Error-correcting codes are used in several constructions for packings of equal spheres in ^-dimensional Euclidean spaces En. These include a systematic derivation of many of the best sphere packings known, and construction of new packings in dimensions 9-15, 36, 40, 48, 60, and 2m for m g 6. Most of the new packings are nonlattice packings. These new packings increase the previously greatest known numbers of spheres which one sphere may touch, and, except in dimensions 9, 12, 14, 15, they include denser packings than any previously known. The density A of the packings in En for n = 2m satisfies log A ~ — \n log log n as n —* oo. 1.1. Introduction. In this paper we make systematic use of error-correct ing codes to obtain sphere packings in En, including several of the densest packings known and several new packings. By use of cross-section s we then obtain packings in spaces of lower dimension, and by building up packings by layers we obtain packings in spaces of higher dimension. Collectively, these include all of the densest packings known, and further new packings are also con structed. Part 1 of the paper is devoted to groundwork for the constructions. § 1.2 introduces sphere packings, and §§ 1.3-1.8 survey the error-correcting code theory used in the later Parts. Part 2 describes and exploits Construction A, which is of main value in up to 15 dimensions. Part 3 describes Construction B% of main value in 16-24 dimensions. Part 4 digresses to deal with packings built up from layers, while Part 5 gives some special constructions for dimen sions 36, 40, 48 and 60. Part 6 deals with Construction C, applicable to dimensions n = 2m and giving new denser packings for m ^ 6. We conclude with tables summarizing the results. Table I, for all n S 24, supersedes the tables of [18; 19], and Table II gives results for selected n > 24. The tables may be used as an index giving references to the sections of the paper in which the packings are discussed. Partial summaries of this work have appeared in [22; 23]. General references for sphere packing are [18; 19; 31] and for coding theory [4; 25].