diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.c b/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.c
index cb49ef74a..5a015ea33 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.c
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.c
@@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ static ngx_command_t  ngx_http_core_commands[] = {
     { ngx_string("limit_rate"),
       NGX_HTTP_MAIN_CONF|NGX_HTTP_SRV_CONF|NGX_HTTP_LOC_CONF|NGX_HTTP_LIF_CONF
                         |NGX_CONF_TAKE1,
-      ngx_conf_set_size_slot,
+      ngx_http_set_complex_value_size_slot,
       NGX_HTTP_LOC_CONF_OFFSET,
       offsetof(ngx_http_core_loc_conf_t, limit_rate),
       NULL },
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ static ngx_command_t  ngx_http_core_commands[] = {
     { ngx_string("limit_rate_after"),
       NGX_HTTP_MAIN_CONF|NGX_HTTP_SRV_CONF|NGX_HTTP_LOC_CONF|NGX_HTTP_LIF_CONF
                         |NGX_CONF_TAKE1,
-      ngx_conf_set_size_slot,
+      ngx_http_set_complex_value_size_slot,
       NGX_HTTP_LOC_CONF_OFFSET,
       offsetof(ngx_http_core_loc_conf_t, limit_rate_after),
       NULL },
@@ -1281,10 +1281,6 @@ ngx_http_update_location_config(ngx_http_request_t *r)
         r->connection->tcp_nopush = NGX_TCP_NOPUSH_DISABLED;
     }
 
-    if (r->limit_rate == 0) {
-        r->limit_rate = clcf->limit_rate;
-    }
-
     if (clcf->handler) {
         r->content_handler = clcf->handler;
     }
@@ -3387,6 +3383,8 @@ ngx_http_core_create_loc_conf(ngx_conf_t *cf)
      *     clcf->exact_match = 0;
      *     clcf->auto_redirect = 0;
      *     clcf->alias = 0;
+     *     clcf->limit_rate = NULL;
+     *     clcf->limit_rate_after = NULL;
      *     clcf->gzip_proxied = 0;
      *     clcf->keepalive_disable = 0;
      */
@@ -3417,8 +3415,6 @@ ngx_http_core_create_loc_conf(ngx_conf_t *cf)
     clcf->send_timeout = NGX_CONF_UNSET_MSEC;
     clcf->send_lowat = NGX_CONF_UNSET_SIZE;
     clcf->postpone_output = NGX_CONF_UNSET_SIZE;
-    clcf->limit_rate = NGX_CONF_UNSET_SIZE;
-    clcf->limit_rate_after = NGX_CONF_UNSET_SIZE;
     clcf->keepalive_timeout = NGX_CONF_UNSET_MSEC;
     clcf->keepalive_header = NGX_CONF_UNSET;
     clcf->keepalive_requests = NGX_CONF_UNSET_UINT;
@@ -3647,9 +3643,15 @@ ngx_http_core_merge_loc_conf(ngx_conf_t *cf, void *parent, void *child)
     ngx_conf_merge_size_value(conf->send_lowat, prev->send_lowat, 0);
     ngx_conf_merge_size_value(conf->postpone_output, prev->postpone_output,
                               1460);
-    ngx_conf_merge_size_value(conf->limit_rate, prev->limit_rate, 0);
-    ngx_conf_merge_size_value(conf->limit_rate_after, prev->limit_rate_after,
-                              0);
+
+    if (conf->limit_rate == NULL) {
+        conf->limit_rate = prev->limit_rate;
+    }
+
+    if (conf->limit_rate_after == NULL) {
+        conf->limit_rate_after = prev->limit_rate_after;
+    }
+
     ngx_conf_merge_msec_value(conf->keepalive_timeout,
                               prev->keepalive_timeout, 75000);
     ngx_conf_merge_sec_value(conf->keepalive_header,
diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.h b/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.h
index 85f6d66dc..f5434cc51 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.h
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_core_module.h
@@ -349,13 +349,14 @@ struct ngx_http_core_loc_conf_s {
     size_t        client_body_buffer_size; /* client_body_buffer_size */
     size_t        send_lowat;              /* send_lowat */
     size_t        postpone_output;         /* postpone_output */
-    size_t        limit_rate;              /* limit_rate */
-    size_t        limit_rate_after;        /* limit_rate_after */
     size_t        sendfile_max_chunk;      /* sendfile_max_chunk */
     size_t        read_ahead;              /* read_ahead */
     size_t        subrequest_output_buffer_size;
                                            /* subrequest_output_buffer_size */
 
+    ngx_http_complex_value_t  *limit_rate; /* limit_rate */
+    ngx_http_complex_value_t  *limit_rate_after; /* limit_rate_after */
+
     ngx_msec_t    client_body_timeout;     /* client_body_timeout */
     ngx_msec_t    send_timeout;            /* send_timeout */
     ngx_msec_t    keepalive_timeout;       /* keepalive_timeout */
diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_request.h b/src/http/ngx_http_request.h
index fce70efe6..fc29359f5 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_request.h
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_request.h
@@ -515,6 +515,9 @@ struct ngx_http_request_s {
     unsigned                          limit_conn_set:1;
     unsigned                          limit_req_set:1;
 
