The title compound, C8H14Br2N2O2, lies about an inversion centre and adopts a pleated conformation, with the C(O)-NH-CH2-CH2 and NH-CH2-CH2-CH2 torsion angles of the butanediamine residue being -89.5 (6) and -62.1 (7) degrees, respectively. These data are useful in discerning the structure of polymers containing such a unit. A skew conformation is found for the Br-CH(2)-C(O)-NH torsion angle [-124.2 (4) degrees]. The molecular packing is stabilized by strong hydrogen bonds between amide groups and also by weak CH2...OC interactions. In this way, each molecule interacts with its six closest neighbours through eight hydrogen bonds.