diff --git a/hack/test-cmd.sh b/hack/test-cmd.sh
index 448c96f08e6..9cae41e8554 100755
--- a/hack/test-cmd.sh
+++ b/hack/test-cmd.sh
@@ -474,6 +474,30 @@ runTests() {
   # Post-condition: valid-pod POD doesn't exist
   kube::test::get_object_assert pods "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
 
+  ### Create pod-with-precision POD
+  # Pre-condition: no POD is running
+  kube::test::get_object_assert pods "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" ''
+  # Command
+  kubectl create -f hack/testdata/pod-with-precision.json "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  # Post-condition: valid-pod POD is running
+  kube::test::get_object_assert pods "{{range.items}}{{$id_field}}:{{end}}" 'pod-with-precision:'
+  
+  ## Patch preserves precision
+  # Command
+  kubectl patch "${kube_flags[@]}" pod pod-with-precision -p='{"metadata":{"annotations":{"patchkey": "patchvalue"}}}'
+  # Post-condition: pod-with-precision POD has patched annotation
+  kube::test::get_object_assert 'pod pod-with-precision' "{{${annotations_field}.patchkey}}" 'patchvalue'
+  # Command
+  kubectl label pods pod-with-precision labelkey=labelvalue "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  # Post-condition: pod-with-precision POD has label
+  kube::test::get_object_assert 'pod pod-with-precision' "{{${labels_field}.labelkey}}" 'labelvalue'
+  # Command
+  kubectl annotate pods pod-with-precision annotatekey=annotatevalue "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  # Post-condition: pod-with-precision POD has annotation
+  kube::test::get_object_assert 'pod pod-with-precision' "{{${annotations_field}.annotatekey}}" 'annotatevalue'
+  # Cleanup
+  kubectl delete pod pod-with-precision "${kube_flags[@]}" 
+
   ### Create valid-pod POD
   # Pre-condition: no POD exists
   create_and_use_new_namespace
diff --git a/hack/testdata/pod-with-precision.json b/hack/testdata/pod-with-precision.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c7b9f377a37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/testdata/pod-with-precision.json
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+{
+    "apiVersion": "v1",
+    "kind": "Pod",
+    "metadata": {
+        "name": "pod-with-precision"
+    },
+    "spec": {
+      "activeDeadlineSeconds": 2147483647,
+      "containers": [
+        {
+          "name": "kubernetes-pause",
+          "image": "kubernetes/pause"
+        }
+      ],
+      "restartPolicy": "Never",
+      "securityContext": {
+          "supplementalGroups": [
+              0,
+              1000030003,
+              2147483647
+          ]
+      }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/pkg/runtime/unstructured.go b/pkg/runtime/unstructured.go
index 1082ccee076..ba10aabf16e 100644
--- a/pkg/runtime/unstructured.go
+++ b/pkg/runtime/unstructured.go
@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@ limitations under the License.
 package runtime
 
 import (
-	"encoding/json"
+	gojson "encoding/json"
 	"io"
 
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/unversioned"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/json"
 )
 
 // UnstructuredJSONScheme is capable of converting JSON data into the Unstructured
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ func (unstructuredJSONScheme) EncodeToStream(obj Object, w io.Writer, overrides
 
 func (s unstructuredJSONScheme) decode(data []byte) (Object, error) {
 	type detector struct {
-		Items json.RawMessage
+		Items gojson.RawMessage
 	}
 	var det detector
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &det); err != nil {
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ func (unstructuredJSONScheme) decodeToUnstructured(data []byte, unstruct *Unstru
 func (s unstructuredJSONScheme) decodeToList(data []byte, list *UnstructuredList) error {
 	type decodeList struct {
 		TypeMeta `json:",inline"`
-		Items    []json.RawMessage
+		Items    []gojson.RawMessage
 	}
 
 	var dList decodeList
diff --git a/pkg/runtime/unstructured_test.go b/pkg/runtime/unstructured_test.go
index 9d6ea6303f9..fee7fbe3aef 100644
--- a/pkg/runtime/unstructured_test.go
+++ b/pkg/runtime/unstructured_test.go
@@ -19,10 +19,12 @@ package runtime_test
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/testapi"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/validation"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
 )
 
