diff --git a/include/linux/mmzone.h b/include/linux/mmzone.h
index 0ed520954843..c92d6d24527d 100644
--- a/include/linux/mmzone.h
+++ b/include/linux/mmzone.h
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ struct zone {
 	 * Flags for a pageblock_nr_pages block. See pageblock-flags.h.
 	 * In SPARSEMEM, this map is stored in struct mem_section
 	 */
-	unsigned long		*pageblock_flags;
+	unsigned char		*pageblock_flags;
 #endif /* CONFIG_SPARSEMEM */
 
 	/* zone_start_pfn == zone_start_paddr >> PAGE_SHIFT */
@@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ struct mem_section_usage {
 	DECLARE_BITMAP(subsection_map, SUBSECTIONS_PER_SECTION);
 #endif
 	/* See declaration of similar field in struct zone */
-	unsigned long pageblock_flags[0];
+	unsigned char	pageblock_flags[0];
 };
 
 void subsection_map_init(unsigned long pfn, unsigned long nr_pages);
@@ -1212,7 +1212,7 @@ struct mem_section {
 extern struct mem_section mem_section[NR_SECTION_ROOTS][SECTIONS_PER_ROOT];
 #endif
 
-static inline unsigned long *section_to_usemap(struct mem_section *ms)
+static inline unsigned char *section_to_usemap(struct mem_section *ms)
 {
 	return ms->usage->pageblock_flags;
 }
diff --git a/include/linux/pageblock-flags.h b/include/linux/pageblock-flags.h
index fff52ad370c1..d189441568eb 100644
--- a/include/linux/pageblock-flags.h
+++ b/include/linux/pageblock-flags.h
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ enum pageblock_bits {
 /* Forward declaration */
 struct page;
 
-unsigned long get_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page,
+unsigned char get_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page,
 				unsigned long pfn,
 				unsigned long mask);
 
diff --git a/mm/page_alloc.c b/mm/page_alloc.c
index 66d45e9cc358..142803d1f49b 100644
--- a/mm/page_alloc.c
+++ b/mm/page_alloc.c
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ static inline bool defer_init(int nid, unsigned long pfn, unsigned long end_pfn)
 #endif
 
 /* Return a pointer to the bitmap storing bits affecting a block of pages */
-static inline unsigned long *get_pageblock_bitmap(struct page *page,
+static inline unsigned char *get_pageblock_bitmap(struct page *page,
 							unsigned long pfn)
 {
 #ifdef CONFIG_SPARSEMEM
@@ -467,6 +467,8 @@ static inline int pfn_to_bitidx(struct page *page, unsigned long pfn)
 	return (pfn >> pageblock_order) * NR_PAGEBLOCK_BITS;
 }
 
+#define BITS_PER_CHAR	8
+
 /**
  * get_pfnblock_flags_mask - Return the requested group of flags for the pageblock_nr_pages block of pages
  * @page: The page within the block of interest
@@ -476,24 +478,24 @@ static inline int pfn_to_bitidx(struct page *page, unsigned long pfn)
  * Return: pageblock_bits flags
  */
 static __always_inline
-unsigned long __get_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page,
+unsigned char __get_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page,
 					unsigned long pfn,
 					unsigned long mask)
 {
-	unsigned long *bitmap;
+	unsigned char *bitmap;
 	unsigned long bitidx, word_bitidx;
-	unsigned long word;
+	unsigned char word;
 
 	bitmap = get_pageblock_bitmap(page, pfn);
 	bitidx = pfn_to_bitidx(page, pfn);
-	word_bitidx = bitidx / BITS_PER_LONG;
-	bitidx &= (BITS_PER_LONG-1);
+	word_bitidx = bitidx / BITS_PER_CHAR;
+	bitidx &= (BITS_PER_CHAR-1);
 
 	word = bitmap[word_bitidx];
 	return (word >> bitidx) & mask;
 }
 
-unsigned long get_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page, unsigned long pfn,
+unsigned char get_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page, unsigned long pfn,
 					unsigned long mask)
 {
 	return __get_pfnblock_flags_mask(page, pfn, mask);
@@ -515,17 +517,17 @@ void set_pfnblock_flags_mask(struct page *page, unsigned long flags,
 					unsigned long pfn,
 					unsigned long mask)
 {
-	unsigned long *bitmap;
+	unsigned char *bitmap;
 	unsigned long bitidx, word_bitidx;
-	unsigned long old_word, word;
+	unsigned char old_word, word;
 
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(NR_PAGEBLOCK_BITS != 4);
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(MIGRATE_TYPES > (1 << PB_migratetype_bits));
 
 	bitmap = get_pageblock_bitmap(page, pfn);
 	bitidx = pfn_to_bitidx(page, pfn);
-	word_bitidx = bitidx / BITS_PER_LONG;
-	bitidx &= (BITS_PER_LONG-1);
+	word_bitidx = bitidx / BITS_PER_CHAR;
+	bitidx &= (BITS_PER_CHAR-1);
 
 	VM_BUG_ON_PAGE(!zone_spans_pfn(page_zone(page), pfn), page);
 
