diff --git a/docs/release.md b/docs/release.md
index 1f439a9c9..ad421d6c1 100644
--- a/docs/release.md
+++ b/docs/release.md
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@
 
 (release_0.17.0)=
 
+* Add fixed BitRound compatibility data and test decoding with a codec restored
+  from its JSON configuration through the registry, contributing to {issue}`348`.
+
 * Allow building against a system Zlib. Note, this is only required if blosc is still
   vendored, and a vendored Zlib is no longer built if blosc is not.
   By {user}`Elliott Sales de Andrade <QuLogic>`, {issue}`860`
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/README.md b/fixture/bitround/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a4c86a5af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixture/bitround/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# BitRound compatibility data
+
+These fixtures establish a compatibility baseline from Numcodecs commit
+`1f83681cf310ac9aac8041ed6ff4a5dcc42a7aad`
+(`0.17.1.dev1+g1f83681cf`), generated with Python 3.13.5 and NumPy 2.5.4 on
+little-endian Windows x86_64. They are not fixtures from an earlier release.
+
+The input is `[1.15625, -1.15625, 2.6875, -2.6875]`, shape `(4,)`.
+`encoded.00.dat` stores the encoded `<f4` input as `<i4`; `encoded.01.dat`
+stores the encoded `<f8` input as `<i8`. Each `config.json` is the corresponding
+codec's JSON configuration. The raw files follow the other codec fixtures'
+`codec.NN/config.json` and `encoded.NN.dat` naming convention.
+
+| Directory | keepbits | Expected decoded values (both float widths) |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `codec.00` | 2 | `[1.25, -1.25, 2.5, -2.5]` |
+| `codec.01` | 3 | `[1.125, -1.125, 2.75, -2.75]` |
+
+The expectations can be checked without Numcodecs. The positive inputs are
+`37/32` and `43/16`, both exactly representable in float32 and float64. Keeping
+`k` fraction bits gives spacing `2**-k` in `[1, 2)` and `2**(1-k)` in `[2, 4)`.
+Nearest rounding therefore gives `5/4, 5/2` for `k=2` and `9/8, 11/4` for `k=3`;
+the negative inputs give their negatives. None of these cases is a tie.
+All expected values are also exactly representable, so no tolerance is needed.
+
+The files were generated once at the stated baseline with:
+
+```python
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import numpy as np
+from numcodecs import BitRound
+
+data = [1.15625, -1.15625, 2.6875, -2.6875]
+for j, keepbits in enumerate([2, 3]):
+    codec = BitRound(keepbits=keepbits)
+    directory = Path('fixture/bitround') / f'codec.{j:02d}'
+    directory.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    (directory / 'config.json').write_text(
+        json.dumps(codec.get_config(), sort_keys=True, indent=4) + '\n'
+    )
+    for i, dtype in enumerate(['<f4', '<f8']):
+        encoded = codec.encode(np.array(data, dtype=dtype))
+        (directory / f'encoded.{i:02d}.dat').write_bytes(encoded.tobytes())
+```
+
+Generation was independently checked against exact rational rounding and
+`struct.pack('<4f', *expected)` / `struct.pack('<4d', *expected)` for the values
+above. The test only reads these files, round-trips the saved configuration
+through JSON, and decodes with the registry-returned instance. It supplies the
+integer dtype explicitly because BitRound does not store dtype or shape metadata.
+The test checks reading this fixed data; it does not require future encoders to
+produce identical bytes for arbitrary input or freeze all rounding behavior.
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/codec.00/config.json b/fixture/bitround/codec.00/config.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..52daf2df0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixture/bitround/codec.00/config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+    "id": "bitround",
+    "keepbits": 2
+}
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/codec.00/encoded.00.dat b/fixture/bitround/codec.00/encoded.00.dat
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78176b58c
Binary files /dev/null and b/fixture/bitround/codec.00/encoded.00.dat differ
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/codec.00/encoded.01.dat b/fixture/bitround/codec.00/encoded.01.dat
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3651a100e
Binary files /dev/null and b/fixture/bitround/codec.00/encoded.01.dat differ
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/codec.01/config.json b/fixture/bitround/codec.01/config.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1b2dc73bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixture/bitround/codec.01/config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+    "id": "bitround",
+    "keepbits": 3
+}
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/codec.01/encoded.00.dat b/fixture/bitround/codec.01/encoded.00.dat
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a0badb6f8
Binary files /dev/null and b/fixture/bitround/codec.01/encoded.00.dat differ
diff --git a/fixture/bitround/codec.01/encoded.01.dat b/fixture/bitround/codec.01/encoded.01.dat
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..68d28fd22
Binary files /dev/null and b/fixture/bitround/codec.01/encoded.01.dat differ
diff --git a/tests/test_bitround.py b/tests/test_bitround.py
index 3929e43c6..9cb1bac3c 100644
--- a/tests/test_bitround.py
+++ b/tests/test_bitround.py
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
 
 from numcodecs.bitround import BitRound, max_bits
+from numcodecs.registry import get_codec
 
 # adapted from https://github.com/milankl/BitInformation.jl/blob/main/test/round_nearest.jl
 
@@ -79,3 +83,36 @@ def test_errors():
         BitRound(keepbits=10).encode(np.array([0]))
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         BitRound(-1)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(('array_index', 'dtype'), [(0, '<f4'), (1, '<f8')])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ('codec_index', 'keepbits', 'expected'),
+    [
+        (0, 2, [1.25, -1.25, 2.5, -2.5]),
+        (1, 3, [1.125, -1.125, 2.75, -2.75]),
+    ],
+)
+def test_backwards_compatibility(array_index, dtype, codec_index, keepbits, expected):
+    # Read fixed data only: the common helper can generate missing fixtures and
+    # decodes with the original codec rather than the registry-restored instance.
+    codec_dir = (
+        Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1] / 'fixture' / 'bitround' / f'codec.{codec_index:02d}'
+    )
+    config = json.loads((codec_dir / 'config.json').read_text())
+    codec = get_codec(json.loads(json.dumps(config)))
+    assert isinstance(codec, BitRound)
+    # decode does not use keepbits, so check configuration separately from data.
+    assert codec.keepbits == keepbits
+
+    # Raw BitRound data has no dtype or shape header. Supply the stored signed
+    # integer dtype, including byte order, and check the resulting flat array.
+    encoded = np.frombuffer(
+        (codec_dir / f'encoded.{array_index:02d}.dat').read_bytes(),
+        dtype=dtype.replace('f', 'i'),
+    )
+    decoded = codec.decode(encoded)
+    expected = np.array(expected, dtype=dtype)
+    assert decoded.dtype == expected.dtype
+    assert decoded.shape == expected.shape
+    np.testing.assert_array_equal(decoded, expected)