@@ -129,3 +131,66 @@ func TestDecode(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestDecodeNumbers(t *testing.T) {
+
+	// Start with a valid pod
+	originalJSON := []byte(`{
+		"kind":"Pod",
+		"apiVersion":"v1",
+		"metadata":{"name":"pod","namespace":"foo"},
+		"spec":{
+			"containers":[{"name":"container","image":"container"}],
+			"activeDeadlineSeconds":1000030003
+		}
+	}`)
+
+	pod := &api.Pod{}
+
+	// Decode with structured codec
+	codec, err := testapi.GetCodecForObject(pod)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	err = runtime.DecodeInto(codec, originalJSON, pod)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	// ensure pod is valid
+	if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod); len(errs) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("pod should be valid: %v", errs)
+	}
+
+	// Round-trip with unstructured codec
+	unstructuredObj, err := runtime.Decode(runtime.UnstructuredJSONScheme, originalJSON)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	roundtripJSON, err := runtime.Encode(runtime.UnstructuredJSONScheme, unstructuredObj)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Make sure we serialize back out in int form
+	if !strings.Contains(string(roundtripJSON), `"activeDeadlineSeconds":1000030003`) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %s, got %s", `"activeDeadlineSeconds":1000030003`, string(roundtripJSON))
+	}
+
+	// Decode with structured codec again
+	obj2, err := runtime.Decode(codec, roundtripJSON)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	// ensure pod is still valid
+	pod2, ok := obj2.(*api.Pod)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("expected an *api.Pod, got %#v", obj2)
+	}
+	if errs := validation.ValidatePod(pod2); len(errs) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("pod should be valid: %v", errs)
+	}
+	// ensure round-trip preserved large integers
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(pod, pod2) {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected\n\t%#v, got \n\t%#v", pod, pod2)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/util/json/json.go b/pkg/util/json/json.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1ff8cc0d441
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/util/json/json.go
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2015 The Kubernetes Authors All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package json
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
+)
+
+// NewEncoder delegates to json.NewEncoder
+// It is only here so this package can be a drop-in for common encoding/json uses
+func NewEncoder(w io.Writer) *json.Encoder {
+	return json.NewEncoder(w)
+}
+
+// Marshal delegates to json.Marshal
+// It is only here so this package can be a drop-in for common encoding/json uses
+func Marshal(v interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
+	return json.Marshal(v)
+}
+
+// Unmarshal unmarshals the given data
+// If v is a *map[string]interface{}, numbers are converted to int64 or float64
+func Unmarshal(data []byte, v interface{}) error {
+	switch v := v.(type) {
+	case *map[string]interface{}:
+		// Build a decoder from the given data
+		decoder := json.NewDecoder(bytes.NewBuffer(data))
+		// Preserve numbers, rather than casting to float64 automatically
+		decoder.UseNumber()
+		// Run the decode
+		if err := decoder.Decode(v); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		// If the decode succeeds, post-process the map to convert json.Number objects to int64 or float64
+		return convertMapNumbers(*v)
+
+	default:
+		return json.Unmarshal(data, v)
+	}
+}
+
+// convertMapNumbers traverses the map, converting any json.Number values to int64 or float64.
+// values which are map[string]interface{} or []interface{} are recursively visited
+func convertMapNumbers(m map[string]interface{}) error {
+	var err error
+	for k, v := range m {
+		switch v := v.(type) {
+		case json.Number:
+			m[k], err = convertNumber(v)
+		case map[string]interface{}:
+			err = convertMapNumbers(v)
+		case []interface{}:
+			err = convertSliceNumbers(v)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// convertSliceNumbers traverses the slice, converting any json.Number values to int64 or float64.
+// values which are map[string]interface{} or []interface{} are recursively visited
