policy.
What's the file size limit?
Up to 2 GB per file on the Professional plan.
Can I automate EBCDIC conversion via API?
Yes. The Professional plan includes a REST API with an encoding_override
parameter for specifying the EBCDIC code page. See the
API documentation.
My file looks like garbage — how do I know the right code page?
Reparatio detects EBCDIC by analysing byte frequency patterns (EBCDIC byte 0x40, the space character, appears far more often than in ASCII text). Once EBCDIC is detected, it tries cp037 as the default. If output still looks wrong, try cp500 or cp1047 — these cover the vast majority of IBM mainframe files encountered outside the US.