diff --git a/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs b/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs
index 6bbec85f444..bf2e68c3030 100644
--- a/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs
+++ b/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs
@@ -63,8 +63,11 @@ pub fn parse_options(settings: &mut crate::Settings, opts: &clap::ArgMatches) ->
     }
     match opts.get_one::<usize>(options::NUMBER_WIDTH) {
         None => {}
-        Some(num) if *num > 0 => settings.number_width = *num,
-        Some(_) => errs.push(translate!("nl-error-invalid-line-width", "value" => "0")),
+        Some(num) if *num > 0 && *num <= i32::MAX as usize => settings.number_width = *num,
+        Some(num) => errs.push(translate!(
+            "nl-error-invalid-line-width",
+            "value" => num.to_string()
+        )),
     }
     if let Some(num) = opts.get_one::<u64>(options::JOIN_BLANK_LINES) {
         settings.join_blank_lines = *num;
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs b/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs
index c08c6a7b243..57bb0849134 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs
@@ -187,6 +187,28 @@ fn test_number_width_zero() {
     }
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_number_width_too_large() {
+    // Values > i32::MAX must be rejected to match GNU nl behaviour and avoid
+    // a capacity-overflow panic in " ".repeat(number_width + 1).
+    for arg in ["-w2147483648", "--number-width=2147483648"] {
+        new_ucmd!()
+            .arg(arg)
+            .pipe_in("")
+            .fails()
+            .stderr_contains("Invalid line number field width: '2147483648': Numerical result out of range");
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn test_number_width_max_i32() {
+    // i32::MAX (2147483647) is the largest value GNU nl accepts; it must not panic.
+    new_ucmd!()
+        .args(&["-w", "2147483647"])
+        .pipe_in("")
+        .succeeds();
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_invalid_number_width() {
     for arg in ["-winvalid", "--number-width=invalid"] {