The Crystallographic Binary Format (CBF) is a specialized file format used for storing crystallographic data, including diffraction images and metadata from X-ray crystallography experiments. Developed as part of the Crystallographic Information Framework (CIF), CBF is designed to handle the large data volumes and complex metadata associated with crystallographic experiments. The format supports binary data encoding, which allows for efficient storage and fast access to large image datasets, and is capable of capturing a wide range of experimental details such as detector parameters, beamline settings, and sample information. CBF ensures high fidelity in data representation, making it an ideal choice for applications requiring precise and accurate crystallographic data.

For more detailed information, please refer to the official CBF format documentation.

Applications that read .cbf:

  • imop - Operations on detector images and masks

Applications that write .cbf:

  • imop - Operations on detector images and masks
  • imsim - Simulates realistic 2D scattering images