diff --git a/tarsum/tarsum.go b/tarsum/tarsum.go
index 4ae71f0..fe15287 100644
--- a/tarsum/tarsum.go
+++ b/tarsum/tarsum.go
@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@ func NewTarSum(r io.Reader, dc bool, v Version) (TarSum, error) {
 	return &tarSum{Reader: r, DisableCompression: dc, tarSumVersion: v}, nil
 }
 
+// Create a new TarSum, providing a THash to use rather than the DefaultTHash
+func NewTarSumHash(r io.Reader, dc bool, v Version, tHash THash) (TarSum, error) {
+	if _, ok := tarSumVersions[v]; !ok {
+		return nil, ErrVersionNotImplemented
+	}
+	return &tarSum{Reader: r, DisableCompression: dc, tarSumVersion: v, tHash: tHash}, nil
+}
+
 // TarSum is the generic interface for calculating fixed time
 // checksums of a tar archive
 type TarSum interface {
@@ -42,6 +50,7 @@ type TarSum interface {
 	GetSums() FileInfoSums
 	Sum([]byte) string
 	Version() Version
+	Hash() THash
 }
 
 // tarSum struct is the structure for a Version0 checksum calculation
@@ -49,11 +58,12 @@ type tarSum struct {
 	io.Reader
 	tarR               *tar.Reader
 	tarW               *tar.Writer
-	gz                 writeCloseFlusher
+	writer             writeCloseFlusher
 	bufTar             *bytes.Buffer
-	bufGz              *bytes.Buffer
+	bufWriter          *bytes.Buffer
 	bufData            []byte
 	h                  hash.Hash
+	tHash              THash
 	sums               FileInfoSums
 	fileCounter        int64
 	currentFile        string
@@ -63,10 +73,36 @@ type tarSum struct {
 	tarSumVersion      Version // this field is not exported so it can not be mutated during use
 }
 
+func (ts tarSum) Hash() THash {
+	return ts.tHash
+}
+
 func (ts tarSum) Version() Version {
 	return ts.tarSumVersion
 }
 
+// A hash.Hash type generator and its name
+type THash interface {
+	Hash() hash.Hash
+	Name() string
+}
+
+// Convenience method for creating a THash
+func NewTHash(name string, h func() hash.Hash) THash {
+	return simpleTHash{n: name, h: h}
+}
+
+// TarSum default is "sha256"
+var DefaultTHash = NewTHash("sha256", sha256.New)
+
+type simpleTHash struct {
+	n string
+	h func() hash.Hash
+}
+
+func (sth simpleTHash) Name() string    { return sth.n }
+func (sth simpleTHash) Hash() hash.Hash { return sth.h() }
+
 func (ts tarSum) selectHeaders(h *tar.Header, v Version) (set [][2]string) {
 	for _, elem := range [][2]string{
 		{"name", h.Name},
@@ -113,25 +149,35 @@ func (ts *tarSum) encodeHeader(h *tar.Header) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (ts *tarSum) initTarSum() error {
+	ts.bufTar = bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
+	ts.bufWriter = bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
+	ts.tarR = tar.NewReader(ts.Reader)
+	ts.tarW = tar.NewWriter(ts.bufTar)
+	if !ts.DisableCompression {
+		ts.writer = gzip.NewWriter(ts.bufWriter)
+	} else {
+		ts.writer = &nopCloseFlusher{Writer: ts.bufWriter}
+	}
+	if ts.tHash == nil {
+		ts.tHash = DefaultTHash
+	}
+	ts.h = ts.tHash.Hash()
+	ts.h.Reset()
+	ts.first = true
+	ts.sums = FileInfoSums{}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (ts *tarSum) Read(buf []byte) (int, error) {
-	if ts.gz == nil {
-		ts.bufTar = bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
-		ts.bufGz = bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
-		ts.tarR = tar.NewReader(ts.Reader)
-		ts.tarW = tar.NewWriter(ts.bufTar)
-		if !ts.DisableCompression {
-			ts.gz = gzip.NewWriter(ts.bufGz)
-		} else {
-			ts.gz = &nopCloseFlusher{Writer: ts.bufGz}
+	if ts.writer == nil {
+		if err := ts.initTarSum(); err != nil {
+			return 0, err
 		}
-		ts.h = sha256.New()
-		ts.h.Reset()
-		ts.first = true
-		ts.sums = FileInfoSums{}
 	}
 
 	if ts.finished {
-		return ts.bufGz.Read(buf)
+		return ts.bufWriter.Read(buf)
 	}
 	if ts.bufData == nil {
 		switch {
@@ -167,10 +213,10 @@ func (ts *tarSum) Read(buf []byte) (int, error) {
 					if err := ts.tarW.Close(); err != nil {
 						return 0, err
 					}
-					if _, err := io.Copy(ts.gz, ts.bufTar); err != nil {
+					if _, err := io.Copy(ts.writer, ts.bufTar); err != nil {
 						return 0, err
 					}
-					if err := ts.gz.Close(); err != nil {
+					if err := ts.writer.Close(); err != nil {
 						return 0, err
 					}
 					ts.finished = true
@@ -189,12 +235,12 @@ func (ts *tarSum) Read(buf []byte) (int, error) {
 				return 0, err
 			}
 			ts.tarW.Flush()
-			if _, err := io.Copy(ts.gz, ts.bufTar); err != nil {
+			if _, err := io.Copy(ts.writer, ts.bufTar); err != nil {
 				return 0, err
 			}
-			ts.gz.Flush()
+			ts.writer.Flush()
 
