diff --git a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractBeanFactory.java b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractBeanFactory.java
index 47e7ad7823..145259abe1 100644
--- a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractBeanFactory.java
+++ b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractBeanFactory.java
@@ -469,15 +469,15 @@ public abstract class AbstractBeanFactory extends FactoryBeanRegistrySupport imp
 			if (beanInstance instanceof FactoryBean) {
 				if (!BeanFactoryUtils.isFactoryDereference(name)) {
 					Class type = getTypeForFactoryBean((FactoryBean) beanInstance);
-					return (type != null && typeToMatch.isAssignableFrom(type));
+					return (type != null && ClassUtils.isAssignable(typeToMatch, type));
 				}
 				else {
-					return typeToMatch.isAssignableFrom(beanInstance.getClass())					;
+					return ClassUtils.isAssignableValue(typeToMatch, beanInstance);
 				}
 			}
 			else {
 				return !BeanFactoryUtils.isFactoryDereference(name) &&
-						typeToMatch.isAssignableFrom(beanInstance.getClass());
+						ClassUtils.isAssignableValue(typeToMatch, beanInstance);
 			}
 		}
 		else if (containsSingleton(beanName) && !containsBeanDefinition(beanName)) {
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/PrimitiveBeanLookupAndAutowiringTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/PrimitiveBeanLookupAndAutowiringTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..10c0316165
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/PrimitiveBeanLookupAndAutowiringTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2002-2011 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.springframework.context.annotation;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.equalTo;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertThat;
+
+import javax.annotation.Resource;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+
+/**
+ * Tests changes introduced for SPR-8874, allowing beans of primitive types to be looked
+ * up via getBean(Class), or to be injected using @Autowired or @Injected or @Resource.
+ * Prior to these changes, an attempt to lookup or inject a bean of type boolean would
+ * fail because all spring beans are Objects, regardless of initial type due to the way
+ * that ObjectFactory works.
+ *
+ * Now these attempts to lookup or inject primitive types work, thanks to simple changes
+ * in AbstractBeanFactory using ClassUtils#isAssignable methods instead of the built-in
+ * Class#isAssignableFrom. The former takes into account primitives and their object
+ * wrapper types, whereas the latter does not.
+ *
+ * @author Chris Beams
+ * @since 3.1
+ */
+public class PrimitiveBeanLookupAndAutowiringTests {
+
+	@Test
+	public void primitiveLookupByName() {
+		ApplicationContext ctx = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(Config.class);
+		boolean b = ctx.getBean("b", boolean.class);
+		assertThat(b, equalTo(true));
+		int i = ctx.getBean("i", int.class);
+		assertThat(i, equalTo(42));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void primitiveLookupByType() {
+		ApplicationContext ctx = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(Config.class);
+		boolean b = ctx.getBean(boolean.class);
+		assertThat(b, equalTo(true));
+		int i = ctx.getBean(int.class);
+		assertThat(i, equalTo(42));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void primitiveAutowiredInjection() {
+		ApplicationContext ctx =
+				new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(Config.class, AutowiredComponent.class);
+		assertThat(ctx.getBean(AutowiredComponent.class).b, equalTo(true));
+		assertThat(ctx.getBean(AutowiredComponent.class).i, equalTo(42));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void primitiveResourceInjection() {
+		ApplicationContext ctx =
+				new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(Config.class, ResourceComponent.class);
+		assertThat(ctx.getBean(ResourceComponent.class).b, equalTo(true));
+		assertThat(ctx.getBean(ResourceComponent.class).i, equalTo(42));
+	}
+
+
+	@Configuration
+	static class Config {
+		@Bean
+		public boolean b() {
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		@Bean
+		public int i() {
+			return 42;
+		}
+	}
+
+
+	static class AutowiredComponent {
+		@Autowired boolean b;
+		@Autowired int i;
+	}
+
+
+	static class ResourceComponent {
+		@Resource boolean b;
+		@Autowired int i;
+	}
+}