diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index ad84075ec..a3ba8e06b 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -141,9 +141,8 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "crypto-bigint"
-version = "0.7.3"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "42a0d26b245348befa0c121944541476763dcc46ede886c88f9d12e1697d27c3"
+version = "0.7.4"
+source = "git+https://github.com/RustCrypto/crypto-bigint#ec6615fad09d26f8518378f1fdfe96a635ddab2d"
 dependencies = [
  "cpubits",
  "ctutils",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 79c85b5b2..90dd21ad4 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -57,3 +57,5 @@ unused_qualifications = "warn"
 crypto-common = { path = "crypto-common" }
 digest = { path = "digest" }
 signature = { path = "signature" }
+
+crypto-bigint = { git = "https://github.com/RustCrypto/crypto-bigint" }
diff --git a/elliptic-curve/Cargo.toml b/elliptic-curve/Cargo.toml
index 66379b977..48b65101e 100644
--- a/elliptic-curve/Cargo.toml
+++ b/elliptic-curve/Cargo.toml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ representing various elliptic curve forms, scalars, points, and public/secret ke
 
 [dependencies]
 array = { package = "hybrid-array", version = "0.4", default-features = false, features = ["zeroize"] }
-bigint = { package = "crypto-bigint", version = "0.7", default-features = false, features = ["hybrid-array", "rand_core", "subtle", "zeroize"] }
+bigint = { package = "crypto-bigint", version = "0.7.4", default-features = false, features = ["hybrid-array", "rand_core", "subtle", "zeroize"] }
 base16ct = "1"
 common = { package = "crypto-common", version = "0.2", features = ["rand_core"] }
 rand_core = { version = "0.10", default-features = false }
diff --git a/elliptic-curve/src/dev/mock_curve.rs b/elliptic-curve/src/dev/mock_curve.rs
index 1057517e3..5e0d70826 100644
--- a/elliptic-curve/src/dev/mock_curve.rs
+++ b/elliptic-curve/src/dev/mock_curve.rs
@@ -5,8 +5,7 @@
 //! generically over curves without having to pull in a complete curve implementation.
 
 use crate::{
-    BatchNormalize, Curve, CurveAffine, CurveArithmetic, CurveGroup, FieldBytesEncoding, Generate,
-    PrimeCurve,
+    BatchNormalize, Curve, CurveAffine, CurveArithmetic, CurveGroup, Generate, PrimeCurve,
     array::typenum::U32,
     bigint::{Limb, Odd, U256, modular::Retrieve},
     ctutils,
@@ -350,8 +349,6 @@ impl Retrieve for Scalar {
     }
 }
 
-impl FieldBytesEncoding<MockCurve> for U256 {}
-
 impl From<u64> for Scalar {
     fn from(n: u64) -> Scalar {
         Self(n.into())
diff --git a/elliptic-curve/src/field.rs b/elliptic-curve/src/field.rs
index 0e068e235..c61c90b17 100644
--- a/elliptic-curve/src/field.rs
+++ b/elliptic-curve/src/field.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
-//! Field elements.
+//! Field element encoding support.
 
-use crate::{
-    Curve,
-    bigint::{ArrayEncoding, ByteArray, Integer},
-};
+use crate::Curve;
 use array::{Array, typenum::Unsigned};
+use bigint::{ArrayEncoding, ByteOrder, Encoding};
 
 /// Size of serialized field elements of this elliptic curve.
 pub type FieldBytesSize<C> = <C as Curve>::FieldBytesSize;
@@ -12,40 +10,38 @@ pub type FieldBytesSize<C> = <C as Curve>::FieldBytesSize;
 /// Byte representation of a base/scalar field element of a given curve.
 pub type FieldBytes<C> = Array<u8, FieldBytesSize<C>>;
 
-/// Trait for decoding/encoding `Curve::Uint` from/to [`FieldBytes`] using
-/// curve-specific rules.
+/// Decode the provided [`FieldBytes`] as an integer.
 ///
-/// Namely a curve's modulus may be smaller than the big integer type used to
-/// internally represent field elements (since the latter are multiples of the
-/// limb size), such as in the case of curves like NIST P-224 and P-521, and so
-/// it may need to be padded/truncated to the right length.
+/// Note that the resulting integer is the raw representation of the given `bytes` and is not
+/// reduced by any modulus.
+pub fn bytes_to_uint<C: Curve>(bytes: &FieldBytes<C>) -> C::Uint {
+    C::Uint::from_slice_truncated(bytes, modulus_bits::<C>(), C::FIELD_ENDIANNESS)
+}
+
+/// Encode the provided integer as [`FieldBytes`].
 ///
-/// Additionally, different curves have different endianness conventions, also
-/// captured here.
-pub trait FieldBytesEncoding<C>: ArrayEncoding + Integer
-where
-    C: Curve,
-{
-    /// Decode unsigned integer from serialized field element.
-    ///
-    /// The default implementation assumes a big endian encoding.
-    fn decode_field_bytes(field_bytes: &FieldBytes<C>) -> Self {
-        debug_assert!(field_bytes.len() <= Self::ByteSize::USIZE);
-        let mut byte_array = ByteArray::<Self>::default();
-        let offset = Self::ByteSize::USIZE.saturating_sub(field_bytes.len());
-        byte_array[offset..].copy_from_slice(field_bytes);
-        Self::from_be_byte_array(byte_array)
+/// Note that the output may be truncated if it overflows the width of [`FieldBytes`].
+pub fn uint_to_bytes<C: Curve>(uint: &C::Uint) -> FieldBytes<C> {
+    let field_bytes_len = FieldBytesSize::<C>::USIZE;
+    let uint_bytes_len = <<C as Curve>::Uint as ArrayEncoding>::ByteSize::USIZE;
+    debug_assert!(field_bytes_len <= uint_bytes_len);
+
+    let mut field_bytes = FieldBytes::<C>::default();
+    match C::FIELD_ENDIANNESS {
+        ByteOrder::BigEndian => {
+            let offset = uint_bytes_len.saturating_sub(field_bytes_len);
+            field_bytes.copy_from_slice(&uint.to_be_byte_array()[offset..]);
+        }
+        ByteOrder::LittleEndian => {
+            field_bytes.copy_from_slice(&uint.to_le_byte_array()[..field_bytes_len]);
+        }
     }
 
