diff --git a/forge/ee/routes/tables/index.js b/forge/ee/routes/tables/index.js
index 1c5785e036..cd0c5a1a06 100644
--- a/forge/ee/routes/tables/index.js
+++ b/forge/ee/routes/tables/index.js
@@ -1,3 +1,37 @@
+// The drivers turn numeric defaults into SQL with parseInt/parseFloat. A value that comes out as
+// NaN or Infinity lands in the query as a bare word, which Postgres rejects with an unrelated error.
+// A bigint outside its range still creates the table, but every insert relying on the default then fails.
+function findInvalidNumericDefault (columns) {
+    return columns.find(col => {
+        if (!col.name || !col.default) {
+            return false
+        }
+        if (col.type === 'bigint') {
+            const value = parseInt(col.default)
+            return isNaN(value) || value >= 2 ** 63 || value <= -(2 ** 63)
+        }
+        if (col.type === 'real' || col.type === 'double precision') {
+            return !Number.isFinite(parseFloat(col.default))
+        }
+        return false
+    })
+}
+
+// Postgres quotes a date it rejects but not the column it was for, so match the value back to it
+const INVALID_DATE = /(?:invalid input syntax for type date|date\/time field value out of range): "(.*)"/
+
+function findInvalidDateDefault (columns, err) {
+    const match = err.message.match(INVALID_DATE)
+    if (!match) {
+        return null
+    }
+    return columns.find(col => col.type === 'date' && col.default === match[1])
+}
+
+function invalidDefaultError (col) {
+    return { code: 'invalid_column_default', error: `Invalid default value "${col.default}" for ${col.type} column "${col.name}"` }
+}
+
 module.exports = async function (app) {
     // All routes are relative to /api/v1/teams/:teamId/databases
 
@@ -327,6 +361,10 @@ module.exports = async function (app) {
         if (tables.tables.filter((t) => t.name === request.body.name && t.schema === request.body.schema).length === 1) {
             return reply.status(409).send({ code: 'table_exists', error: 'Table already exists' })
         }
+        const invalidNumericDefault = findInvalidNumericDefault(request.body.columns)
+        if (invalidNumericDefault) {
+            return reply.status(400).send(invalidDefaultError(invalidNumericDefault))
+        }
         try {
             await app.tables.createTable(request.team, request.params.databaseId, request.body.name, request.body.columns, request.body.schema)
             reply.status(201).send({ name: request.body.name, schema: request.body.schema })
@@ -335,6 +373,10 @@ module.exports = async function (app) {
             if (err.message.includes('Unsupported column type')) {
                 return reply.status(400).send({ code: 'invalid_column_type', error: 'Unsupported column type. Supported types: bigint, bigserial, boolean, date, timestamptz, real, double precision, text' })
             }
+            const invalidDateDefault = findInvalidDateDefault(request.body.columns, err)
+            if (invalidDateDefault) {
+                return reply.status(400).send(invalidDefaultError(invalidDateDefault))
+            }
             app.log.error(`Create FF tables table error ${err.toString()}`)
             reply.status(500).send({ code: 'unexpected_error', error: 'Failed to create table' })
         }
diff --git a/test/unit/forge/ee/routes/tables/index_spec.js b/test/unit/forge/ee/routes/tables/index_spec.js
index 7623da3974..a4a6829261 100644
--- a/test/unit/forge/ee/routes/tables/index_spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/forge/ee/routes/tables/index_spec.js
@@ -318,6 +318,75 @@ describe('Tables API', function () {
         response.statusCode.should.equal(400)
     })
 
+    it('Fail to create a table with a numeric default that is not a number, naming the column', async function () {
+        const cases = [
+            { name: 'count', type: 'bigint', default: 'abc' },
+            { name: 'count', type: 'bigint', default: '99999999999999999999999' },
+            { name: 'count', type: 'bigint', default: '9223372036854775807' },
+            { name: 'count', type: 'bigint', default: '-9223372036854775808' },
+            { name: 'ratio', type: 'real', default: 'abc' },
+            { name: 'ratio', type: 'double precision', default: 'Infinity' }
+        ]
+        for (const column of cases) {
+            const spy = sinon.spy(app.tables, 'createTable')
+            const response = await createTable({ name: 'baddefault', columns: [column] })
+            spy.restore()
+            response.statusCode.should.equal(400, `${column.type} default '${column.default}' should be rejected`)
+            response.json().should.eql({
+                code: 'invalid_column_default',
+                error: `Invalid default value "${column.default}" for ${column.type} column "${column.name}"`
+            })
+            spy.called.should.be.false()
+        }
+    })
+
+    it('Create a table with numeric defaults the driver can already use', async function () {
+        // parseInt/parseFloat accept a leading number, so these work today and must keep working
+        const spy = sinon.spy(app.tables, 'createTable')
+        const response = await createTable({
+            name: 'numericdefaults',
+            columns: [
+                { name: 'count', type: 'bigint', default: '12abc' },
+                { name: 'big', type: 'bigint', default: '9007199254740993' },
+                { name: 'ratio', type: 'real', default: '1.5' }
+            ]
+        })
+        spy.restore()
+        response.statusCode.should.equal(201)
+        spy.calledOnce.should.be.true()
+    })
+
+    it('Fail to create a table with a date default Postgres rejects, naming the column', async function () {
+        const messages = [
+            'invalid input syntax for type date: "not-a-date"',
+            'date/time field value out of range: "not-a-date"'
+        ]
+        for (const message of messages) {
+            const stub = sinon.stub(app.tables, 'createTable').rejects(new Error(`Failed to create table baddate for team ${TestObjects.team.hashid}: ${message}`))
+            const response = await createTable({
+                name: 'baddate',
+                columns: [
+                    { name: 'id', type: 'bigserial' },
+                    { name: 'created', type: 'date', default: 'not-a-date' }
+                ]
+            })
+            stub.restore()
+            response.statusCode.should.equal(400)
+            response.json().should.eql({
+                code: 'invalid_column_default',
+                error: 'Invalid default value "not-a-date" for date column "created"'
+            })
+        }
+    })
+
+    it('Keeps the generic error when a driver failure is not about a column default', async function () {
+        const stub = sinon.stub(app.tables, 'createTable').rejects(new Error('Failed to create table other: connection refused'))
+        const response = await createTable({ name: 'other', columns })
+        stub.restore()
+        response.statusCode.should.equal(500)
+        response.json().should.have.property('error', 'Failed to create table')
+    })
+
     it('Create a table with an empty columns list', async function () {
         const response = await createTable({ name: 'emptycolumns', columns: [] })
         response.statusCode.should.equal(201)