GCC[1] and Clang[2] both support this with __builtin_add_overflow and family: int a = get_number_a(), b = get_number_b(), c; if (__builtin_add_overflow(a,

GCC[1] and Clang[2] both support this with __builtin_add_overflow and family: int a = get_number_a(), b = get_number_b(), c; if (__builtin_add_overflow(a, b, &c)) // Note: Unlike your example, returns true iff overflow occurred uh_oh(); else everything_is_ok(); These are quite efficient on many common architectures. MSVC has SafeInt[3] which is more awkward but gets the job done. 1. https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Integer-Overflow-Builtins.html https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Integer-Overflow-Builtins... 2. http://clang.llvm.org/docs/LanguageExtensions.html#checked-arithmetic-builtins http://clang.llvm.org/docs/LanguageExtensions.html#checked-a... 3. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd570023.aspx https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd570023.aspx