diff --git a/build/bakefiles/files.bkl b/build/bakefiles/files.bkl
index 3e92103acd..e5fe973509 100644
--- a/build/bakefiles/files.bkl
+++ b/build/bakefiles/files.bkl
@@ -554,6 +554,7 @@ IMPORTANT: please read docs/tech/tn0016.txt before modifying this file!
     wx/zstream.h
     wx/meta/convertible.h
     wx/meta/if.h
+    wx/meta/implicitconversion.h
     wx/meta/int2type.h
     wx/meta/movable.h
     wx/meta/pod.h
diff --git a/include/wx/meta/implicitconversion.h b/include/wx/meta/implicitconversion.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e65fbcc12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/wx/meta/implicitconversion.h
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// Name:        wx/meta/implicitconversion.h
+// Purpose:     Determine resulting type from implicit conversion
+// Author:      Vaclav Slavik
+// Created:     2010-10-22
+// RCS-ID:      $Id$
+// Copyright:   (c) 2010 Vaclav Slavik
+// Licence:     wxWindows licence
+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+#ifndef _WX_META_IMPLICITCONVERSION_H_
+#define _WX_META_IMPLICITCONVERSION_H_
+
+#include "wx/defs.h"
+#include "wx/meta/if.h"
+
+// C++ hierarchy of data types is:
+//
+//   Long double (highest)
+//   Double
+//   Float
+//   Unsigned long int
+//   Long int
+//   Unsigned int
+//   Int (lowest)
+//
+// Types lower in the hierarchy are converted into ones higher up if both are
+// involved e.g. in arithmetic expressions.
+
+namespace wxPrivate
+{
+
+template<typename T>
+struct TypeHierarchy
+{
+    // consider unknown types (e.g. objects, pointers) to be of highest
+    // level, always convert to them if they occur
+    enum { level = 9999 };
+};
+
+#define WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL(level_num, type)        \
+    template<> struct TypeHierarchy<type>               \
+    {                                                   \
+        enum { level = level_num };                     \
+    };
+
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 1, char);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 2, unsigned char);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 3, short);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 4, unsigned short);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 5, int);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 6, unsigned int);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 7, long);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 8, unsigned long);
+#ifdef wxLongLong_t
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL( 9, wxLongLong_t);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL(10, wxULongLong_t);
+#endif
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL(11, float);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL(12, double);
+WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL(13, long double);
+
+#if wxWCHAR_T_IS_REAL_TYPE
+    #if SIZEOF_WCHAR_T == SIZEOF_SHORT
+      template<> struct TypeHierarchy<wchar_t> : public TypeHierarchy<short> {};
+    #elif SIZEOF_WCHAR_T == SIZEOF_INT
+      template<> struct TypeHierarchy<wchar_t> : public TypeHierarchy<int> {};
+    #elif SIZEOF_WCHAR_T == SIZEOF_LONG
+      template<> struct TypeHierarchy<wchar_t> : public TypeHierarchy<long> {};
+    #else
+      #error "weird wchar_t size, please update this code"
+    #endif
+#endif
+
+#undef WX_TYPE_HIERARCHY_LEVEL
+
+} // namespace wxPrivate
+
+// Helper to determine resulting type of implicit conversion in
+// an expression with two arithmetic types.
+template<typename T1, typename T2>
+struct wxImplicitConversionType
+{
+    typedef typename wxIf
+            <
+                // if T2 is "higher" type, convert to it
+                (int)wxPrivate::TypeHierarchy<T1>::level < (int)wxPrivate::TypeHierarchy<T2>::level,
+                T2,
+                // otherwise use T1
+                T1
+            >::value
+            value;
+};
+
+
+template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3>
+struct wxImplicitConversionType3 : public wxImplicitConversionType<
+                        T1,
+                        typename wxImplicitConversionType<T2,T3>::value>
+{
+};
+
+#endif // _WX_META_IMPLICITCONVERSION_H_
diff --git a/include/wx/utils.h b/include/wx/utils.h
index 78f29a0063..96d1a9acd1 100644
--- a/include/wx/utils.h
+++ b/include/wx/utils.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "wx/list.h"
 #include "wx/filefn.h"
 #include "wx/hashmap.h"
+#include "wx/meta/implicitconversion.h"
 
 #if wxUSE_GUI
     #include "wx/gdicmn.h"
@@ -55,12 +56,33 @@ class WXDLLIMPEXP_FWD_CORE wxWindow;
 class WXDLLIMPEXP_FWD_CORE wxWindowList;
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Macros
+// Arithmetic functions
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-#define wxMax(a,b)            (((a) > (b)) ? (a) : (b))
-#define wxMin(a,b)            (((a) < (b)) ? (a) : (b))
-#define wxClip(a,b,c)         (((a) < (b)) ? (b) : (((a) > (c)) ? (c) : (a)))
+template<typename T1, typename T2>
+inline typename wxImplicitConversionType<T1,T2>::value
+wxMax(T1 a, T2 b)
+{
+    return (a > b) ? a : b;
+}
+
+template<typename T1, typename T2>
+inline typename wxImplicitConversionType<T1,T2>::value
+wxMin(T1 a, T2 b)
+{
+    return (a < b) ? a : b;
+}
+
+template<typename T1, typename T2, typename T3>
+inline typename wxImplicitConversionType3<T1,T2,T3>::value
+wxClip(T1 a, T2 b, T3 c)
+{
+    return (a < b) ? b : ((a > c) ? c : a);
+}
+
+// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// wxMemorySize
+// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 // wxGetFreeMemory can return huge amount of memory on 32-bit platforms as well
 // so to always use long long for its result type on all platforms which