diff --git a/src/main/java/io/ipfs/multihash/Multihash.java b/src/main/java/io/ipfs/multihash/Multihash.java
index 2fb6776..df31766 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/ipfs/multihash/Multihash.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/ipfs/multihash/Multihash.java
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ public enum Type {
         sha3_224(0x17, 24),
         sha3_256(0x16, 32),
         sha3_512(0x14, 64),
-        shake_128(0x18, 32),
-        shake_256(0x19, 64),
+        shake_128(0x18, -1),
+        shake_256(0x19, -1),
         keccak_224(0x1a, 24),
         keccak_256(0x1b, 32),
         keccak_384(0x1c, 48),
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ public Multihash(Type type, byte[] hash) {
             throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported hash size: "+hash.length);
         if (hash.length > MAX_IDENTITY_HASH_LENGTH)
             throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported hash size: "+hash.length);
-        if (hash.length != type.length && type != Type.id)
+        if (hash.length != type.length && type.length != -1)
             throw new IllegalStateException("Incorrect hash length: " + hash.length + " != "+type.length);
         this.type = type;
         this.hash = hash;
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/ipfs/multihash/MultihashTest.java b/src/test/java/io/ipfs/multihash/MultihashTest.java
index b4050da..c6d31b9 100755
--- a/src/test/java/io/ipfs/multihash/MultihashTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/io/ipfs/multihash/MultihashTest.java
@@ -39,6 +39,19 @@ void decodeTest() throws IOException {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void variableLengthMultihashTest() throws Exception {
+        Object[][] examples = new Object[][]{
+            {Multihash.Type.shake_128, "18108eb4b6a932f280335ee1a279f8c208a3"},
+            {Multihash.Type.shake_128, "18208eb4b6a932f280335ee1a279f8c208a349e7bc65daf831d3021c213825292463"},
+            {Multihash.Type.shake_128, "18308eb4b6a932f280335ee1a279f8c208a349e7bc65daf831d3021c213825292463c59e22d0fe2c767cd7cacc4df42dd5f6"},
+        };
+        for(Object[] ex: examples) {
+            Multihash m = Multihash.fromHex((String)ex[1]);
+            assertEquals(ex[0], m.getType());
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     void multihashTest() {
         Object[][] examples = new Object[][]{