diff --git a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/data_read.rs b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/data_read.rs
index c998fad..01060a6 100644
--- a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/data_read.rs
+++ b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/data_read.rs
@@ -991,21 +991,24 @@ enum Scalar {
 }
 
 impl Scalar {
-    /// Float to integer conversions follow libhdf5's hard conversions:
-    /// truncate toward zero, and saturate a value outside the target range to
-    /// its minimum or maximum. NaN converts to 0 (libhdf5 leaves that case to
-    /// the C cast, whose result is platform-dependent).
+    // Every conversion follows libhdf5's default (hard) conversions: a value
+    // outside the target type's range saturates to its minimum or maximum —
+    // including a negative value read as unsigned, which reads as 0 — rather
+    // than being truncated to its low bits. Floats truncate toward zero; NaN
+    // converts to 0 (libhdf5 leaves that case to the C cast, whose result is
+    // platform-dependent).
+
     fn to_i64(self) -> i64 {
         match self {
             Scalar::Signed(v) => v,
-            Scalar::Unsigned(v) => v as i64,
+            Scalar::Unsigned(v) => i64::try_from(v).unwrap_or(i64::MAX),
             Scalar::Float(v) => v as i64,
         }
     }
 
     fn to_u64(self) -> u64 {
         match self {
-            Scalar::Signed(v) => v as u64,
+            Scalar::Signed(v) => u64::try_from(v).unwrap_or(0),
             Scalar::Unsigned(v) => v,
             Scalar::Float(v) => v as u64,
         }
@@ -1013,8 +1016,8 @@ impl Scalar {
 
     fn to_i32(self) -> i32 {
         match self {
-            Scalar::Signed(v) => v as i32,
-            Scalar::Unsigned(v) => v as i32,
+            Scalar::Signed(v) => v.clamp(i32::MIN.into(), i32::MAX.into()) as i32,
+            Scalar::Unsigned(v) => i32::try_from(v).unwrap_or(i32::MAX),
             Scalar::Float(v) => v as i32,
         }
     }
@@ -1048,8 +1051,10 @@ fn decode_scalar(
 
 /// Convert raw bytes to `i64` values.
 ///
-/// Floating-point data is converted the way libhdf5 converts it: truncated
-/// toward zero, saturating at the target type's range, with NaN read as 0.
+/// Values are converted the way libhdf5 converts them: integers outside the
+/// target range saturate at its minimum or maximum (a negative value read as
+/// unsigned is 0), and floating-point data is truncated toward zero and
+/// saturated, with NaN read as 0.
 pub fn read_as_i64(raw: &[u8], datatype: &Datatype) -> Result<Vec<i64>, FormatError> {
     if let Datatype::Array { base_type, .. } = datatype {
         return read_as_i64(raw, base_type);
@@ -1091,8 +1096,10 @@ pub fn read_as_i64(raw: &[u8], datatype: &Datatype) -> Result<Vec<i64>, FormatEr
 
 /// Convert raw bytes to `u64` values.
 ///
-/// Floating-point data is converted the way libhdf5 converts it: truncated
-/// toward zero, saturating at the target type's range, with NaN read as 0.
+/// Values are converted the way libhdf5 converts them: integers outside the
+/// target range saturate at its minimum or maximum (a negative value read as
+/// unsigned is 0), and floating-point data is truncated toward zero and
+/// saturated, with NaN read as 0.
 pub fn read_as_u64(raw: &[u8], datatype: &Datatype) -> Result<Vec<u64>, FormatError> {
     if let Datatype::Array { base_type, .. } = datatype {
         return read_as_u64(raw, base_type);
@@ -1207,8 +1214,10 @@ pub fn read_as_f32(raw: &[u8], datatype: &Datatype) -> Result<Vec<f32>, FormatEr
 
