diff --git a/user/super/com/google/gwt/emul/java/math/BigDecimal.java b/user/super/com/google/gwt/emul/java/math/BigDecimal.java
index 7c99ce5..0cd351f 100644
--- a/user/super/com/google/gwt/emul/java/math/BigDecimal.java
+++ b/user/super/com/google/gwt/emul/java/math/BigDecimal.java
@@ -309,6 +309,10 @@
   private static int bitLength(double value) {
     // if |value| is less than 2^47, use log
     if (value > -POW47 && value < POW47) {
+      if (value == 0.0) {
+        // special-case zero, otherwise we get -INFINITY below
+        return 0;
+      }
       boolean negative = (value < 0.0);
       if (negative) {
         value = -value;
diff --git a/user/test/com/google/gwt/emultest/java/math/BigDecimalConstructorsTest.java b/user/test/com/google/gwt/emultest/java/math/BigDecimalConstructorsTest.java
index 044e19f..88e0caa 100644
--- a/user/test/com/google/gwt/emultest/java/math/BigDecimalConstructorsTest.java
+++ b/user/test/com/google/gwt/emultest/java/math/BigDecimalConstructorsTest.java
@@ -724,6 +724,24 @@
   }
 
   /**
+   * Test that constructing BigDecimals from zeros works properly.
+   */
+  public void testConstrZero() {
+    BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("0");
+    assertEquals(0, bd.intValueExact());
+    assertEquals(1, bd.precision());
+    assertEquals(0, bd.scale());
+    bd = new BigDecimal("0.0");
+    assertEquals(0, bd.intValueExact());
+    assertEquals(1, bd.precision());
+    assertEquals(1, bd.scale());
+    bd = new BigDecimal("0.00");
+    assertEquals(0, bd.intValueExact());
+    assertEquals(1, bd.precision());
+    assertEquals(2, bd.scale());
+  }
+
+  /**
    * check ONE.
    */
   public void testFieldONE() {