diff --git a/selftest.c b/selftest.c
index 14f10940..61552686 100644
--- a/selftest.c
+++ b/selftest.c
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ struct crc_test_vector {
  * Test vectors for CRC32C (Castagnoli)
  */
 static struct crc_test_vector TEST_CRC32C[] = {
+{ "", 0, 0 },
 { "\x61", 1, 0xc1d04330 },
 { "\x66\x6f\x6f", 3, 0xcfc4ae1d },
 { "\x68\x65\x6c\x6c\x6f\x20\x77\x6f\x72\x6c\x64", 11, 0xc99465aa },
@@ -261,7 +262,7 @@ static void crc32ctest(void)
 
 	for(i=0;TEST_CRC32C[i].data;++i) {
 		uint32_t digest;
-		digest = 0xffffffffU ^ crc32c(0xffffffffU, (const unsigned char*)TEST_CRC32C[i].data, TEST_CRC32C[i].len);
+		digest = CRC_IV ^ crc32c(CRC_IV, (const unsigned char*)TEST_CRC32C[i].data, TEST_CRC32C[i].len);
 		if (digest != TEST_CRC32C[i].digest) {
 			fprintf(stderr, "Failed CRC32C test vector %u\n", i);
 			exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
diff --git a/state.c b/state.c
index afec0cd1..3ad30ebc 100644
--- a/state.c
+++ b/state.c
@@ -2103,7 +2103,7 @@ static void decoding_error(const char* path, STREAM* f)
 	crc_computed = scrc(f);
 
 	/* adjust the stored crc to include itself */
-	crc_stored = crc32c(crc_stored, buf, 4);
+	crc_stored = crc32c(crc_stored ^ CRC_IV, buf, 4) ^ CRC_IV;
 
 	if (crc_computed != crc_stored) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Mismatching CRC in '%s'\n", path);
diff --git a/util.c b/util.c
index 15faf912..4d343c9c 100644
--- a/util.c
+++ b/util.c
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ STREAM* sopen_read(const char* file)
 	s->state_index = 0;
 	s->offset = 0;
 	s->offset_uncached = 0;
-	s->crc = 0;
-	s->crc_uncached = 0;
+	s->crc = CRC_IV;
+	s->crc_uncached = CRC_IV;
 
 	return s;
 }
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ STREAM* sopen_multi_write(unsigned count)
 	s->state_index = 0;
 	s->offset = 0;
 	s->offset_uncached = 0;
-	s->crc = 0;
-	s->crc_uncached = 0;
+	s->crc = CRC_IV;
+	s->crc_uncached = CRC_IV;
 
 	return s;
 }
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ int64_t stell(STREAM* s)
 
 uint32_t scrc(STREAM*s)
 {
-	return crc32c(s->crc_uncached, s->buffer, s->pos - s->buffer);
+	return crc32c(s->crc_uncached, s->buffer, s->pos - s->buffer) ^ CRC_IV;
 }
 
 int sgettok(STREAM* f, char* str, int size)
diff --git a/util.h b/util.h
index 9821a793..7938e653 100644
--- a/util.h
+++ b/util.h
@@ -496,6 +496,12 @@ void randomize(void* ptr, unsigned size);
 /****************************************************************************/
 /* crc */
 
+/**
+ * CRC initial value.
+ * Using a not zero value allows to detect trailing zeros at the end.
+ */
+#define CRC_IV 0xffffffffU
+
 /**
  * Computes the CRC-32 (Castagnoli)
  */