diff --git a/Dapper/DbString.cs b/Dapper/DbString.cs
index 14dc4612b..15b97d6bc 100644
--- a/Dapper/DbString.cs
+++ b/Dapper/DbString.cs
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@ public DbString()
             Length = -1;
             IsAnsi = IsAnsiDefault;
         }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Create a new DbString
+        /// </summary>
+        public DbString(string? value, int length = -1)
+        {
+            Value = value;
+            Length = length;
+            IsAnsi = IsAnsiDefault;
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Ansi vs Unicode 
         /// </summary>
@@ -44,12 +55,13 @@ public DbString()
         /// The value of the string
         /// </summary>
         public string? Value { get; set; }
-        
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets a string representation of this DbString.
         /// </summary>
-        public override string ToString() =>
-            $"Dapper.DbString (Value: '{Value}', Length: {Length}, IsAnsi: {IsAnsi}, IsFixedLength: {IsFixedLength})";
+        public override string ToString() => Value is null
+            ? $"Dapper.DbString (Value: null, Length: {Length}, IsAnsi: {IsAnsi}, IsFixedLength: {IsFixedLength})"
+            : $"Dapper.DbString (Value: '{Value}', Length: {Length}, IsAnsi: {IsAnsi}, IsFixedLength: {IsFixedLength})";
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Add the parameter to the command... internal use only
diff --git a/Dapper/PublicAPI.Shipped.txt b/Dapper/PublicAPI.Shipped.txt
index 4c5417a6c..c1b08ea99 100644
--- a/Dapper/PublicAPI.Shipped.txt
+++ b/Dapper/PublicAPI.Shipped.txt
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ Dapper.CustomPropertyTypeMap.GetMember(string! columnName) -> Dapper.SqlMapper.I
 Dapper.DbString
 Dapper.DbString.AddParameter(System.Data.IDbCommand! command, string! name) -> void
 Dapper.DbString.DbString() -> void
+Dapper.DbString.DbString(string? value, int length = -1) -> void
 Dapper.DbString.IsAnsi.get -> bool
 Dapper.DbString.IsAnsi.set -> void
 Dapper.DbString.IsFixedLength.get -> bool
@@ -323,6 +324,7 @@ static Dapper.SqlMapper.Settings.UseSingleRowOptimization.set -> void
 static Dapper.SqlMapper.SetTypeMap(System.Type! type, Dapper.SqlMapper.ITypeMap? map) -> void
 static Dapper.SqlMapper.SetTypeName(this System.Data.DataTable! table, string! typeName) -> void
 static Dapper.SqlMapper.ThrowDataException(System.Exception! ex, int index, System.Data.IDataReader! reader, object? value) -> void
+static Dapper.SqlMapper.ThrowNullCustomQueryParameter(string! name) -> void
 static Dapper.SqlMapper.TypeHandlerCache<T>.Parse(object! value) -> T?
 static Dapper.SqlMapper.TypeHandlerCache<T>.SetValue(System.Data.IDbDataParameter! parameter, object! value) -> void
 static Dapper.SqlMapper.TypeMapProvider -> System.Func<System.Type!, Dapper.SqlMapper.ITypeMap!>!
