diff --git a/src/utils/convert_binary.py b/src/utils/convert_binary.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f5feb930f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/convert_binary.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from __future__ import division
+
+from struct import pack
+import sys
+
+
+def ascii_to_binary(ascii_file, binary_file):
+    """Convert an ACE file in ASCII format (type 1) to binary format (type 2).
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    ascii_file : str
+        Filename of ASCII ACE file
+    binary_file : str
+        Filename of binary ACE file to be written
+
+    """
+
+    # Open ASCII and binary files
+    ascii = open(ascii_file, 'r')
+    binary = open(binary_file, 'wb')
+
+    # Set default record length
+    record_length = 4096
+
+    # Read data from ASCII file
+    lines = ascii.readlines()
+    ascii.close()
+
+    idx = 0
+    while idx < len(lines):
+        # Read/write header block
+        hz = lines[idx][:10].encode('UTF-8')
+        aw0 = float(lines[idx][10:22])
+        tz = float(lines[idx][22:34])
+        hd = lines[idx][35:45].encode('UTF-8')
+        hk = lines[idx + 1][:70].encode('UTF-8')
+        hm = lines[idx + 1][70:80].encode('UTF-8')
+        binary.write(pack('=10sdd10s70s10s', hz, aw0, tz, hd, hk, hm))
+
+        # Read/write IZ/AW pairs
+        data = ' '.join(lines[idx + 2:idx + 6]).split()
+        iz = list(map(int, data[::2]))
+        aw = list(map(float, data[1::2]))
+        izaw = [item for sublist in zip(iz, aw) for item in sublist]
+        binary.write(pack('=' + 16*'id', *izaw))
+
+        # Read/write NXS and JXS arrays. Null bytes are added at the end so
+        # that XSS will start at the second record
+        nxs = list(map(int, ' '.join(lines[idx + 6:idx + 8]).split()))
+        jxs = list(map(int, ' '.join(lines[idx + 8:idx + 12]).split()))
+        binary.write(pack('=16i32i{0}x'.format(record_length - 500), *(nxs + jxs)))
+
+        # Read/write XSS array. Null bytes are added to form a complete record
+        # at the end of the file
+        n_lines = (nxs[0] + 3)//4
+        xss = list(map(float, ' '.join(lines[idx + 12:idx + 12 + n_lines]).split()))
+        extra_bytes = record_length - ((len(xss)*8 - 1) % record_length + 1)
+        binary.write(pack('={0}d{1}x'.format(nxs[0], extra_bytes), *xss))
+
+        # Advance to next table in file
+        idx += 12 + n_lines
+
+    # Close binary file
+    binary.close()
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    # Check for proper number of arguments
+    if len(sys.argv) < 3:
+        sys.exit('Usage: {0} ascii_file binary_file'.format(sys.argv[0]))
+
+    # Convert ASCII file
+    ascii_to_binary(sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2])