diff --git a/lib/dma-direct.c b/lib/dma-direct.c
index f04a424f91fa..8f76032ebc3c 100644
--- a/lib/dma-direct.c
+++ b/lib/dma-direct.c
@@ -12,6 +12,14 @@
 
 #define DIRECT_MAPPING_ERROR		0
 
+/*
+ * Most architectures use ZONE_DMA for the first 16 Megabytes, but
+ * some use it for entirely different regions:
+ */
+#ifndef ARCH_ZONE_DMA_BITS
+#define ARCH_ZONE_DMA_BITS 24
+#endif
+
 static bool
 check_addr(struct device *dev, dma_addr_t dma_addr, size_t size,
 		const char *caller)
@@ -34,6 +42,12 @@ static void *dma_direct_alloc(struct device *dev, size_t size,
 	int page_order = get_order(size);
 	struct page *page = NULL;
 
+	/* GFP_DMA32 and GFP_DMA are no ops without the corresponding zones: */
+	if (dev->coherent_dma_mask <= DMA_BIT_MASK(ARCH_ZONE_DMA_BITS))
+		gfp |= GFP_DMA;
+	if (dev->coherent_dma_mask <= DMA_BIT_MASK(32) && !(gfp & GFP_DMA))
+		gfp |= GFP_DMA32;
+
 	/* CMA can be used only in the context which permits sleeping */
 	if (gfpflags_allow_blocking(gfp))
 		page = dma_alloc_from_contiguous(dev, count, page_order, gfp);