diff --git a/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_avx2.hpp b/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_avx2.hpp
index 2c44df461..435f4ea50 100644
--- a/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_avx2.hpp
+++ b/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_avx2.hpp
@@ -179,6 +179,15 @@ namespace xsimd
         {
             constexpr auto bits = std::numeric_limits<T>::digits + std::numeric_limits<T>::is_signed;
             static_assert(shift < bits, "Shift must be less than the number of bits in T");
+            XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 1)
+            {
+                // 8-bit left shift via 16-bit shift + mask
+                __m256i shifted = _mm256_slli_epi16(self, shift);
+                // TODO(C++17): without `if constexpr` we must ensure the compile-time shift does not overflow
+                constexpr uint8_t mask8 = static_cast<uint8_t>(sizeof(T) == 1 ? (~0u << shift) : 0);
+                const __m256i mask = _mm256_set1_epi8(mask8);
+                return _mm256_and_si256(shifted, mask);
+            }
             XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 2)
             {
                 return _mm256_slli_epi16(self, shift);
@@ -191,10 +200,6 @@ namespace xsimd
             {
                 return _mm256_slli_epi64(self, shift);
             }
-            else
-            {
-                return bitwise_lshift<shift>(self, avx {});
-            }
         }
 
         template <class A, class T, class = typename std::enable_if<std::is_integral<T>::value>::type>
@@ -312,10 +317,12 @@ namespace xsimd
             {
                 XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 1)
                 {
-                    const __m256i byte_mask = _mm256_set1_epi16(0x00FF);
-                    __m256i u16 = _mm256_and_si256(self, byte_mask);
-                    __m256i r16 = _mm256_srli_epi16(u16, shift);
-                    return _mm256_and_si256(r16, byte_mask);
+                    // 8-bit left shift via 16-bit shift + mask
+                    const __m256i shifted = _mm256_srli_epi16(self, shift);
+                    // TODO(C++17): without `if constexpr` we must ensure the compile-time shift does not overflow
+                    constexpr uint8_t mask8 = static_cast<uint8_t>(sizeof(T) == 1 ? ((1u << shift) - 1u) : 0);
+                    const __m256i mask = _mm256_set1_epi8(mask8);
+                    return _mm256_and_si256(shifted, mask);
                 }
                 XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 2)
                 {
@@ -329,10 +336,6 @@ namespace xsimd
                 {
                     return _mm256_srli_epi64(self, shift);
                 }
-                else
-                {
-                    return bitwise_rshift<shift>(self, avx {});
-                }
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_sse2.hpp b/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_sse2.hpp
index deb1af542..f77017f82 100644
--- a/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_sse2.hpp
+++ b/include/xsimd/arch/xsimd_sse2.hpp
@@ -305,7 +305,9 @@ namespace xsimd
             {
                 // 8-bit left shift via 16-bit shift + mask
                 __m128i shifted = _mm_slli_epi16(self, static_cast<int>(shift));
-                __m128i mask = _mm_set1_epi8(static_cast<char>(0xFF << shift));
+                // TODO(C++17): without `if constexpr` we must ensure the compile-time shift does not overflow
+                constexpr uint8_t mask8 = static_cast<uint8_t>(sizeof(T) == 1 ? (~0u << shift) : 0);
+                const __m128i mask = _mm_set1_epi8(mask8);
                 return _mm_and_si128(shifted, mask);
             }
             else XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 2)
@@ -488,10 +490,12 @@ namespace xsimd
             {
                 XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 1)
                 {
-                    // Emulate byte-wise logical right shift using 16-bit shifts + per-byte mask.
-                    __m128i s16 = _mm_srli_epi16(self, static_cast<int>(shift));
-                    __m128i mask = _mm_set1_epi8(static_cast<char>(0xFFu >> shift));
-                    return _mm_and_si128(s16, mask);
+                    // 8-bit left shift via 16-bit shift + mask
+                    __m128i shifted = _mm_srli_epi16(self, static_cast<int>(shift));
+                    // TODO(C++17): without `if constexpr` we must ensure the compile-time shift does not overflow
+                    constexpr uint8_t mask8 = static_cast<uint8_t>(sizeof(T) == 1 ? ((1u << shift) - 1u) : 0);
+                    const __m128i mask = _mm_set1_epi8(mask8);
+                    return _mm_and_si128(shifted, mask);
                 }
                 else XSIMD_IF_CONSTEXPR(sizeof(T) == 2)
                 {
diff --git a/test/test_xsimd_api.cpp b/test/test_xsimd_api.cpp
index a61c0e6ad..2e62c292c 100644
--- a/test/test_xsimd_api.cpp
+++ b/test/test_xsimd_api.cpp
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ struct xsimd_api_integral_types_functions
         value_type val1(shift);
         value_type r = val0 << val1;
         value_type ir = val0 << shift;
-        value_type cr = xsimd::bitwise_lshift<shift>(val0);
+        T cr = xsimd::bitwise_lshift<shift>(T(val0));
         CHECK_EQ(extract(xsimd::bitwise_lshift(T(val0), T(val1))), r);
         CHECK_EQ(extract(ir), r);
         CHECK_EQ(extract(cr), r);
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ struct xsimd_api_integral_types_functions
         value_type val1(shift);
         value_type r = val0 >> val1;
         value_type ir = val0 >> shift;
-        value_type cr = xsimd::bitwise_rshift<shift>(val0);
+        T cr = xsimd::bitwise_rshift<shift>(T(val0));
         CHECK_EQ(extract(xsimd::bitwise_rshift(T(val0), T(val1))), r);
         CHECK_EQ(extract(ir), r);
         CHECK_EQ(extract(cr), r);
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ struct xsimd_api_integral_types_functions
         value_type val0(12);
         value_type val1(count);
         value_type r = (val0 << val1) | (val0 >> (N - val1));
-        value_type cr = xsimd::rotl<count>(val0);
+        T cr = xsimd::rotl<count>(T(val0));
         CHECK_EQ(extract(xsimd::rotl(T(val0), T(val1))), r);
         CHECK_EQ(extract(cr), r);
     }
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ struct xsimd_api_integral_types_functions
         value_type val0(12);
         value_type val1(count);
         value_type r = (val0 >> val1) | (val0 << (N - val1));
-        value_type cr = xsimd::rotr<3>(val0);
+        T cr = xsimd::rotr<3>(T(val0));
         CHECK_EQ(extract(xsimd::rotr(T(val0), T(val1))), r);
         CHECK_EQ(extract(cr), r);
     }