diff --git a/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/construction.rs b/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/construction.rs
index c3208ac3fb4..2819f1fe3bf 100644
--- a/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/construction.rs
+++ b/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/construction.rs
@@ -527,15 +527,25 @@ impl<'source> Lowerer<'source, '_> {
 
                 let base = ctx.register_type(components[0])?;
 
+                ctx.layouter.update(ctx.module.to_ctx()).map_err(|err| {
+                    let crate::proc::LayoutErrorInner::TooLarge = err.inner else {
+                        unreachable!("unexpected layout error: {err:?}");
+                    };
+                    // This error could be for any type that was pending layout. Lots of
+                    // type definitions don't get spans, so the error message may not be
+                    // very useful.
+                    Box::new(Error::TypeTooLarge {
+                        span: ctx.module.types.get_span(err.ty),
+                    })
+                })?;
+                let stride = ctx.layouter[base].to_stride();
+
                 let inner = crate::TypeInner::Array {
                     base,
                     size: crate::ArraySize::Constant(
                         NonZeroU32::new(u32::try_from(components.len()).unwrap()).unwrap(),
                     ),
-                    stride: {
-                        ctx.layouter.update(ctx.module.to_ctx()).unwrap();
-                        ctx.layouter[base].to_stride()
-                    },
+                    stride,
                 };
                 let ty = ctx.ensure_type_exists(inner);
 
diff --git a/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/conversion.rs b/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/conversion.rs
index f8408695e7d..87697b7ba45 100644
--- a/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/conversion.rs
+++ b/naga/src/front/wgsl/lower/conversion.rs
@@ -277,6 +277,13 @@ impl<'source> super::ExpressionContext<'source, '_, '_> {
                     .cast_array(expr, *concrete_scalar, expr_span)
                 {
                     Ok(expr) => return Ok(expr),
+                    Err(crate::proc::ConstantEvaluatorError::TypeTooLarge(ty)) => {
+                        // Special case where the error is not actually related to the
+                        // particular scalar we tried to concretize.
+                        return Err(Box::new(super::Error::TypeTooLarge {
+                            span: self.module.types.get_span(ty),
+                        }));
+                    }
                     Err(err) => {
                         errors.push((concrete_scalar.to_wgsl_for_diagnostics(), err));
                     }
diff --git a/naga/src/proc/constant_evaluator.rs b/naga/src/proc/constant_evaluator.rs
index 7b7c7e895f1..9ccdda3d566 100644
--- a/naga/src/proc/constant_evaluator.rs
+++ b/naga/src/proc/constant_evaluator.rs
@@ -952,6 +952,8 @@ pub enum ConstantEvaluatorError {
     SelectAcceptRejectTypeMismatch,
     #[error("Cooperative operations can't be constant")]
     CooperativeOperation,
+    #[error("Type is too large")]
+    TypeTooLarge(Handle<Type>),
 }
 
 impl<'a> ConstantEvaluator<'a> {
@@ -2652,7 +2654,14 @@ impl<'a> ConstantEvaluator<'a> {
             }
         };
         let mut layouter = core::mem::take(self.layouter);
-        layouter.update(self.to_ctx()).unwrap();
+        layouter.update(self.to_ctx()).map_err(|err| {
+            // The layouter operates lazily, so the error
+            // could be for any pending type.
+            let crate::proc::LayoutErrorInner::TooLarge = err.inner else {
+                unreachable!("unexpected layout error: {err:?}");
+            };
+            ConstantEvaluatorError::TypeTooLarge(err.ty)
+        })?;
         *self.layouter = layouter;
 
         let new_base_stride = self.layouter[new_base].to_stride();
diff --git a/naga/tests/naga/wgsl_errors.rs b/naga/tests/naga/wgsl_errors.rs
index 3ab89f11f5d..67d1ffcbf40 100644
--- a/naga/tests/naga/wgsl_errors.rs
+++ b/naga/tests/naga/wgsl_errors.rs
@@ -4714,6 +4714,50 @@ fn max_type_size_array_of_structs() {
     }
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn max_type_size_array_constructor_with_oversize_type() {
+    // An `array(...)` constructor expression invokes the layouter to compute
+    // the stride of the constructed array. If a previously declared type is
+    // oversize, the layouter encounters it and the error must be reported
+    // rather than panicking.
+    //
+    // Regression test for <https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/9440>.
+    check(
+        r#"
+            var<workgroup> big: array<u32, 1 << 29>;
+            const A = array(1);
+        "#,
+        r#"error: type is too large
+ = note: the maximum size is 2147483647 bytes
+
+"#,
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn max_type_size_concretize_with_oversize_type() {
+    // Concretizing an abstract array (here, indexing it with a non-constant
+    // index forces concretization to a concrete element type) invokes the
+    // layouter to compute the new array's stride. If a previously declared
+    // type is oversize, the layouter encounters it and the error must be
+    // reported rather than panicking.
+    //
+    // Regression test for <https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/issues/9440>.
+    check(
+        r#"
+            const a = array(0.);
+            var<workgroup> big: array<u32, 1 << 29>;
+            fn main(i: u32) {
+                let x = a[i];
+            }
+        "#,
+        r#"error: type is too large
+ = note: the maximum size is 2147483647 bytes
+
+"#,
+    );
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn source_with_control_char() {
     check(