diff --git a/src/PeriodTraits/PeriodGetters.php b/src/PeriodTraits/PeriodGetters.php
index 7ec6a7e..0922b2a 100644
--- a/src/PeriodTraits/PeriodGetters.php
+++ b/src/PeriodTraits/PeriodGetters.php
@@ -66,6 +66,13 @@ trait PeriodGetters
 
     public function length(): int
     {
+        // When the boundary exclusions push the included start past the included
+        // end, the period is empty: it contains no units and iterating over it
+        // (see Period::getIterator()) yields nothing.
+        if ($this->includedStart() > $this->includedEnd()) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
         // Length of month and year are not fixed, so we can't predict the length without iterate
         // TODO: maybe we can use cal_days_in_month ?
         if ($this->precision->equals(Precision::MONTH(), Precision::YEAR())) {
@@ -73,7 +80,9 @@ trait PeriodGetters
         }
 
         if ($this->precision->equals(Precision::HOUR(), Precision::MINUTE(), Precision::SECOND())) {
-            $length = abs($this->includedEnd()->getTimestamp() - $this->includedStart()->getTimestamp());
+            // includedEnd is guaranteed to be >= includedStart here, so the
+            // difference is already non-negative.
+            $length = $this->includedEnd()->getTimestamp() - $this->includedStart()->getTimestamp();
 
             if ($this->precision->equals(Precision::SECOND())) {
                 return $length + 1;
diff --git a/tests/Datasets/Periods.php b/tests/Datasets/Periods.php
index 2536d28..cbf7a41 100644
--- a/tests/Datasets/Periods.php
+++ b/tests/Datasets/Periods.php
@@ -88,3 +88,20 @@ dataset('expected_period_lengths', function () {
     yield [24, Period::make('2018-01-01 00:00:00', '2018-01-01 23:59:59', Precision::HOUR())];
     yield [24, Period::make('2018-01-01 00:00:00', '2018-01-02 00:00:00', Precision::HOUR(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_END())];
 });
+
+// Single-unit periods (start === end) whose boundary exclusions push the
+// included start past the included end, making them empty. The iterator
+// (Period::getIterator) yields nothing for these, so length() must return 0
+// too instead of a spurious positive count.
+dataset('empty_period_lengths', function () {
+    yield 'day, exclude start' => [Period::make('2018-01-01', '2018-01-01', Precision::DAY(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_START())];
+    yield 'day, exclude end' => [Period::make('2018-01-01', '2018-01-01', Precision::DAY(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_END())];
+    yield 'day, exclude all' => [Period::make('2018-01-01', '2018-01-01', Precision::DAY(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_ALL())];
+
+    yield 'hour, exclude all' => [Period::make('2018-01-01 10:00:00', '2018-01-01 10:00:00', Precision::HOUR(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_ALL())];
+    yield 'minute, exclude all' => [Period::make('2018-01-01 10:00:00', '2018-01-01 10:00:00', Precision::MINUTE(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_ALL())];
+    yield 'second, exclude all' => [Period::make('2018-01-01 10:00:00', '2018-01-01 10:00:00', Precision::SECOND(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_ALL())];
+
+    yield 'month, exclude all' => [Period::make('2018-01-01', '2018-01-01', Precision::MONTH(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_ALL())];
+    yield 'year, exclude all' => [Period::make('2018-01-01', '2018-01-01', Precision::YEAR(), Boundaries::EXCLUDE_ALL())];
+});
diff --git a/tests/PeriodTest.php b/tests/PeriodTest.php
index 6e59ec0..a06022f 100644
--- a/tests/PeriodTest.php
+++ b/tests/PeriodTest.php
@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@ it('can determine the period length', function () {
     expect($period->length())->toEqual(15);
 });
 
+it('returns a length of 0 for an empty period, consistent with its iterator', function (Period $period) {
+    expect($period->includedStart())->toBeGreaterThan($period->includedEnd());
+    expect($period->length())->toEqual(0);
+    expect($period->length())->toEqual(iterator_count($period));
+})->with('empty_period_lengths');
+
 it('can renew a period', function () {
     $period = Period::make('2018-01-01', '2018-01-15');