+    unsigned                          limit_rate_set:1;
+    unsigned                          limit_rate_after_set:1;
+
 #if 0
     unsigned                          cacheable:1;
 #endif
diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_upstream.c b/src/http/ngx_http_upstream.c
index a7391d09a..925824366 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_upstream.c
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_upstream.c
@@ -2979,6 +2979,7 @@ ngx_http_upstream_send_response(ngx_http_request_t *r, ngx_http_upstream_t *u)
                              ngx_http_upstream_process_non_buffered_downstream;
 
         r->limit_rate = 0;
+        r->limit_rate_set = 1;
 
         if (u->input_filter_init(u->input_filter_ctx) == NGX_ERROR) {
             ngx_http_upstream_finalize_request(r, u, NGX_ERROR);
@@ -4806,6 +4807,7 @@ ngx_http_upstream_process_limit_rate(ngx_http_request_t *r, ngx_table_elt_t *h,
 
     if (n != NGX_ERROR) {
         r->limit_rate = (size_t) n;
+        r->limit_rate_set = 1;
     }
 
     return NGX_OK;
diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_variables.c b/src/http/ngx_http_variables.c
index 31321b290..aa38ab377 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_variables.c
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_variables.c
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ static void ngx_http_variable_request_set(ngx_http_request_t *r,
 #endif
 static ngx_int_t ngx_http_variable_request_get_size(ngx_http_request_t *r,
     ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
-static void ngx_http_variable_request_set_size(ngx_http_request_t *r,
-    ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
 static ngx_int_t ngx_http_variable_header(ngx_http_request_t *r,
     ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
 
@@ -124,6 +122,8 @@ static ngx_int_t ngx_http_variable_sent_keep_alive(ngx_http_request_t *r,
     ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
 static ngx_int_t ngx_http_variable_sent_transfer_encoding(ngx_http_request_t *r,
     ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
+static void ngx_http_variable_set_limit_rate(ngx_http_request_t *r,
+    ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
 
 static ngx_int_t ngx_http_variable_connection(ngx_http_request_t *r,
     ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data);
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ static ngx_http_variable_t  ngx_http_core_variables[] = {
     { ngx_string("sent_http_link"), NULL, ngx_http_variable_headers,
       offsetof(ngx_http_request_t, headers_out.link), 0, 0 },
 
-    { ngx_string("limit_rate"), ngx_http_variable_request_set_size,
+    { ngx_string("limit_rate"), ngx_http_variable_set_limit_rate,
       ngx_http_variable_request_get_size,
       offsetof(ngx_http_request_t, limit_rate),
       NGX_HTTP_VAR_CHANGEABLE|NGX_HTTP_VAR_NOCACHEABLE, 0 },
@@ -788,32 +788,6 @@ ngx_http_variable_request_get_size(ngx_http_request_t *r,
 }
 
 
-static void
-ngx_http_variable_request_set_size(ngx_http_request_t *r,
-    ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data)
-{
-    ssize_t    s, *sp;
-    ngx_str_t  val;
-
-    val.len = v->len;
-    val.data = v->data;
-
-    s = ngx_parse_size(&val);
-
-    if (s == NGX_ERROR) {
-        ngx_log_error(NGX_LOG_ERR, r->connection->log, 0,
-                      "invalid size \"%V\"", &val);
-        return;
-    }
-
-    sp = (ssize_t *) ((char *) r + data);
-
-    *sp = s;
-
-    return;
-}
-
-
 static ngx_int_t
 ngx_http_variable_header(ngx_http_request_t *r, ngx_http_variable_value_t *v,
     uintptr_t data)
@@ -1993,6 +1967,29 @@ ngx_http_variable_sent_transfer_encoding(ngx_http_request_t *r,
 }
 
 
+static void
+ngx_http_variable_set_limit_rate(ngx_http_request_t *r,
+    ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data)
+{
+    ssize_t    s;
+    ngx_str_t  val;
+
+    val.len = v->len;
+    val.data = v->data;
+
+    s = ngx_parse_size(&val);
+
+    if (s == NGX_ERROR) {
+        ngx_log_error(NGX_LOG_ERR, r->connection->log, 0,
+                      "invalid $limit_rate \"%V\"", &val);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    r->limit_rate = s;
+    r->limit_rate_set = 1;
+}
+
+
 static ngx_int_t
 ngx_http_variable_request_completion(ngx_http_request_t *r,
     ngx_http_variable_value_t *v, uintptr_t data)
diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_write_filter_module.c b/src/http/ngx_http_write_filter_module.c
index 3f18d76f2..6a5d957b1 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_write_filter_module.c
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_write_filter_module.c
@@ -250,9 +250,17 @@ ngx_http_write_filter(ngx_http_request_t *r, ngx_chain_t *in)
         return NGX_ERROR;
     }
 
+    if (!r->limit_rate_set) {
+        r->limit_rate = ngx_http_complex_value_size(r, clcf->limit_rate, 0);
+        r->limit_rate_set = 1;
+    }
+
     if (r->limit_rate) {
-        if (r->limit_rate_after == 0) {
-            r->limit_rate_after = clcf->limit_rate_after;
+
+        if (!r->limit_rate_after_set) {
+            r->limit_rate_after = ngx_http_complex_value_size(r,
+                                                    clcf->limit_rate_after, 0);
+            r->limit_rate_after_set = 1;
         }
 
         limit = (off_t) r->limit_rate * (ngx_time() - r->start_sec + 1)