The human blood coagulation factor VIII C2 domain (Ser2173-Tyr2332) contains an epitope recognized by most polyclonal inhibitory anti-factor VIII alloantibodies and autoantibodies. We took advantage of the differential reactivity of inhibitory antibodies with human and porcine factor VIII and mapped a major determinant of the C2 epitope by using a series of active recombinant hybrid human/porcine factor VIII molecules. A series of five C2-specific human antibodies and a murine anti-factor VIII monoclonal antibody, NMC-VIII/5, inhibited a hybrid containing a substitution of porcine sequence for Glu2181-Val2243 significantly less than human factor VIII. In contrast, four of the five patient antibodies and NMC-VIII/5 inhibited a hybrid containing a substitution of porcine sequence for Thr2253-Tyr2332 equally well as human factor VIII. Thus, a major factor VIII inhibitor epitope determinant is bounded by Glu2181-Val2243 at the NH2-terminal end of the C2 domain. Because C2 inhibitors block the binding of factor VIII to phospholipid and von Willebrand factor, for which binding sites have been localized to Thr2303-Tyr2332, these results imply that the segment bounded by Glu2181-Val2243 also is involved in these macromolecular interactions.