diff --git a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fs b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fs
index 74c84101707..b95933a7aa3 100644
--- a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fs
+++ b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.FSharp.Core
     type bool = System.Boolean
     type decimal = System.Decimal
     type int = int32
+    type uint = uint32
 
     type ``[]``<'T> = (# "!0[]" #)
     type ``[,]``<'T> = (# "!0[0 ...,0 ...]" #)
diff --git a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fsi b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fsi
index ed68965bf28..f4dd023159b 100644
--- a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fsi
+++ b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types-prelude.fsi
@@ -78,6 +78,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.FSharp.Core
     /// <summary>An abbreviation for the CLI type <c>System.Int32</c>.</summary>
     type int = int32
 
+    /// <summary>An abbreviation for the CLI type <c>System.UInt32</c>.</summary>
+    type uint = uint32
+
     /// <summary>Single dimensional, zero-based arrays, written <c>int[]</c>, <c>string[]</c> etc.</summary>
     /// <remarks>Use the values in the <c>Array</c> module to manipulate values 
     /// of this type, or the notation <c>arr.[x]</c> to get/set array
diff --git a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fs b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fs
index 51c38a9642c..4bff05856c9 100644
--- a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fs
+++ b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fs
@@ -3731,7 +3731,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.FSharp.Core
              when ^T : byte     = (# "conv.i4" value  : int32 #)
 
         [<CompiledName("ToInt")>]
-        let inline int value = int32  value         
+        let inline int value = int32  value
+
+        [<CompiledName("ToUInt")>]
+        let inline uint value = uint32 value
 
         [<CompiledName("ToEnum")>]
         let inline enum< ^T when ^T : enum<int32> > (value:int32) : ^T = EnumOfValue value
diff --git a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fsi b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fsi
index fd6c7557ef1..afa0719602c 100644
--- a/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fsi
+++ b/src/fsharp/FSharp.Core/prim-types.fsi
@@ -2639,6 +2639,15 @@ namespace Microsoft.FSharp.Core
         [<CompiledName("ToInt")>]
         val inline int        : value:^T -> int        when ^T : (static member op_Explicit : ^T -> int)        and default ^T : int
         
+        /// <summary>Converts the argument to an unsigned 32-bit integer. This is a direct conversion for all 
+        /// primitive numeric types. For strings, the input is converted using <c>UInt32.Parse()</c>  
+        /// with InvariantCulture settings. Otherwise the operation requires an appropriate
+        /// static conversion method on the input type.</summary>
+        /// <param name="value">The input value.</param>
+        /// <returns>The converted int</returns>
+        [<CompiledName("ToUInt")>]
+        val inline uint: value:^T -> uint when ^T: (static member op_Explicit: ^T -> uint) and default ^T: uint
+
         /// <summary>Converts the argument to a particular enum type.</summary>
         /// <param name="value">The input value.</param>
         /// <returns>The converted enum type.</returns>
diff --git a/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/FSharp.Core/PrimTypes.fs b/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/FSharp.Core/PrimTypes.fs
index 9d92d474cff..4470df289d4 100644
--- a/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/FSharp.Core/PrimTypes.fs
+++ b/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/FSharp.Core/PrimTypes.fs
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@ type m
 [<TestFixture>]
 type LanguagePrimitivesModule() =
 
+    [<Test>]    
+    member _.CastingUint () =
+        let expected = 12u
+        let actual = uint 12
+        Assert.AreEqual(expected, actual)
+
     [<Test>]
     member this.CastingUnits() =
         let f = 2.5
diff --git a/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.coreclr.fs b/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.coreclr.fs
index 75461964f29..ecfc236088f 100644
--- a/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.coreclr.fs
+++ b/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.coreclr.fs
@@ -2077,6 +2077,7 @@ Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 Sign[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 SizeOf[T]()
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 ToInt32[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 ToInt[T](T)
+Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: UInt32 ToUInt[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 limitedHash[T](Int32, T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int64 ToInt64[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: IntPtr ToIntPtr[T](T)
diff --git a/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.net40.fs b/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.net40.fs
index 5b9b5f43888..3acb5879d89 100644
--- a/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.net40.fs
+++ b/tests/FSharp.Core.UnitTests/SurfaceArea.net40.fs
@@ -2077,6 +2077,7 @@ Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 Sign[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 SizeOf[T]()
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 ToInt32[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 ToInt[T](T)
+Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: UInt32 ToUInt[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int32 limitedHash[T](Int32, T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: Int64 ToInt64[T](T)
 Microsoft.FSharp.Core.Operators: IntPtr ToIntPtr[T](T)
diff --git a/tests/fsharp/Compiler/Language/UIntTests.fs b/tests/fsharp/Compiler/Language/UIntTests.fs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c317f96e02f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fsharp/Compiler/Language/UIntTests.fs
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+namespace FSharp.Compiler.UnitTests
+
+open NUnit.Framework
+
+[<TestFixture>]
+module UIntTests =
+    let ``uint type abbreviation works`` () =
+        let src = "let x = uint 12"
+        let expectedErrors = [||]
+        CompilerAssert.TypeCheckWithErrors src expectedErrors
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/fsharp/FSharpSuite.Tests.fsproj b/tests/fsharp/FSharpSuite.Tests.fsproj
index 0daec217daa..66ae7d66b0b 100644
--- a/tests/fsharp/FSharpSuite.Tests.fsproj
+++ b/tests/fsharp/FSharpSuite.Tests.fsproj
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Compiler\Warnings\ExperimentalAttributeTests.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Compiler\Warnings\PatternMatchingWarningTests.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Compiler\SourceTextTests.fs" />
+    <Compile Include="Compiler\Language\UIntTests.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Compiler\Language\FixedIndexSliceTests.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Compiler\Language\SlicingQuotationTests.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Compiler\Language\CustomCollectionTests.fs" />