diff --git a/README b/README
index e577e2d..69d1689 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ type = bytefield
   | "float32" | "float64"
 .
 
-bytefield = "byte[" ( INTEGER | IDENT ) "]".
+bytefield = "byte[" ( INTEGER | IDENT [ "*" INTEGER ]) "]".
 ```
 
 The identifier of a definition line can be left empty to ignore that particular value.
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ element of the sequence at a certain offset:
 
 ```
 little endian
-      : byte[offset]
+      : byte[offset*32]
 value : int32
 ```
 
diff --git a/laymanshex.go b/laymanshex.go
index ab1c646..9de2253 100644
--- a/laymanshex.go
+++ b/laymanshex.go
@@ -168,17 +168,30 @@ type formatAssignment struct {
 	used bool
 }
 
+func splitVariableExpression(s string) (string, int64) {
+	split := strings.Split(s, "*")
+	name := trim(split[0])
+	if len(split) == 2 {
+		factor, err := strconv.ParseInt(split[1], 0, 64)
+		optPanic("parsing definition: "+s, err)
+		return name, factor
+	}
+	return name, 1
+}
+
 func (part *filePart) setByteFieldHandling(assignments map[string]*formatAssignment) {
 	tmp := trim(strings.TrimSuffix(strings.TrimPrefix(part.parttype, "byte["), "]"))
 	var bytes int64
 	var err error
 	if bytes, err = strconv.ParseInt(tmp, 10, 64); err != nil {
-		if ass, ok := assignments[tmp]; ok {
-			bytes = ass.val
+		variable, factor := splitVariableExpression(tmp)
+		if ass, ok := assignments[variable]; ok {
+			bytes = ass.val * factor
 			ass.used = true
 			err = nil
 		} else {
-			msg := "byte field definition in format description: could neither parse size to int64 nor obtain value from -fvar"
+			msg := "byte field definition in format description: could neither parse size to int64 nor obtain value from -fvar" +
+				" (" + part.parttype + ")"
 			if part.name != "" {
 				msg += " - definition of " + part.name
 			}