diff --git a/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs b/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs
index d801ca713e..28274ca8e6 100644
--- a/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs
+++ b/src/uu/nl/src/helper.rs
@@ -67,9 +67,11 @@ pub fn parse_options(settings: &mut crate::Settings, opts: &clap::ArgMatches) ->
         Some(Ok(style)) => settings.footer_numbering = style,
         Some(Err(message)) => errs.push(message),
     }
-    match opts.get_one::<usize>(options::NUMBER_WIDTH) {
+    // The upper bound is enforced by clap (see the argument definition); only
+    // the zero case is reported here, to match GNU's message for it.
+    match opts.get_one::<u64>(options::NUMBER_WIDTH) {
         None => {}
-        Some(num) if *num > 0 => settings.number_width = *num,
+        Some(num) if *num > 0 => settings.number_width = *num as usize,
         Some(_) => errs.push(translate!("nl-error-invalid-line-width", "value" => "0")),
     }
     if let Some(num) = opts.get_one::<u64>(options::JOIN_BLANK_LINES) {
diff --git a/src/uu/nl/src/nl.rs b/src/uu/nl/src/nl.rs
index b2ce91872d..382ee0b0c4 100644
--- a/src/uu/nl/src/nl.rs
+++ b/src/uu/nl/src/nl.rs
@@ -376,7 +376,10 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> Command {
                 .long(options::NUMBER_WIDTH)
                 .help(translate!("nl-help-number-width"))
                 .value_name("NUMBER")
-                .value_parser(clap::value_parser!(usize)),
+                // Bound the width to a C int like GNU. This rejects a huge width
+                // up front instead of letting a later `" ".repeat(width + 1)`
+                // abort with a capacity overflow (#13347).
+                .value_parser(clap::value_parser!(u64).range(..=i32::MAX as u64)),
         )
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs b/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs
index dcfafd3201..62b7b6bee0 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_nl.rs
@@ -187,6 +187,17 @@ fn test_number_width_zero() {
     }
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_number_width_above_int_max_is_rejected() {
+    // A field width above i32::MAX is rejected up front by clap, matching GNU's
+    // C-int bound, instead of aborting with a capacity overflow (#13347).
+    new_ucmd!()
+        .args(&["-w", "2147483648"])
+        .pipe_in("x\n")
+        .fails()
+        .stderr_contains("is not in 0..=2147483647");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_invalid_number_width() {
     for arg in ["-winvalid", "--number-width=invalid"] {