diff --git a/src/hb-dsalgs.hh b/src/hb-dsalgs.hh
index da8aad013..c133a532d 100644
--- a/src/hb-dsalgs.hh
+++ b/src/hb-dsalgs.hh
@@ -562,6 +562,8 @@ struct hb_bytes_t
 template <typename Type>
 struct hb_array_t
 {
+  static_assert ((bool) (unsigned) hb_static_size (Type), "");
+
   inline hb_array_t (void) : arrayZ (nullptr), len (0) {}
   inline hb_array_t (Type *array_, unsigned int len_) : arrayZ (array_), len (len_) {}
 
diff --git a/src/hb-open-type.hh b/src/hb-open-type.hh
index 17bc9c5b4..1c7b738be 100644
--- a/src/hb-open-type.hh
+++ b/src/hb-open-type.hh
@@ -345,6 +345,8 @@ static inline Type& operator + (Base &base, OffsetTo<Type, OffsetType, has_null>
 template <typename Type>
 struct UnsizedArrayOf
 {
+  static_assert ((bool) (unsigned) hb_static_size (Type), "");
+
   enum { item_size = Type::static_size };
 
   HB_NO_CREATE_COPY_ASSIGN_TEMPLATE (UnsizedArrayOf, Type);
@@ -449,6 +451,8 @@ struct UnsizedOffsetListOf : UnsizedOffsetArrayOf<Type, OffsetType, has_null>
 template <typename Type, typename LenType=HBUINT16>
 struct ArrayOf
 {
+  static_assert ((bool) (unsigned) hb_static_size (Type), "");
+
   enum { item_size = Type::static_size };
 
   HB_NO_CREATE_COPY_ASSIGN_TEMPLATE2 (ArrayOf, Type, LenType);
diff --git a/src/hb-vector.hh b/src/hb-vector.hh
index 926f00544..c1d7f946a 100644
--- a/src/hb-vector.hh
+++ b/src/hb-vector.hh
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
 template <typename Type, unsigned int PreallocedCount=8>
 struct hb_vector_t
 {
+  static_assert ((bool) (unsigned) hb_static_size (Type), "");
+
   typedef Type ItemType;
   enum { item_size = sizeof (Type) };