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Dapper/SqlMapper.cs b/Dapper/SqlMapper.cs
index fb6ac88e6..fb151758e 100644
--- a/Dapper/SqlMapper.cs
+++ b/Dapper/SqlMapper.cs
@@ -2637,6 +2637,16 @@ private static bool IsValueTuple(Type? type) => (type?.IsValueType == true
                 {
                     il.Emit(OpCodes.Ldloc, typedParameterLocal); // stack is now [parameters] [typed-param]
                     il.Emit(callOpCode, prop.GetGetMethod()!); // stack is [parameters] [custom]
+                    if (!prop.PropertyType.IsValueType)
+                    {
+                        // throw if null
+                        var notNull = il.DefineLabel();
+                        il.Emit(OpCodes.Dup); // stack is [parameters] [custom] [custom]
+                        il.Emit(OpCodes.Brtrue_S, notNull); // stack is [parameters] [custom]
+                        il.Emit(OpCodes.Ldstr, prop.Name); // stack is [parameters] [custom] [name]
+                        il.EmitCall(OpCodes.Call, typeof(SqlMapper).GetMethod(nameof(ThrowNullCustomQueryParameter))!, null); // stack is [parameters] [custom]
+                        il.MarkLabel(notNull);
+                    }
                     il.Emit(OpCodes.Ldarg_0); // stack is now [parameters] [custom] [command]
                     il.Emit(OpCodes.Ldstr, prop.Name); // stack is now [parameters] [custom] [command] [name]
                     il.EmitCall(OpCodes.Callvirt, prop.PropertyType.GetMethod(nameof(ICustomQueryParameter.AddParameter))!, null); // stack is now [parameters]
@@ -3859,6 +3869,14 @@ private static void FlexibleConvertBoxedFromHeadOfStack(ILGenerator il, Type fro
             return null;
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// For internal use only
+        /// </summary>
+        [Obsolete(ObsoleteInternalUsageOnly, false)]
+        [Browsable(false), EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
+        public static void ThrowNullCustomQueryParameter(string name)
+            => throw new InvalidOperationException($"Member '{name}' is an {nameof(ICustomQueryParameter)} and cannot be null");
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Throws a data exception, only used internally
         /// </summary>
@@ -3867,6 +3885,7 @@ private static void FlexibleConvertBoxedFromHeadOfStack(ILGenerator il, Type fro
         /// <param name="reader">The reader the exception occurred in.</param>
         /// <param name="value">The value that caused the exception.</param>
         [Obsolete(ObsoleteInternalUsageOnly, false)]
+        [Browsable(false), EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
         public static void ThrowDataException(Exception ex, int index, IDataReader reader, object? value)
         {
             Exception toThrow;
diff --git a/tests/Dapper.Tests/MiscTests.cs b/tests/Dapper.Tests/MiscTests.cs
index 24f7bf2bd..aaaf8e978 100644
--- a/tests/Dapper.Tests/MiscTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Dapper.Tests/MiscTests.cs
@@ -657,6 +657,27 @@ public void TestDbString()
             Assert.Equal(10, (int)obj.f);
         }
 
+        [Fact]
+        public void DbStringNullHandling()
+        {
+            // without lengths
+            var obj = new { x = new DbString("abc"), y = (DbString?)new DbString(null) };
+            var row = connection.QuerySingle<(string? x,string? y)>("select @x as x, @y as y", obj);
+            Assert.Equal("abc", row.x);
+            Assert.Null(row.y);
+
+            // with lengths
+            obj = new { x = new DbString("abc", 200), y = (DbString?)new DbString(null, 200) };
+            row = connection.QuerySingle<(string? x, string? y)>("select @x as x, @y as y", obj);
+            Assert.Equal("abc", row.x);
+            Assert.Null(row.y);
+
+            // null raw value - give clear message, at least
+            obj = obj with { y = null };
+            var ex = Assert.Throws<InvalidOperationException>(() => connection.QuerySingle<(string? x, string? y)>("select @x as x, @y as y", obj));
+            Assert.Equal("Member 'y' is an ICustomQueryParameter and cannot be null", ex.Message);
+        }
+
         [Fact]
         public void TestDbStringToString()
         {
@@ -668,6 +689,8 @@ public void TestDbStringToString()
                 new DbString { Value = "abcde", IsFixedLength = false, Length = 10, IsAnsi = true }.ToString());
             Assert.Equal("Dapper.DbString (Value: 'abcde', Length: 10, IsAnsi: False, IsFixedLength: False)",
                 new DbString { Value = "abcde", IsFixedLength = false, Length = 10, IsAnsi = false }.ToString());
+            Assert.Equal("Dapper.DbString (Value: null, Length: -1, IsAnsi: False, IsFixedLength: False)",
+                new DbString { Value = null }.ToString());
 
             Assert.Equal("Dapper.DbString (Value: 'abcde', Length: -1, IsAnsi: True, IsFixedLength: False)",
                 new DbString { Value = "abcde", IsAnsi = true }.ToString());