Re: BUG #19472: CAST(-32768::SMALLINT AS REAL) fails with "SMALLINT out of range" but -32768 is valid SMALLINT value

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, PG Bug reporting form <noreply(at)postgresql(dot)org>
wrote:

> The following bug has been logged on the website:
>
> Bug reference: 19472
> Logged by: Pisces Mar.
> Email address: vectorplanck(at)gmail(dot)com
> PostgreSQL version: 17.6
> Operating system: x86_64-windows
> Description:
>
> Issue Description:
> When casting -32768 to SMALLINT and then to REAL using the :: operator,
> PostgreSQL throws an error "smallint out of range", even though -32768 is a
> valid value within the SMALLINT range (-32768 to +32767).
>
> Workaround:
> Use parentheses: SELECT CAST((-32768) :: SMALLINT AS REAL);
> Or use standard CAST syntax: SELECT CAST(-32768 AS SMALLINT);
>

These aren’t really workarounds; this is just how you need to write the
expression given our long-established and not going to change operator
precedence and literal syntax parsing rules.

David J.