-			return ts.bufGz.Read(buf)
+			return ts.bufWriter.Read(buf)
 		}
 		return n, err
 	}
@@ -210,18 +256,18 @@ func (ts *tarSum) Read(buf []byte) (int, error) {
 	}
 	ts.tarW.Flush()
 
-	// Filling the gz writter
-	if _, err = io.Copy(ts.gz, ts.bufTar); err != nil {
+	// Filling the output writer
+	if _, err = io.Copy(ts.writer, ts.bufTar); err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
-	ts.gz.Flush()
+	ts.writer.Flush()
 
-	return ts.bufGz.Read(buf)
+	return ts.bufWriter.Read(buf)
 }
 
 func (ts *tarSum) Sum(extra []byte) string {
 	ts.sums.SortBySums()
-	h := sha256.New()
+	h := ts.tHash.Hash()
 	if extra != nil {
 		h.Write(extra)
 	}
@@ -229,7 +275,7 @@ func (ts *tarSum) Sum(extra []byte) string {
 		log.Debugf("-->%s<--", fis.Sum())
 		h.Write([]byte(fis.Sum()))
 	}
-	checksum := ts.Version().String() + "+sha256:" + hex.EncodeToString(h.Sum(nil))
+	checksum := ts.Version().String() + "+" + ts.tHash.Name() + ":" + hex.EncodeToString(h.Sum(nil))
 	log.Debugf("checksum processed: %s", checksum)
 	return checksum
 }
diff --git a/tarsum/tarsum_test.go b/tarsum/tarsum_test.go
index d0b4c94..58dbdda 100644
--- a/tarsum/tarsum_test.go
+++ b/tarsum/tarsum_test.go
@@ -3,8 +3,11 @@ package tarsum
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"compress/gzip"
+	"crypto/md5"
 	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha1"
 	"crypto/sha256"
+	"crypto/sha512"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -22,6 +25,7 @@ type testLayer struct {
 	gzip     bool
 	tarsum   string
 	version  Version
+	hash     THash
 }
 
 var testLayers = []testLayer{
@@ -75,6 +79,31 @@ var testLayers = []testLayer{
 		// this tar has newer of collider-1.tar, ensuring is has different hash
 		filename: "testdata/collision/collision-3.tar",
 		tarsum:   "tarsum+sha256:f886e431c08143164a676805205979cd8fa535dfcef714db5515650eea5a7c0f"},
+	{
+		options: &sizedOptions{1, 1024 * 1024, false, false}, // a 1mb file (in memory)
+		tarsum:  "tarsum+md5:0d7529ec7a8360155b48134b8e599f53",
+		hash:    md5THash,
+	},
+	{
+		options: &sizedOptions{1, 1024 * 1024, false, false}, // a 1mb file (in memory)
+		tarsum:  "tarsum+sha1:f1fee39c5925807ff75ef1925e7a23be444ba4df",
+		hash:    sha1Hash,
+	},
+	{
+		options: &sizedOptions{1, 1024 * 1024, false, false}, // a 1mb file (in memory)
+		tarsum:  "tarsum+sha224:6319390c0b061d639085d8748b14cd55f697cf9313805218b21cf61c",
+		hash:    sha224Hash,
+	},
+	{
+		options: &sizedOptions{1, 1024 * 1024, false, false}, // a 1mb file (in memory)
+		tarsum:  "tarsum+sha384:a578ce3ce29a2ae03b8ed7c26f47d0f75b4fc849557c62454be4b5ffd66ba021e713b48ce71e947b43aab57afd5a7636",
+		hash:    sha384Hash,
+	},
+	{
+		options: &sizedOptions{1, 1024 * 1024, false, false}, // a 1mb file (in memory)
+		tarsum:  "tarsum+sha512:e9bfb90ca5a4dfc93c46ee061a5cf9837de6d2fdf82544d6460d3147290aecfabf7b5e415b9b6e72db9b8941f149d5d69fb17a394cbfaf2eac523bd9eae21855",
+		hash:    sha512Hash,
+	},
 }
 
 type sizedOptions struct {
@@ -203,6 +232,14 @@ func TestEmptyTar(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+var (
+	md5THash   = NewTHash("md5", md5.New)
+	sha1Hash   = NewTHash("sha1", sha1.New)
+	sha224Hash = NewTHash("sha224", sha256.New224)
+	sha384Hash = NewTHash("sha384", sha512.New384)
+	sha512Hash = NewTHash("sha512", sha512.New)
+)
+
 func TestTarSums(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, layer := range testLayers {
 		var (
@@ -226,8 +263,13 @@ func TestTarSums(t *testing.T) {
 			defer file.Close()
 		}
 
-		//                                  double negatives!
-		ts, err := NewTarSum(fh, !layer.gzip, layer.version)
+		var ts TarSum
+		if layer.hash == nil {
+			//                           double negatives!
+			ts, err = NewTarSum(fh, !layer.gzip, layer.version)
+		} else {
+			ts, err = NewTarSumHash(fh, !layer.gzip, layer.version, layer.hash)
+		}
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("%q :: %q", err, layer.filename)
 			continue