diff --git a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_write.rs b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_write.rs
index 89b0f7f..d750fd8 100644
--- a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_write.rs
+++ b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_write.rs
@@ -984,7 +984,13 @@ pub fn build_chunked_data_from_precompressed(
     base_address: u64,
     maxshape: Option<&[u64]>,
 ) -> Result<ChunkedDataResult, FormatError> {
-    build_chunked_data_from_precompressed_libver(pre, base_address, maxshape, LibVer::Latest)
+    build_chunked_data_from_precompressed_libver(
+        pre,
+        base_address,
+        maxshape,
+        LibVer::Latest,
+        LibVer::Latest,
+    )
 }
 
 /// [`build_chunked_data_from_precompressed`] for a file whose low library
@@ -992,13 +998,28 @@ pub fn build_chunked_data_from_precompressed(
 /// every chunked dataset gets a version-3 layout message and a version-1
 /// B-tree chunk index, whatever its maximum shape, as libhdf5 writes it;
 /// otherwise the version-4 layout and the index libhdf5 picks for it.
+///
+/// A chunk of 4 GiB or more (over [`MAX_V4_CHUNK_BYTES`]) takes layout
+/// message version 5 whatever `low` is, as in libhdf5 (a version-1 B-tree
+/// key holds a 32-bit size), and needs a `high` bound of at least
+/// [`LibVer::V200`] ([`FormatError::LibverBound`] otherwise).
 pub fn build_chunked_data_from_precompressed_libver(
     pre: &PrecompressedChunks,
     base_address: u64,
     maxshape: Option<&[u64]>,
     low: LibVer,
+    high: LibVer,
 ) -> Result<ChunkedDataResult, FormatError> {
-    if low < LibVer::V110 {
+    let (_, chunk_bytes) = checked_chunk_dims(&pre.chunk_dims, pre.element_size)?;
+    if chunk_bytes > MAX_V4_CHUNK_BYTES {
+        if high < LibVer::V200 {
+            return Err(FormatError::LibverBound {
+                what: format!("a chunk of {chunk_bytes} bytes (4 GiB or more)"),
+                needs: LibVer::V200,
+                high,
+            });
+        }
+    } else if low < LibVer::V110 {
         return build_btree_v1_chunked_data(pre, base_address, maxshape);
     }
     let index = ChunkIndexPlan::new(&pre.shape, maxshape, &pre.chunk_dims)?;
@@ -2102,6 +2123,38 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(layout_version_for(HUGE_BYTES), 5);
     }
 
+    /// A chunk of 4 GiB or more never goes into a version-1 B-tree (its key
+    /// holds a 32-bit size): under a 1.8 low bound it still takes layout
+    /// version 5, and a high bound below 2.0 refuses it, as in libhdf5.
+    #[test]
+    fn huge_chunks_ignore_the_v18_low_bound_and_need_v200() {
+        // One filtered chunk; the stored bytes stand in for its compression.
+        let pre = PrecompressedChunks {
+            chunks: vec![(HUGE_BYTES, vec![0u8; 16], 0)],
+            has_filters: true,
+            element_size: 8,
+            shape: vec![HUGE_DIM],
+            chunk_dims: vec![HUGE_DIM],
+            pipeline_message: None,
+        };
+        let r = build_chunked_data_from_precompressed_libver(
+            &pre,
+            4096,
+            None,
+            LibVer::V18,
+            LibVer::Latest,
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(r.layout_message[0], 5, "layout message version");
+        for high in [LibVer::V18, LibVer::V114] {
+            match build_chunked_data_from_precompressed_libver(&pre, 4096, None, LibVer::V18, high)
+            {
+                Err(FormatError::LibverBound { needs, .. }) => assert_eq!(needs, LibVer::V200),
+                other => panic!("high bound {high}: {:?}", other.map(|r| r.layout_message)),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /// `H5D_FARRAY_FILT_COMPUTE_CHUNK_SIZE_LEN` (and its EA and v2 B-tree
     /// twins) in libhdf5 2.2.0: one byte more than the chunk size needs up to
     /// layout version 4, the size of lengths from version 5.
diff --git a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/file_writer.rs b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/file_writer.rs
index 6dcfe47..4eb59ee 100644
--- a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/file_writer.rs
+++ b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/file_writer.rs
@@ -1517,7 +1517,9 @@ impl FileWriter {
     /// (virtual datasets, a paged file, the 1.12 reference types, native
     /// complex numbers). With a low bound of 1.8 and a later high bound
     /// such objects are written in the newer format, as libhdf5 writes them;
-    /// the rest of the file stays readable by 1.8.
+    /// the rest of the file stays readable by 1.8. A chunk of 4 GiB or more
+    /// always takes HDF5 2.0's version-5 layout (never a version-1 B-tree)
+    /// and so needs a high bound of at least [`LibVer::V200`].
     ///
     /// A low bound above the high bound makes [`Self::finish`] fail.
     pub fn libver_bounds(&mut self, low: LibVer, high: LibVer) -> &mut Self {
@@ -1830,6 +1832,7 @@ impl FileWriter {
                     dummy_cursor,
                     d.maxshape.as_deref(),
                     low,
+                    high,
                 )?;
                 dummy_cursor += result.data_bytes.len() as u64;
                 let oh = build_chunked_dataset_oh(
@@ -1991,6 +1994,7 @@ impl FileWriter {
                     base_address,
                     d.maxshape.as_deref(),
                     low,
+                    high,
                 )?;
                 cursor2 += result.data_bytes.len();
                 let oh = build_chunked_dataset_oh(