diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
index e313d8ced..e23cb3169 100644
--- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
+++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 
 		<!-- Don't forget to update status.xml too! -->
         <release version="3.1.1-alpha1" date="2008-??-??">
+           <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">45645 - Fix for HSSFSheet.autoSizeColumn() for widths exceeding Short.MAX_VALUE</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">45623 - Support for additional HSSF header and footer fields, including bold and full file path</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">45623 - Support stripping HSSF header and footer fields (eg page number) out of header and footer text if required</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">45622 - Support stripping HWPF fields (eg macros) out of text, via Range.stripFields(text)</action>
diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
index f0352ea5f..33c86d589 100644
--- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
+++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 	<!-- Don't forget to update changes.xml too! -->
     <changes>
         <release version="3.1.1-alpha1" date="2008-??-??">
+           <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">45645 - Fix for HSSFSheet.autoSizeColumn() for widths exceeding Short.MAX_VALUE</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">45623 - Support for additional HSSF header and footer fields, including bold and full file path</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">45623 - Support stripping HSSF header and footer fields (eg page number) out of header and footer text if required</action>
            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="add">45622 - Support stripping HWPF fields (eg macros) out of text, via Range.stripFields(text)</action>
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFSheet.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFSheet.java
index 84a71a89a..ef3d58006 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFSheet.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFSheet.java
@@ -1787,10 +1787,11 @@ public final class HSSFSheet {
 
         }
         if (width != -1) {
+            width *= 256;
             if (width > Short.MAX_VALUE) { //width can be bigger that Short.MAX_VALUE!
                 width = Short.MAX_VALUE;
             }
-            sheet.setColumnWidth(column, (short) (width * 256));
+            sheet.setColumnWidth(column, (short) (width));
         }
     }