diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 99158073fe5..c8689d2edf7 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -351,10 +351,11 @@ BOARD_NAME = $(subst $(DQUOTE),,$(CONFIG_BOARD))
 KERNEL_NAME = $(subst $(DQUOTE),,$(CONFIG_KERNEL_BIN_NAME))
 KERNEL_ELF_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).elf
 KERNEL_BIN_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).bin
+KERNEL_HEX_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).hex
 KERNEL_STAT_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).stat
 
 export SOC_FAMILY SOC_SERIES SOC_PATH SOC_NAME BOARD_NAME
-export ARCH KERNEL_NAME KERNEL_ELF_NAME KERNEL_BIN_NAME
+export ARCH KERNEL_NAME KERNEL_ELF_NAME KERNEL_BIN_NAME KERNEL_HEX_NAME
 # Use ZEPHYRINCLUDE when you must reference the include/ directory.
 # Needed to be compatible with the O= option
 ZEPHYRINCLUDE    = \
@@ -897,6 +898,15 @@ quiet_cmd_gen_bin = BIN     $@
 $(KERNEL_BIN_NAME): $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
 	$(call cmd,gen_bin)
 
+quiet_cmd_gen_hex = HEX     $@
+      cmd_gen_hex =                                                         \
+(                                                                           \
+   $(OBJCOPY) -S -O ihex -R .note -R .comment -R COMMON -R .eh_frame $< $@; \
+)
+
+$(KERNEL_HEX_NAME): $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
+	$(call cmd,gen_hex)
+
 $(KERNEL_STAT_NAME): $(KERNEL_BIN_NAME) $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
 	@$(READELF) -e $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME) > $@
 
@@ -1028,7 +1038,7 @@ CLEAN_FILES += 	misc/generated/sysgen/kernel_main.c \
 		misc/generated/sysgen/kernel_main.h \
 		.old_version .tmp_System.map .tmp_version \
 		.tmp_* System.map *.lnk *.map *.elf *.lst \
-		*.bin *.strip staticIdt.o linker.cmd
+		*.bin *.hex *.strip staticIdt.o linker.cmd
 
 # Directories & files removed with 'make mrproper'
 MRPROPER_DIRS  += include/config usr/include include/generated          \
diff --git a/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf51/Makefile b/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf51/Makefile
index 4be951dbcf1..b1149643830 100644
--- a/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf51/Makefile
+++ b/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf51/Makefile
@@ -6,16 +6,5 @@ endif
 
 obj-y += soc.o
 
-KERNEL_HEX_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).hex
-
-quiet_cmd_gen_hex = HEX     $@
-      cmd_gen_hex =                                                         \
-(                                                                           \
-   $(OBJCOPY) -S -O ihex -R .note -R .comment -R COMMON -R .eh_frame $< $@; \
-)
-
-$(KERNEL_HEX_NAME): $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
-	$(call cmd,gen_hex)
-
 zephyr: $(KERNEL_HEX_NAME)
 all: $(KERNEL_HEX_NAME)
diff --git a/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf52/Makefile b/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf52/Makefile
index 2cbde9a279b..8b6cdcc1134 100644
--- a/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf52/Makefile
+++ b/arch/arm/soc/nordic_nrf5/nrf52/Makefile
@@ -6,16 +6,5 @@ endif
 
 obj-y += soc.o
 
-KERNEL_HEX_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).hex
-
-quiet_cmd_gen_hex = HEX     $@
-      cmd_gen_hex =                                                         \
-(                                                                           \
-   $(OBJCOPY) -S -O ihex -R .note -R .comment -R COMMON -R .eh_frame $< $@; \
-)
-
-$(KERNEL_HEX_NAME): $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
-	$(call cmd,gen_hex)
-
 zephyr: $(KERNEL_HEX_NAME)
 all: $(KERNEL_HEX_NAME)
diff --git a/arch/nios2/Makefile b/arch/nios2/Makefile
index 80e0094cd6e..74cc82b5eb2 100644
--- a/arch/nios2/Makefile
+++ b/arch/nios2/Makefile
@@ -53,20 +53,8 @@ KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(soc-cflags)
 KBUILD_CXXFLAGS += $(soc-cxxflags)
 KBUILD_AFLAGS += $(soc-aflags)
 
-KERNEL_HEX_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).hex
-
-quiet_cmd_gen_hex = HEX     $@
-      cmd_gen_hex =                                                         \
-(                                                                           \
-   $(OBJCOPY) -S -O ihex -R .note -R .comment -R COMMON -R .eh_frame $< $@; \
-)
-
-$(KERNEL_HEX_NAME): $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
-	$(call cmd,gen_hex)
-
 zephyr: $(KERNEL_HEX_NAME)
 all: $(KERNEL_HEX_NAME)
-export KERNEL_HEX_NAME
 
 QEMU_CPU_TYPE_nios2 = nios2
 QEMU_FLAGS_nios2 = -machine altera_10m50_zephyr -nographic