+func convertSliceNumbers(s []interface{}) error {
+	var err error
+	for i, v := range s {
+		switch v := v.(type) {
+		case json.Number:
+			s[i], err = convertNumber(v)
+		case map[string]interface{}:
+			err = convertMapNumbers(v)
+		case []interface{}:
+			err = convertSliceNumbers(v)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// convertNumber converts a json.Number to an int64 or float64, or returns an error
+func convertNumber(n json.Number) (interface{}, error) {
+	// Attempt to convert to an int64 first
+	if i, err := n.Int64(); err == nil {
+		return i, nil
+	}
+	// Return a float64 (default json.Decode() behavior)
+	// An overflow will return an error
+	return n.Float64()
+}
diff --git a/pkg/util/json/json_test.go b/pkg/util/json/json_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e41f6ce0486
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/util/json/json_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,317 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2015 The Kubernetes Authors All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package json
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"math"
+	"reflect"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestEvaluateTypes(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		In   string
+		Data interface{}
+		Out  string
+		Err  bool
+	}{
+		// Invalid syntaxes
+		{
+			In:  `x`,
+			Err: true,
+		},
+		{
+			In:  ``,
+			Err: true,
+		},
+
+		// Null
+		{
+			In:   `null`,
+			Data: nil,
+			Out:  `null`,
+		},
+		// Booleans
+		{
+			In:   `true`,
+			Data: true,
+			Out:  `true`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `false`,
+			Data: false,
+			Out:  `false`,
+		},
+
+		// Integers
+		{
+			In:   `0`,
+			Data: int64(0),
+			Out:  `0`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `-0`,
+			Data: int64(-0),
+			Out:  `0`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `1`,
+			Data: int64(1),
+			Out:  `1`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `2147483647`,
+			Data: int64(math.MaxInt32),
+			Out:  `2147483647`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `-2147483648`,
+			Data: int64(math.MinInt32),
+			Out:  `-2147483648`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `9223372036854775807`,
+			Data: int64(math.MaxInt64),
+			Out:  `9223372036854775807`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `-9223372036854775808`,
+			Data: int64(math.MinInt64),
+			Out:  `-9223372036854775808`,
+		},
+
+		// Int overflow
+		{
+			In:   `9223372036854775808`, // MaxInt64 + 1
+			Data: float64(9223372036854775808),
+			Out:  strconv.FormatFloat(9223372036854775808, 'g', -1, 64),
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `-9223372036854775809`, // MinInt64 - 1
+			Data: float64(math.MinInt64),
+			Out:  strconv.FormatFloat(-9223372036854775809, 'g', -1, 64),
+		},
+
+		// Floats
+		{
+			In:   `0.0`,
+			Data: float64(0),
+			Out:  `0`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `-0.0`,
+			Data: float64(-0.0),
+			Out:  `-0`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `0.5`,
+			Data: float64(0.5),
+			Out:  `0.5`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `1e3`,
+			Data: float64(1e3),
+			Out:  `1000`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `1.5`,
+			Data: float64(1.5),
+			Out:  `1.5`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `-0.3`,
+			Data: float64(-.3),
+			Out:  `-0.3`,
+		},
+		{
+			// Largest representable float32
+			In:   `3.40282346638528859811704183484516925440e+38`,
+			Data: float64(math.MaxFloat32),
+			Out:  strconv.FormatFloat(math.MaxFloat32, 'g', -1, 64),
+		},
+		{
+			// Smallest float32 without losing precision
+			In:   `1.175494351e-38`,
+			Data: float64(1.175494351e-38),
+			Out:  `1.175494351e-38`,
+		},
+		{
+			// float32 closest to zero
+			In:   `1.401298464324817070923729583289916131280e-45`,
+			Data: float64(math.SmallestNonzeroFloat32),
+			Out:  strconv.FormatFloat(math.SmallestNonzeroFloat32, 'g', -1, 64),
+		},
+		{
+			// Largest representable float64
+			In:   `1.797693134862315708145274237317043567981e+308`,
+			Data: float64(math.MaxFloat64),
+			Out:  strconv.FormatFloat(math.MaxFloat64, 'g', -1, 64),
+		},
+		{
+			// Closest to zero without losing precision
+			In:   `2.2250738585072014e-308`,