-    /// Encode unsigned integer into serialized field element.
-    ///
-    /// The default implementation assumes a big endian encoding.
-    fn encode_field_bytes(&self) -> FieldBytes<C> {
-        let mut field_bytes = FieldBytes::<C>::default();
-        debug_assert!(field_bytes.len() <= Self::ByteSize::USIZE);
+    field_bytes
+}
 
-        let offset = Self::ByteSize::USIZE.saturating_sub(field_bytes.len());
-        field_bytes.copy_from_slice(&self.to_be_byte_array()[offset..]);
-        field_bytes
-    }
+// TODO(tarcieri): store full bit precision of the modulus on `Curve`
+#[allow(clippy::cast_possible_truncation)]
+const fn modulus_bits<C: Curve>() -> u32 {
+    (FieldBytesSize::<C>::USIZE * 8) as u32
 }
diff --git a/elliptic-curve/src/lib.rs b/elliptic-curve/src/lib.rs
index a2443fd1b..a89bb985f 100644
--- a/elliptic-curve/src/lib.rs
+++ b/elliptic-curve/src/lib.rs
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ extern crate alloc;
 #[cfg(feature = "std")]
 extern crate std;
 
+pub mod field;
 pub mod point;
 pub mod scalar;
 
@@ -77,7 +78,6 @@ pub mod ops;
 pub mod sec1;
 
 mod error;
-mod field;
 mod macros;
 mod secret_key;
 
@@ -88,14 +88,13 @@ mod public_key;
 
 pub use crate::{
     error::{Error, Result},
-    field::{FieldBytes, FieldBytesEncoding, FieldBytesSize},
+    field::{FieldBytes, FieldBytesSize},
     scalar::ScalarValue,
     secret_key::SecretKey,
 };
 pub use array;
 pub use array::typenum::consts;
-pub use bigint;
-pub use bigint::ctutils;
+pub use bigint::{self, ByteOrder, ctutils};
 pub use common;
 pub use common::Generate;
 pub use rand_core;
@@ -163,11 +162,13 @@ pub trait Curve: 'static + Copy + Clone + Debug + Default + Eq + Ord + Send + Sy
         + bigint::RandomMod
         + bigint::Unsigned
         + zeroize::Zeroize
-        + FieldBytesEncoding<Self>
         + ShrAssign<usize>;
 
     /// Order of this curve's prime order subgroup, i.e. number of elements in the scalar field.
     const ORDER: Odd<Self::Uint>;
+
+    /// Endianness used for serializing field elements of this curve.
+    const FIELD_ENDIANNESS: ByteOrder = ByteOrder::BigEndian;
 }
 
 /// Marker trait for elliptic curves with prime order.
diff --git a/elliptic-curve/src/scalar/value.rs b/elliptic-curve/src/scalar/value.rs
index 1a986c658..f649da577 100644
--- a/elliptic-curve/src/scalar/value.rs
+++ b/elliptic-curve/src/scalar/value.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 //!  Integer values within the range of a given [`Curve`]'s scalar modulus.
 
 use crate::{
-    Curve, Error, FieldBytes, FieldBytesEncoding, Result,
+    Curve, Error, FieldBytes, Result,
     array::Array,
     bigint::{AddMod, ConstOne, ConstZero, Integer, Limb, NegMod, Odd, RandomMod, SubMod, Zero},
     ctutils::{self, CtEq, CtGt, CtLt, CtSelect},
+    field,
     scalar::{FromUintUnchecked, IsHigh},
 };
 use base16ct::HexDisplay;
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ where
 
     /// Decode [`ScalarValue`] from a serialized field element
     pub fn from_bytes(bytes: &FieldBytes<C>) -> CtOption<Self> {
-        Self::new(C::Uint::decode_field_bytes(bytes))
+        Self::new(field::bytes_to_uint::<C>(bytes))
     }
 
     /// Decode [`ScalarValue`] from a big endian byte slice.
@@ -114,7 +115,7 @@ where
 
     /// Encode [`ScalarValue`] as a serialized field element.
     pub fn to_bytes(&self) -> FieldBytes<C> {
-        self.inner.encode_field_bytes()
+        field::uint_to_bytes::<C>(&self.inner)
     }
 
     /// Convert to a `C::Uint`.