diff --git a/lib/src/api/otel_api.dart b/lib/src/api/otel_api.dart
index 2e56691..558e083 100644
--- a/lib/src/api/otel_api.dart
+++ b/lib/src/api/otel_api.dart
@@ -604,19 +604,20 @@ class OTelAPI {
     return OTelFactory.otelFactory!.traceId(traceId);
   }
 
-  /// Creates a new [TraceId] from a hex string
+  /// Creates a new [TraceId] from a hex string.
+  ///
+  /// If the string is malformed or has the wrong length, the error is
+  /// reported to the error handler and an invalid [TraceId] is returned,
+  /// following the OpenTelemetry error-handling spec.
   static TraceId traceIdFrom(String hexString) {
     _getAndCacheOtelFactory();
-    try {
-      final bytes = IdGenerator.hexToBytes(hexString);
-      if (bytes == null || bytes.length != TraceId.traceIdLength) {
-        throw const FormatException(
-            'TraceId must be ${TraceId.traceIdLength} bytes');
-      }
-      return OTelFactory.otelFactory!.traceId(bytes);
-    } catch (e) {
-      throw FormatException('Invalid TraceId hex string: $hexString, $e');
+    final bytes = IdGenerator.hexToBytes(hexString);
+    if (bytes == null || bytes.length != TraceId.traceIdLength) {
+      OTelErrorHandling.report(
+          FormatException('Invalid TraceId hex string: $hexString'));
+      return traceIdInvalid();
     }
+    return OTelFactory.otelFactory!.traceId(bytes);
   }
 
   /// Creates an invalid [Trace] (all zeros)
@@ -639,21 +640,20 @@ class OTelAPI {
     return OTelFactory.otelFactory!.spanId(spanId);
   }
 
-  /// SpanId from 8-byte String.
+  /// Creates a new [SpanId] from a hex string.
+  ///
+  /// If the string is malformed or has the wrong length, the error is
+  /// reported to the error handler and an invalid [SpanId] is returned,
+  /// following the OpenTelemetry error-handling spec.
   static SpanId spanIdFrom(String hexString) {
     _getAndCacheOtelFactory();
-
-    /// Generate a new random SpanId
-    try {
-      final bytes = IdGenerator.hexToBytes(hexString);
-      if (bytes == null || bytes.length != SpanId.spanIdLength) {
-        throw const FormatException(
-            'SpanId must be ${SpanId.spanIdLength} bytes');
-      }
-      return OTelFactory.otelFactory!.spanId(bytes);
-    } catch (e) {
-      throw FormatException('Invalid SpanId hex string: $hexString,  $e');
+    final bytes = IdGenerator.hexToBytes(hexString);
+    if (bytes == null || bytes.length != SpanId.spanIdLength) {
+      OTelErrorHandling.report(
+          FormatException('Invalid SpanId hex string: $hexString'));
+      return spanIdInvalid();
     }
+    return OTelFactory.otelFactory!.spanId(bytes);
   }
 
   /// Creates an invalid [SpanId] (all zeros)
diff --git a/test/unit/api/trace/span_id_test.dart b/test/unit/api/trace/span_id_test.dart
index db81be7..b446a32 100644
--- a/test/unit/api/trace/span_id_test.dart
+++ b/test/unit/api/trace/span_id_test.dart
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 import 'package:dartastic_opentelemetry_api/src/api/otel_api.dart';
+import 'package:dartastic_opentelemetry_api/src/util/otel_error_handler.dart';
 import 'package:test/test.dart';
 
 void main() {
@@ -38,10 +39,24 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test('handles invalid hex string', () {
-      expect(
-        () => OTelAPI.spanIdFrom('invalid'),
-        throwsA(isA<FormatException>()),
-      );
+      final received = <Object>[];
+      OTelErrorHandling.handler = (error, _) => received.add(error);
+
+      final id = OTelAPI.spanIdFrom('invalid');
+
+      expect(id.isValid, isFalse);
+      expect(id.toString(), equals('0000000000000000'));
+      expect(received.single, isA<FormatException>());
+    });
+
+    test('handles wrong-length hex string', () {
+      final received = <Object>[];
+      OTelErrorHandling.handler = (error, _) => received.add(error);
+
+      final id = OTelAPI.spanIdFrom('a1b2c3');
+
+      expect(id.isValid, isFalse);
+      expect(received.single, isA<FormatException>());
     });
 
     test('rejects a correctly sized uppercase hex string', () {
diff --git a/test/unit/api/trace/trace_id_test.dart b/test/unit/api/trace/trace_id_test.dart
index d9c89b2..ee5374b 100644
--- a/test/unit/api/trace/trace_id_test.dart
+++ b/test/unit/api/trace/trace_id_test.dart
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import 'dart:typed_data';
 
 import 'package:dartastic_opentelemetry_api/src/api/otel_api.dart';
+import 'package:dartastic_opentelemetry_api/src/util/otel_error_handler.dart';
 import 'package:test/test.dart';
 
 void main() {
@@ -40,10 +41,25 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test('handles invalid hex string', () {
-      expect(
-        () => OTelAPI.traceIdFrom('invalid'),
-        throwsA(isA<FormatException>()),
-      );
+      final received = <Object>[];
+      OTelErrorHandling.handler = (error, _) => received.add(error);
+
+      final id = OTelAPI.traceIdFrom('invalid');
+
+      expect(id.isValid, isFalse);
+      expect(id.toString(),
+          equals('00000000000000000000000000000000'));
+      expect(received.single, isA<FormatException>());
+    });
+
+    test('handles wrong-length hex string', () {
+      final received = <Object>[];
+      OTelErrorHandling.handler = (error, _) => received.add(error);
+
+      final id = OTelAPI.traceIdFrom('a1b2c3');
+
+      expect(id.isValid, isFalse);
+      expect(received.single, isA<FormatException>());
     });
 
     test('rejects a correctly sized uppercase hex string', () {
@@ -110,15 +126,25 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test('traceIdFrom handles invalid hex strings', () {
-      expect(() {
-        OTelAPI.traceIdFrom('invalid-hex');
-      }, throwsFormatException);
+      final received = <Object>[];
+      OTelErrorHandling.handler = (error, _) => received.add(error);
+      addTearDown(OTelErrorHandling.resetToDefault);
+
+      final id = OTelAPI.traceIdFrom('invalid-hex');
+
+      expect(id.isValid, isFalse);
+      expect(received.single, isA<FormatException>());
     });
 
     test('spanIdFrom handles invalid hex strings', () {
-      expect(() {
-        OTelAPI.spanIdFrom('invalid-hex');
-      }, throwsFormatException);
+      final received = <Object>[];
+      OTelErrorHandling.handler = (error, _) => received.add(error);
+      addTearDown(OTelErrorHandling.resetToDefault);
+
+      final id = OTelAPI.spanIdFrom('invalid-hex');
+
+      expect(id.isValid, isFalse);
+      expect(received.single, isA<FormatException>());
     });
   });
 }