CAN XL

CAN XL is the third generation of the CAN data link layer and supports CAN CC, CAN FD and CAN XL protocol types. It carries data fields from 1 byte to 2048 bytes and separates the CAN-ID into an 11-bit priority ID and a 32-bit acceptance field. CAN XL is intended for backbone and sub-backbone networks and for integration into TCP/IP systems.

Source checked3/3 values · 2026-10-25

Specification

1 source

Transports	other
Architecture	producer consumer
Encoding	binary
Standard body	ISO
Standard ref	ISO 11898-1:2024

Study notes

CAN XL is standardized in ISO 11898-1:2024; CiA SIG CAN XL develops related specifications in CiA 610, CiA 611, CiA 612 and CiA 613.
The data field length ranges from 1 byte to 2048 bytes and can change in one-byte steps.
The 11-bit priority ID provides the frame priority; the 32-bit acceptance field is included in the 64-bit hardware acceptance filter and may contain node address or content-indicating information.
Two cascaded CRC fields are used: a 13-bit preface CRC (PCRC) in the control field and a 32-bit frame CRC (FCRC) in the CRC field.
The CRCs detect any five randomly distributed bit errors, corresponding to a Hamming distance of 6.
The 8-bit SDT indicates the next OSI layer protocol; the 8-bit VCID allows up to 256 logical networks on one CAN XL physical network segment.
CANsec is an optional DLL security add-on indicated by the SEC bit; it uses a 4-byte header and a 16-byte trailer with an authentication tag.
LLC frame fragmentation is under development in CiA 613-3 for long frames from 128 bytes to 2048 bytes.
Bit rate switches from nominal to XL data phase at the ADH/DH1 boundary and back at the FCP(0)/DAH boundary.
CAN SIC XL transceivers have arbitration, data TX and data RX modes; PWM coding is an optional alternative to NRZ coding.

Safety

Error signaling can be switched off by optional configuration.
Long CAN XL frames can block the network; LLC frame fragmentation is under development to interrupt and resume long-frame transmission.