smallint out of range

Symptoms

A value or computation exceeded the range of smallint (-32768 to 32767). PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 22003 (numeric_value_out_of_range).

• Result is beyond smallint’s 16-bit range.
• Common when inserting larger numbers into a smallint column.
• Casting a larger integer to smallint can trigger it.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  smallint out of range

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

Section 8.1.1 Integer Types:

“Attempts to store values outside of the allowed range will result in an error.”

smallint is a signed 16-bit integer. A value outside its narrow range cannot be represented and PostgreSQL reports 22003.

Common causes

• Inserting a value larger than 32767 into a smallint column.
• Arithmetic overflowing the 16-bit range.
• An undersized column type for the data.

How to fix it

1. Use integer or bigint for larger values.
2. Change the column type if the data outgrew smallint.
3. Validate input ranges before insert.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 22003 — Numeric Value Out Of Range (full reference)
• Message: bigint out of range
• Glossary: Integer types

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 Section 8.1 “Numeric Types”.