 /// Convert raw bytes to `i32` values.
 ///
-/// Floating-point data is converted the way libhdf5 converts it: truncated
-/// toward zero, saturating at the target type's range, with NaN read as 0.
+/// Values are converted the way libhdf5 converts them: integers outside the
+/// target range saturate at its minimum or maximum (a negative value read as
+/// unsigned is 0), and floating-point data is truncated toward zero and
+/// saturated, with NaN read as 0.
 pub fn read_as_i32(raw: &[u8], datatype: &Datatype) -> Result<Vec<i32>, FormatError> {
     if let Datatype::Array { base_type, .. } = datatype {
         return read_as_i32(raw, base_type);
@@ -1231,6 +1240,7 @@ pub fn read_as_i32(raw: &[u8], datatype: &Datatype) -> Result<Vec<i32>, FormatEr
             datatype,
             Datatype::FixedPoint {
                 byte_order: DatatypeByteOrder::LittleEndian,
+                signed: true,
                 ..
             }
         )
diff --git a/crates/clawhdf5/tests/numeric_conversion_interop.rs b/crates/clawhdf5/tests/numeric_conversion_interop.rs
index 5c0fc3c..e75700a 100644
--- a/crates/clawhdf5/tests/numeric_conversion_interop.rs
+++ b/crates/clawhdf5/tests/numeric_conversion_interop.rs
@@ -127,3 +127,64 @@ with h5py.File("{path}", "r") as f:
     let f2 = file.dataset("f2").unwrap();
     assert_eq!(f2.read_u64().unwrap(), vec![1, 0, 0, 0, 7, 65504, 0]);
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn integer_reads_saturate_out_of_range_values_like_libhdf5() {
+    // Narrowing reads used to keep the low bits (i64 2^40+5 read as i32 was
+    // 5, u64::MAX read as i64 was -1) and signed-to-unsigned reads wrapped
+    // (-1 read as u64 was 4294967295).
+    skip_if_no_python!();
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let path = dir.path().join("int_narrowing.h5");
+    let script = format!(
+        r#"{PRELUDE}
+data = {{
+    "i8": np.array([2**40 + 5, -(2**35), 7, -1, 2**63 - 1, -(2**63)], "<i8"),
+    "i8be": np.array([2**40 + 5, -(2**35), 7, -1], ">i8"),
+    "u8": np.array([2**64 - 1, 2**63, 5, 0], "<u8"),
+    "u4": np.array([2**32 - 1, 2**31, 2**31 - 1, 3], "<u4"),
+    "i4": np.array([-1, 5, -(2**31), 2**31 - 1], "<i4"),
+    "i2be": np.array([-300, 300, -1], ">i2"),
+    "u1": np.array([255, 0, 128], "u1"),
+}}
+with h5py.File("{path}", "w") as f:
+    for name, arr in data.items():
+        f.create_dataset(name, data=arr)
+with h5py.File("{path}", "r") as f:
+    for name in data:
+        d = f[name]
+        emit(name + ":i32", d.astype("<i4")[()])
+        emit(name + ":i64", d.astype("<i8")[()])
+        emit(name + ":u64", d.astype("<u8")[()])
+"#,
+        path = path.display()
+    );
+    let expected = run_python(&script);
+
+    let file = File::open(&path).unwrap();
+    for name in ["i8", "i8be", "u8", "u4", "i4", "i2be", "u1"] {
+        let ds = file.dataset(name).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            ds.read_i32().unwrap(),
+            parse::<i32>(&expected[&format!("{name}:i32")]),
+            "{name} as i32"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            ds.read_i64().unwrap(),
+            parse::<i64>(&expected[&format!("{name}:i64")]),
+            "{name} as i64"
+        );
+        // libhdf5 wraps a negative big-endian i64 read as little-endian u64
+        // (it only byte-swaps when the sizes match and the order differs);
+        // every other signed-to-unsigned read saturates at 0, so do that.
+        if name != "i8be" {
+            assert_eq!(
+                ds.read_u64().unwrap(),
+                parse::<u64>(&expected[&format!("{name}:u64")]),
+                "{name} as u64"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+    let i8be = file.dataset("i8be").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(i8be.read_u64().unwrap(), vec![(1 << 40) + 5, 0, 7, 0]);
+}