diff --git a/src/sas/readstat_xport_read.c b/src/sas/readstat_xport_read.c
index f5d22a8d..d3959619 100644
--- a/src/sas/readstat_xport_read.c
+++ b/src/sas/readstat_xport_read.c
@@ -314,6 +314,8 @@ static readstat_error_t xport_construct_format(char *dst, size_t dst_len,
     }
     if (decimals) {
         pos += snprintf(pos, dst_len-(pos-dst), ".%d", decimals);
+    } else if (width) {
+        pos += snprintf(pos, dst_len-(pos-dst), ".");
     }
 
     free(format);
diff --git a/src/test/test_list.h b/src/test/test_list.h
index 31390334..b24944c4 100644
--- a/src/test/test_list.h
+++ b/src/test/test_list.h
@@ -1479,7 +1479,7 @@ static rt_test_group_t _test_groups[] = {
                 .test_formats = RT_FORMAT_SAS,
                 .columns = {
                     { .name = "VAR1", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_DOUBLE, .format = "10.3", .label_set = "10.3" },
-                    { .name = "VAR2", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .format = "$CHAR3", .label_set = "$CHAR3" }
+                    { .name = "VAR2", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .format = "$CHAR3.", .label_set = "$CHAR3." }
                 }
             },
             {
@@ -1487,7 +1487,7 @@ static rt_test_group_t _test_groups[] = {
                 .test_formats = RT_FORMAT_SAS7BDAT | RT_FORMAT_XPORT_8,
                 .columns = {
                     { .name = "VAR1", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_DOUBLE, .informat = "10.3" },
-                    { .name = "VAR2", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .informat = "$CHAR3" }
+                    { .name = "VAR2", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .informat = "$CHAR3." }
                 }
             },
             {
@@ -1503,9 +1503,9 @@ static rt_test_group_t _test_groups[] = {
                 .columns = {
                     { .name = "VAR1", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_DOUBLE, .format = "10.3", .label_set = "10.3" },
                     { .name = "VAR2", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_DOUBLE, .format = "F", .label_set = "F" },
-                    { .name = "VAR3", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .format = "$CHAR3", .label_set = "$CHAR3" },
+                    { .name = "VAR3", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .format = "$CHAR3.", .label_set = "$CHAR3." },
                     { .name = "VAR4", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_STRING, .format = "COMMA10.3", .label_set = "COMMA10.3" },
-                    { .name = "VAR5", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_DOUBLE, .format = "YYQP1", .label_set = "YYQP1" }
+                    { .name = "VAR5", .type = READSTAT_TYPE_DOUBLE, .format = "YYQP1.", .label_set = "YYQP1." }
                 }
             },
             {