diff --git a/src/primitives/iter.rs b/src/primitives/iter.rs
index 65b4ff9d..7056cb1f 100644
--- a/src/primitives/iter.rs
+++ b/src/primitives/iter.rs
@@ -56,7 +56,26 @@ pub trait Fe32IterExt: Sized + Iterator<Item = Fe32> {
     /// are simply dropped.
     #[inline]
     fn fes_to_bytes(mut self) -> FesToBytes<Self> {
-        FesToBytes { last_fe: self.next(), bit_offset: 0, iter: self }
+        FesToBytes {
+            last_fe: self.next(),
+            bit_offset: 0,
+            iter: self,
+            output_incomplete_bits_zeropad: false
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Adapts the `Fe32` iterator to output bytes instead.
+    ///
+    /// If the total number of bits is not a multiple of 8, trailing bits
+    /// are padded with the needed amount of zeroes and converted.
+    #[inline]
+    fn fes_to_bytes_zeropad(mut self) -> FesToBytes<Self> {
+        FesToBytes {
+            last_fe: self.next(),
+            bit_offset: 0,
+            iter: self,
+            output_incomplete_bits_zeropad: true
+        }
     }
 
     /// Adapts the Fe32 iterator to encode the field elements into a bech32 address.
@@ -148,7 +167,8 @@ where
 
 /// Iterator adaptor that converts GF32 elements to bytes.
 ///
-/// If the total number of bits is not a multiple of 8, any trailing bits are dropped.
+/// If the total number of bits is not a multiple of 8. Any trailing bits are dropped,
+/// unless `output_incomplete_bits_zeropad` is set, in which case they are padded with zeroes.
 ///
 /// Note that if there are 5 or more trailing bits, the result will be that an entire field element
 /// is dropped. If this occurs, the input was an invalid length for a bech32 string, but this
@@ -158,6 +178,7 @@ pub struct FesToBytes<I: Iterator<Item = Fe32>> {
     last_fe: Option<Fe32>,
     bit_offset: usize,
     iter: I,
+    output_incomplete_bits_zeropad: bool,
 }
 
 impl<I> Iterator for FesToBytes<I>
@@ -177,10 +198,18 @@ where
             let mut ret = last.0 << (3 + bit_offset);
 
             self.last_fe = self.iter.next();
-            let next1 = self.last_fe?;
+            let next1 = if !self.output_incomplete_bits_zeropad {
+                self.last_fe?
+            } else {
+                self.last_fe.unwrap_or_default()
+            };
             if bit_offset > 2 {
                 self.last_fe = self.iter.next();
-                let next2 = self.last_fe?;
+                let next2 = if !self.output_incomplete_bits_zeropad {
+                    self.last_fe?
+                } else {
+                    self.last_fe.unwrap_or_default()
+                };
                 ret |= next1.0 << (bit_offset - 2);
                 ret |= next2.0 >> (7 - bit_offset);
             } else {
@@ -503,4 +532,32 @@ mod tests {
         const FES: [Fe32; 3] = [Fe32::Q, Fe32::P, Fe32::Q];
         assert!(FES.iter().copied().fes_to_bytes().bytes_to_fes().eq(FES.iter().copied()))
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn fe32_iter_ext_zeropad_and_nozeropad() {
+        use std::convert::TryFrom;
+        {
+            // Difference is 1 output byte, containing 4 trailing bits
+            let fes_iter = [0, 1, 2, 1].iter().copied().map(|b| Fe32::try_from(b).unwrap());
+            assert_eq!(fes_iter.clone().fes_to_bytes_zeropad().collect::<Vec<_>>(), [0, 68, 16]);
+            assert_eq!(fes_iter.clone().fes_to_bytes().collect::<Vec<_>>(), [0, 68]);
+        }
+        {
+            // Difference is 1 output byte, containing 1 trailing bit
+            let fes_iter = [0, 1, 2, 3, 31].iter().copied().map(|b| Fe32::try_from(b).unwrap());
+            assert_eq!(
+                fes_iter.clone().fes_to_bytes_zeropad().collect::<Vec<_>>(),
+                [0, 68, 63, 128]
+            );
+            assert_eq!(fes_iter.clone().fes_to_bytes().collect::<Vec<_>>(), [0, 68, 63]);
+        }
+        {
+            // No difference here, as the input (32*5=160 bits) has no trailing bits
+            let fes_iter = "w508d6qejxtdg4y5r3zarvary0c5xw7k"
+                .bytes()
+                .map(|b| Fe32::from_char(char::from(b)).unwrap());
+            assert_eq!(fes_iter.clone().fes_to_bytes_zeropad().collect::<Vec<_>>(), DATA);
+            assert_eq!(fes_iter.clone().fes_to_bytes().collect::<Vec<_>>(), DATA);
+        }
+    }
 }