diff --git a/compiler/tests/compile_errors.rs b/compiler/tests/compile_errors.rs
index ef4d266839..1d5d3ad739 100644
--- a/compiler/tests/compile_errors.rs
+++ b/compiler/tests/compile_errors.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ use std::fs;
     case("return_addition_with_mixed_types.fe", "TypeError"),
     case("return_lt_mixed_types.fe", "TypeError"),
     case("indexed_event.fe", "MoreThanThreeIndexedParams"),
-    case("unary_minus_on_bool.fe", "TypeError")
+    case("unary_minus_on_bool.fe", "TypeError"),
+    case("type_constructor_from_variable.fe", "NumericLiteralExpected")
 )]
 fn test_compile_errors(fixture_file: &str, expected_error: &str) {
     let src = fs::read_to_string(format!("tests/fixtures/compile_errors/{}", fixture_file))
diff --git a/compiler/tests/fixtures/compile_errors/type_constructor_from_variable.fe b/compiler/tests/fixtures/compile_errors/type_constructor_from_variable.fe
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c11b7b6fb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/tests/fixtures/compile_errors/type_constructor_from_variable.fe
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+contract Foo:
+
+    pub def bar() -> u16:
+        x:u8 = u8(1)
+        return u16(x)
diff --git a/semantics/src/errors.rs b/semantics/src/errors.rs
index 27b92e1938..22b32ff054 100644
--- a/semantics/src/errors.rs
+++ b/semantics/src/errors.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ pub enum ErrorKind {
     TypeError,
     CannotMove,
     NotCallable,
+    NumericLiteralExpected,
     MoreThanThreeIndexedParams,
 }
 
@@ -99,6 +100,14 @@ impl SemanticError {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Create a new error with kind `NumericLiteralExpected`
+    pub fn numeric_literal_expected() -> Self {
+        SemanticError {
+            kind: ErrorKind::NumericLiteralExpected,
+            context: vec![],
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Create a new error with kind `MoreThanThreeIndexedParams`
     pub fn more_than_three_indexed_params() -> Self {
         SemanticError {
diff --git a/semantics/src/traversal/expressions.rs b/semantics/src/traversal/expressions.rs
index 5e46a30b31..6c12cdd03a 100644
--- a/semantics/src/traversal/expressions.rs
+++ b/semantics/src/traversal/expressions.rs
@@ -352,6 +352,9 @@ fn expr_call(
                     return Err(SemanticError::type_error());
                 }
 
+                // Ensure something like u8(x) fails, only literals allowed e.g u8(1)
+                validate_is_numeric_literal(&args.node[0].node)?;
+
                 context
                     .borrow_mut()
                     .add_call(exp, CallType::TypeConstructor);
@@ -364,6 +367,21 @@ fn expr_call(
     unreachable!()
 }
 
+fn validate_is_numeric_literal(call_arg: &fe::CallArg) -> Result<(), SemanticError> {
+    let is_numeric_literal =
+        if let fe::CallArg::Arg(fe::Expr::UnaryOperation { operand, op: _ }) = call_arg {
+            matches!((*operand).node, fe::Expr::Num(_))
+        } else {
+            matches!(call_arg, fe::CallArg::Arg(fe::Expr::Num(_)))
+        };
+
+    if is_numeric_literal {
+        Ok(())
+    } else {
+        return Err(SemanticError::numeric_literal_expected());
+    }
+}
+
 fn expr_call_self(
     scope: Shared<BlockScope>,
     _context: Shared<Context>,