diff --git a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/mir/block.rs b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/mir/block.rs
index e59832a8eed..ce56f163549 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/mir/block.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_codegen_ssa/src/mir/block.rs
@@ -1395,6 +1395,25 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx, Bx: BuilderMethods<'a, 'tcx>> FunctionCx<'a, 'tcx, Bx> {
         dst: PlaceRef<'tcx, Bx::Value>,
     ) {
         let src = self.codegen_operand(bx, src);
+
+        // Special-case transmutes between scalars as simple bitcasts.
+        match (&src.layout.abi, &dst.layout.abi) {
+            (abi::Abi::Scalar(src_scalar), abi::Abi::Scalar(dst_scalar)) => {
+                // HACK(eddyb) LLVM doesn't like `bitcast`s between pointers and non-pointers.
+                if (src_scalar.value == abi::Pointer) == (dst_scalar.value == abi::Pointer) {
+                    assert_eq!(src.layout.size, dst.layout.size);
+
+                    // NOTE(eddyb) the `from_immediate` and `to_immediate_scalar`
+                    // conversions allow handling `bool`s the same as `u8`s.
+                    let src = bx.from_immediate(src.immediate());
+                    let src_as_dst = bx.bitcast(src, bx.backend_type(dst.layout));
+                    Immediate(bx.to_immediate_scalar(src_as_dst, dst_scalar)).store(bx, dst);
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+            _ => {}
+        }
+
         let llty = bx.backend_type(src.layout);
         let cast_ptr = bx.pointercast(dst.llval, bx.type_ptr_to(llty));
         let align = src.layout.align.abi.min(dst.align);
diff --git a/src/test/codegen/transmute-scalar.rs b/src/test/codegen/transmute-scalar.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..48aea4a2f08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/codegen/transmute-scalar.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+// compile-flags: -C no-prepopulate-passes
+
+#![crate_type = "lib"]
+
+// CHECK: define i32 @f32_to_bits(float %x)
+// CHECK: %2 = bitcast float %x to i32
+// CHECK-NEXT: store i32 %2, i32* %0
+// CHECK-NEXT: %3 = load i32, i32* %0
+// CHECK: ret i32 %3
+#[no_mangle]
+pub fn f32_to_bits(x: f32) -> u32 {
+    unsafe { std::mem::transmute(x) }
+}
+
+// CHECK: define i8 @bool_to_byte(i1 zeroext %b)
+// CHECK: %1 = zext i1 %b to i8
+// CHECK-NEXT: store i8 %1, i8* %0
+// CHECK-NEXT: %2 = load i8, i8* %0
+// CHECK: ret i8 %2
+#[no_mangle]
+pub fn bool_to_byte(b: bool) -> u8 {
+    unsafe { std::mem::transmute(b) }
+}
+
+// CHECK: define zeroext i1 @byte_to_bool(i8 %byte)
+// CHECK: %1 = trunc i8 %byte to i1
+// CHECK-NEXT: %2 = zext i1 %1 to i8
+// CHECK-NEXT: store i8 %2, i8* %0
+// CHECK-NEXT: %3 = load i8, i8* %0
+// CHECK-NEXT: %4 = trunc i8 %3 to i1
+// CHECK: ret i1 %4
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe fn byte_to_bool(byte: u8) -> bool {
+    std::mem::transmute(byte)
+}