diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 4f374b4889..5ebc937746 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -5417,9 +5417,16 @@ if { test "$cpu" = "i386" || test "$cpu" = "x86_64"; } && \
 fi
 
 # Only build s390-ccw bios if we're on s390x and the compiler has -march=z900
+# or -march=z10 (which is the lowest architecture level that Clang supports)
 if test "$cpu" = "s390x" ; then
   write_c_skeleton
-  if compile_prog "-march=z900" ""; then
+  compile_prog "-march=z900" ""
+  has_z900=$?
+  if [ $has_z900 = 0 ] || compile_prog "-march=z10" ""; then
+    if [ $has_z900 != 0 ]; then
+      echo "WARNING: Your compiler does not support the z900!"
+      echo "         The s390-ccw bios will only work with guest CPUs >= z10."
+    fi
     roms="$roms s390-ccw"
     # SLOF is required for building the s390-ccw firmware on s390x,
     # since it is using the libnet code from SLOF for network booting.
diff --git a/pc-bios/s390-ccw/Makefile b/pc-bios/s390-ccw/Makefile
index 83fb1afb73..cee9d2c63b 100644
--- a/pc-bios/s390-ccw/Makefile
+++ b/pc-bios/s390-ccw/Makefile
@@ -34,7 +34,8 @@ QEMU_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-Werror $(QEMU_CFLAGS),-Wno-stringop-overflow)
 QEMU_CFLAGS += -ffreestanding -fno-delete-null-pointer-checks -fno-common -fPIE
 QEMU_CFLAGS += -fwrapv -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-asynchronous-unwind-tables
 QEMU_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, $(QEMU_CFLAGS), -fno-stack-protector)
-QEMU_CFLAGS += -msoft-float -march=z900
+QEMU_CFLAGS += -msoft-float
+QEMU_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, $(QEMU_CFLAGS),-march=z900,-march=z10)
 QEMU_CFLAGS += -std=gnu99
 LDFLAGS += -Wl,-pie -nostdlib