diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Exts.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Exts.cs
index b371f2f8a3..3cdaffdbeb 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Exts.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Exts.cs
@@ -488,6 +488,11 @@ namespace OpenRA
 			return int.Parse(s, NumberStyles.Integer, NumberFormatInfo.InvariantInfo);
 		}
 
+		public static byte ParseByte(string s)
+		{
+			return byte.Parse(s, NumberStyles.Integer, NumberFormatInfo.InvariantInfo);
+		}
+
 		public static bool TryParseIntegerInvariant(string s, out int i)
 		{
 			return int.TryParse(s, NumberStyles.Integer, NumberFormatInfo.InvariantInfo, out i);
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Network/Order.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Network/Order.cs
index 25b9aca186..9e8c179081 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Network/Order.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Network/Order.cs
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ namespace OpenRA
 										if (flags.HasField(OrderFields.TargetIsCell))
 										{
 											var cell = new CPos(r.ReadInt32(), r.ReadInt32(), r.ReadByte());
-											var subCell = (SubCell)r.ReadInt32();
+											var subCell = (SubCell)r.ReadByte();
 											if (world != null)
 												target = Target.FromCell(world, cell, subCell);
 										}
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ namespace OpenRA
 						if (fields.HasField(OrderFields.TargetIsCell))
 						{
 							w.Write(Target.SerializableCell.Value);
-							w.Write((int)Target.SerializableSubCell);
+							w.Write((byte)Target.SerializableSubCell);
 						}
 						else
 							w.Write(Target.SerializablePos);
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
index 50255f8c63..c3ef7d7ba9 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Traits/TraitsInterfaces.cs
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Traits
 		Pair<CPos, SubCell>[] OccupiedCells();
 	}
 
-	public enum SubCell { Invalid = int.MinValue, Any = int.MinValue / 2, FullCell = 0, First = 1 }
+	public enum SubCell : byte { Invalid = byte.MaxValue, Any = byte.MaxValue - 1, FullCell = 0, First = 1 }
 
 	public interface IPositionableInfo : IOccupySpaceInfo
 	{
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/ActorInitializer.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/ActorInitializer.cs
index e3c823d975..6685509307 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/ActorInitializer.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/ActorInitializer.cs
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common
 
 	public class SubCellInit : IActorInit<SubCell>
 	{
-		[FieldFromYamlKey] readonly int value = (int)SubCell.FullCell;
+		[FieldFromYamlKey] readonly byte value = (byte)SubCell.FullCell;
 		public SubCellInit() { }
-		public SubCellInit(int init) { value = init; }
-		public SubCellInit(SubCell init) { value = (int)init; }
+		public SubCellInit(byte init) { value = init; }
+		public SubCellInit(SubCell init) { value = (byte)init; }
 		public SubCell Value(World world) { return (SubCell)value; }
 	}
 
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/ActorMap.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/ActorMap.cs
index 7547d41b10..8837e329db 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/ActorMap.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/ActorMap.cs
@@ -297,8 +297,8 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common.Traits
 			if (!AnyActorsAt(cell))
 				return map.Grid.DefaultSubCell;
 
-			for (var i = (int)SubCell.First; i < map.Grid.SubCellOffsets.Length; i++)
-				if (i != (int)preferredSubCell && !AnyActorsAt(cell, (SubCell)i, checkIfBlocker))
+			for (var i = (byte)SubCell.First; i < map.Grid.SubCellOffsets.Length; i++)
+				if (i != (byte)preferredSubCell && !AnyActorsAt(cell, (SubCell)i, checkIfBlocker))
 					return (SubCell)i;
 			return SubCell.Invalid;
 		}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/EditorActorLayer.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/EditorActorLayer.cs
index 02f700cb41..9df811f49a 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/EditorActorLayer.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/Traits/World/EditorActorLayer.cs
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common.Traits
 			if (!previews.Any())
 				return map.Grid.DefaultSubCell;
 
-			for (var i = (int)SubCell.First; i < map.Grid.SubCellOffsets.Length; i++)
+			for (var i = (byte)SubCell.First; i < map.Grid.SubCellOffsets.Length; i++)
 				if (!previews.Any(p => p.Footprint[cell] == (SubCell)i))
 					return (SubCell)i;
 
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/UtilityCommands/ImportLegacyMapCommand.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/UtilityCommands/ImportLegacyMapCommand.cs
index d5589cb851..91ca9bc87c 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.Common/UtilityCommands/ImportLegacyMapCommand.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.Common/UtilityCommands/ImportLegacyMapCommand.cs
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.Common.UtilityCommands
 						initDict.Add(new FacingInit(255 - facing));
 
 					if (section == "INFANTRY")
-						actor.Add(new SubCellInit(Exts.ParseIntegerInvariant(parts[4])));
+						actor.Add(new SubCellInit(Exts.ParseByte(parts[4])));
 
 					var actorCount = map.ActorDefinitions.Count;