+			Data: float64(2.2250738585072014e-308),
+			Out:  `2.2250738585072014e-308`,
+		},
+
+		{
+			// float64 closest to zero
+			In:   `4.940656458412465441765687928682213723651e-324`,
+			Data: float64(math.SmallestNonzeroFloat64),
+			Out:  strconv.FormatFloat(math.SmallestNonzeroFloat64, 'g', -1, 64),
+		},
+
+		{
+			// math.MaxFloat64 + 2 overflow
+			In:  `1.7976931348623159e+308`,
+			Err: true,
+		},
+
+		// Strings
+		{
+			In:   `""`,
+			Data: string(""),
+			Out:  `""`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `"0"`,
+			Data: string("0"),
+			Out:  `"0"`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `"A"`,
+			Data: string("A"),
+			Out:  `"A"`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `"Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn"`,
+			Data: string("Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn"),
+			Out:  `"Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn"`,
+		},
+
+		// Arrays
+		{
+			In:   `[]`,
+			Data: []interface{}{},
+			Out:  `[]`,
+		},
+		{
+			In: `[` + strings.Join([]string{
+				`null`,
+				`true`,
+				`false`,
+				`0`,
+				`9223372036854775807`,
+				`0.0`,
+				`0.5`,
+				`1.0`,
+				`1.797693134862315708145274237317043567981e+308`,
+				`"0"`,
+				`"A"`,
+				`"Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn"`,
+				`[null,true,1,1.0,1.5]`,
+				`{"boolkey":true,"floatkey":1.0,"intkey":1,"nullkey":null}`,
+			}, ",") + `]`,
+			Data: []interface{}{
+				nil,
+				true,
+				false,
+				int64(0),
+				int64(math.MaxInt64),
+				float64(0.0),
+				float64(0.5),
+				float64(1.0),
+				float64(math.MaxFloat64),
+				string("0"),
+				string("A"),
+				string("Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn"),
+				[]interface{}{nil, true, int64(1), float64(1.0), float64(1.5)},
+				map[string]interface{}{"nullkey": nil, "boolkey": true, "intkey": int64(1), "floatkey": float64(1.0)},
+			},
+			Out: `[` + strings.Join([]string{
+				`null`,
+				`true`,
+				`false`,
+				`0`,
+				`9223372036854775807`,
+				`0`,
+				`0.5`,
+				`1`,
+				strconv.FormatFloat(math.MaxFloat64, 'g', -1, 64),
+				`"0"`,
+				`"A"`,
+				`"Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn"`,
+				`[null,true,1,1,1.5]`,
+				`{"boolkey":true,"floatkey":1,"intkey":1,"nullkey":null}`, // gets alphabetized by Marshal
+			}, ",") + `]`,
+		},
+
+		// Maps
+		{
+			In:   `{}`,
+			Data: map[string]interface{}{},
+			Out:  `{}`,
+		},
+		{
+			In:   `{"boolkey":true,"floatkey":1.0,"intkey":1,"nullkey":null}`,
+			Data: map[string]interface{}{"nullkey": nil, "boolkey": true, "intkey": int64(1), "floatkey": float64(1.0)},
+			Out:  `{"boolkey":true,"floatkey":1,"intkey":1,"nullkey":null}`, // gets alphabetized by Marshal
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		inputJSON := fmt.Sprintf(`{"data":%s}`, tc.In)
+		expectedJSON := fmt.Sprintf(`{"data":%s}`, tc.Out)
+		m := map[string]interface{}{}
+		err := Unmarshal([]byte(inputJSON), &m)
+		if tc.Err && err != nil {
+			// Expected error
+			continue
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: error decoding: %v", tc.In, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if tc.Err {
+			t.Errorf("%s: expected error, got none", tc.In)
+			continue
+		}
+		data, ok := m["data"]
+		if !ok {
+			t.Errorf("%s: decoded object missing data key: %#v", tc.In, m)
+			continue
+		}
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(tc.Data, data) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: expected\n\t%#v (%v), got\n\t%#v (%v)", tc.In, tc.Data, reflect.TypeOf(tc.Data), data, reflect.TypeOf(data))
+			continue
+		}
+
+		outputJSON, err := Marshal(m)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: error encoding: %v", tc.In, err)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if expectedJSON != string(outputJSON) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: expected\n\t%s, got\n\t%s", tc.In, expectedJSON, string(outputJSON))
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch.go b/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch.go
index effb8f9ae60..0a8610f6e85 100644
--- a/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch.go
+++ b/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch.go
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ limitations under the License.
 package strategicpatch
 
