diff --git a/tarsum/tarsum.go b/tarsum/tarsum.go
index c9f1315..c6a7294 100644
--- a/tarsum/tarsum.go
+++ b/tarsum/tarsum.go
@@ -3,8 +3,11 @@ package tarsum
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"compress/gzip"
+	"crypto"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"hash"
 	"io"
 	"strings"
@@ -39,6 +42,30 @@ func NewTarSumHash(r io.Reader, dc bool, v Version, tHash THash) (TarSum, error)
 	return ts, err
 }
 
+// Create a new TarSum using the provided TarSum version+hash label.
+func NewTarSumForLabel(r io.Reader, disableCompression bool, label string) (TarSum, error) {
+	parts := strings.SplitN(label, "+", 2)
+	if len(parts) != 2 {
+		return nil, errors.New("tarsum label string should be of the form: {tarsum_version}+{hash_name}")
+	}
+
+	versionName, hashName := parts[0], parts[1]
+
+	version, ok := tarSumVersionsByName[versionName]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown TarSum version name: %q", versionName)
+	}
+
+	hashConfig, ok := standardHashConfigs[hashName]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown TarSum hash name: %q", hashName)
+	}
+
+	tHash := NewTHash(hashConfig.name, hashConfig.hash.New)
+
+	return NewTarSumHash(r, disableCompression, version, tHash)
+}
+
 // TarSum is the generic interface for calculating fixed time
 // checksums of a tar archive
 type TarSum interface {
@@ -89,6 +116,18 @@ func NewTHash(name string, h func() hash.Hash) THash {
 	return simpleTHash{n: name, h: h}
 }
 
+type tHashConfig struct {
+	name string
+	hash crypto.Hash
+}
+
+var (
+	standardHashConfigs = map[string]tHashConfig{
+		"sha256": {name: "sha256", hash: crypto.SHA256},
+		"sha512": {name: "sha512", hash: crypto.SHA512},
+	}
+)
+
 // TarSum default is "sha256"
 var DefaultTHash = NewTHash("sha256", sha256.New)
 
diff --git a/tarsum/versioning.go b/tarsum/versioning.go
index 3a65661..be1d070 100644
--- a/tarsum/versioning.go
+++ b/tarsum/versioning.go
@@ -31,11 +31,18 @@ func GetVersions() []Version {
 	return v
 }
 
-var tarSumVersions = map[Version]string{
-	Version0:   "tarsum",
-	Version1:   "tarsum.v1",
-	VersionDev: "tarsum.dev",
-}
+var (
+	tarSumVersions = map[Version]string{
+		Version0:   "tarsum",
+		Version1:   "tarsum.v1",
+		VersionDev: "tarsum.dev",
+	}
+	tarSumVersionsByName = map[string]Version{
+		"tarsum":     Version0,
+		"tarsum.v1":  Version1,
+		"tarsum.dev": VersionDev,
+	}
+)
 
 func (tsv Version) String() string {
 	return tarSumVersions[tsv]