diff --git a/include/etl/private/bitset_new.h b/include/etl/private/bitset_new.h
index e33f3b10..ef1152cd 100644
--- a/include/etl/private/bitset_new.h
+++ b/include/etl/private/bitset_new.h
@@ -311,6 +311,11 @@ namespace etl
         // Build from the string.
         string_length = etl::min(active_bits, string_length);
 
+        if (string_length == 0U)
+        {
+          return;
+        }
+
         element_type mask = element_type(element_type(1) << (string_length - 1U));
 
         for (size_t i = 0U; i < string_length; ++i)
@@ -339,6 +344,11 @@ namespace etl
         // Build from the string.
         string_length = etl::min(active_bits, string_length);
 
+        if (string_length == 0U)
+        {
+          return;
+        }
+
         element_type mask = element_type(element_type(1) << (string_length - 1U));
 
         for (size_t i = 0U; i < string_length; ++i)
@@ -367,6 +377,11 @@ namespace etl
         // Build from the string.
         string_length = etl::min(active_bits, string_length);
 
+        if (string_length == 0U)
+        {
+          return;
+        }
+
         element_type mask = element_type(element_type(1) << (string_length - 1U));
 
         for (size_t i = 0U; i < string_length; ++i)
@@ -395,6 +410,11 @@ namespace etl
         // Build from the string.
         string_length = etl::min(active_bits, string_length);
 
+        if (string_length == 0U)
+        {
+          return;
+        }
+
         element_type mask = element_type(element_type(1) << (string_length - 1U));
 
         for (size_t i = 0U; i < string_length; ++i)
diff --git a/test/test_bitset_new_explicit_single_element_type.cpp b/test/test_bitset_new_explicit_single_element_type.cpp
index de9bd2fe..3a44690b 100644
--- a/test/test_bitset_new_explicit_single_element_type.cpp
+++ b/test/test_bitset_new_explicit_single_element_type.cpp
@@ -398,6 +398,22 @@ namespace
       CHECK_EQUAL(0, data.count());
     }
 
+    //*************************************************************************
+    // Empty strings exercise the string_length == 0 path in from_string,
+    // which must not shift by (0 - 1U).
+    TEST(test_construct_from_empty_string)
+    {
+      etl::bitset<64, uint64_t> data_char("");
+      etl::bitset<64, uint64_t> data_wchar(L"");
+      etl::bitset<64, uint64_t> data_u16(u"");
+      etl::bitset<64, uint64_t> data_u32(U"");
+
+      CHECK_EQUAL(0U, data_char.count());
+      CHECK_EQUAL(0U, data_wchar.count());
+      CHECK_EQUAL(0U, data_u16.count());
+      CHECK_EQUAL(0U, data_u32.count());
+    }
+
     //*************************************************************************
     TEST(test_construct_from_excess_string)
     {