 import (
-	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"sort"
 
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/util/json"
 	forkedjson "k8s.io/kubernetes/third_party/forked/json"
 
 	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
diff --git a/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go b/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
index ac4027fc0c6..ec10fd43dcf 100644
--- a/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
+++ b/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
@@ -2024,3 +2024,87 @@ func TestHasConflicts(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+type PrecisionItem struct {
+	Name    string
+	Int32   int32
+	Int64   int64
+	Float32 float32
+	Float64 float64
+}
+
+var precisionItem PrecisionItem
+
+func TestNumberConversion(t *testing.T) {
+	testcases := map[string]struct {
+		Old            string
+		New            string
+		ExpectedPatch  string
+		ExpectedResult string
+	}{
+		"empty": {
+			Old:            `{}`,
+			New:            `{}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{}`,
+		},
+		"int32 medium": {
+			Old:            `{"int32":1000000}`,
+			New:            `{"int32":1000000,"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{"int32":1000000,"name":"newname"}`,
+		},
+		"int32 max": {
+			Old:            `{"int32":2147483647}`,
+			New:            `{"int32":2147483647,"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{"int32":2147483647,"name":"newname"}`,
+		},
+		"int64 medium": {
+			Old:            `{"int64":1000000}`,
+			New:            `{"int64":1000000,"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{"int64":1000000,"name":"newname"}`,
+		},
+		"int64 max": {
+			Old:            `{"int64":9223372036854775807}`,
+			New:            `{"int64":9223372036854775807,"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{"int64":9223372036854775807,"name":"newname"}`,
+		},
+		"float32 max": {
+			Old:            `{"float32":3.4028234663852886e+38}`,
+			New:            `{"float32":3.4028234663852886e+38,"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{"float32":3.4028234663852886e+38,"name":"newname"}`,
+		},
+		"float64 max": {
+			Old:            `{"float64":1.7976931348623157e+308}`,
+			New:            `{"float64":1.7976931348623157e+308,"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedPatch:  `{"name":"newname"}`,
+			ExpectedResult: `{"float64":1.7976931348623157e+308,"name":"newname"}`,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for k, tc := range testcases {
+		patch, err := CreateTwoWayMergePatch([]byte(tc.Old), []byte(tc.New), precisionItem)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: unexpected error %v", k, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if tc.ExpectedPatch != string(patch) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: expected %s, got %s", k, tc.ExpectedPatch, string(patch))
+			continue
+		}
+
+		result, err := StrategicMergePatch([]byte(tc.Old), patch, precisionItem)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: unexpected error %v", k, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if tc.ExpectedResult != string(result) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: expected %s, got %s", k, tc.ExpectedResult, string(result))
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+}