diff --git a/src/hotspot/cpu/aarch64/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_aarch64.cpp b/src/hotspot/cpu/aarch64/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_aarch64.cpp
index fe4df9b8c0d..5db29729239 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/cpu/aarch64/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_aarch64.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/cpu/aarch64/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_aarch64.cpp
@@ -109,18 +109,13 @@ void ShenandoahBarrierSetAssembler::satb_write_barrier_pre(MacroAssembler* masm,
   assert_different_registers(obj, pre_val, tmp1, tmp2);
   assert(pre_val != noreg && tmp1 != noreg && tmp2 != noreg, "expecting a register");
 
-  Address in_progress(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_active_offset()));
   Address index(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_index_offset()));
   Address buffer(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_buffer_offset()));
 
   // Is marking active?
-  if (in_bytes(SATBMarkQueue::byte_width_of_active()) == 4) {
-    __ ldrw(tmp1, in_progress);
-  } else {
-    assert(in_bytes(SATBMarkQueue::byte_width_of_active()) == 1, "Assumption");
-    __ ldrb(tmp1, in_progress);
-  }
-  __ cbzw(tmp1, done);
+  Address gc_state(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::gc_state_offset()));
+  __ ldrb(tmp1, gc_state);
+  __ tbz(tmp1, ShenandoahHeap::MARKING_BITPOS, done);
 
   // Do we need to load the previous value?
   if (obj != noreg) {
diff --git a/src/hotspot/cpu/riscv/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_riscv.cpp b/src/hotspot/cpu/riscv/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_riscv.cpp
index a93bf5394ce..9be8259e7e8 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/cpu/riscv/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_riscv.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/cpu/riscv/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_riscv.cpp
@@ -112,18 +112,14 @@ void ShenandoahBarrierSetAssembler::satb_write_barrier_pre(MacroAssembler* masm,
   assert_different_registers(obj, pre_val, tmp1, tmp2);
   assert(pre_val != noreg && tmp1 != noreg && tmp2 != noreg, "expecting a register");
 
-  Address in_progress(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_active_offset()));
   Address index(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_index_offset()));
   Address buffer(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_buffer_offset()));
 
   // Is marking active?
-  if (in_bytes(SATBMarkQueue::byte_width_of_active()) == 4) {
-    __ lwu(tmp1, in_progress);
-  } else {
-    assert(in_bytes(SATBMarkQueue::byte_width_of_active()) == 1, "Assumption");
-    __ lbu(tmp1, in_progress);
-  }
-  __ beqz(tmp1, done);
+  Address gc_state(xthread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::gc_state_offset()));
+  __ lbu(t1, gc_state);
+  __ test_bit(t1, t1, ShenandoahHeap::MARKING_BITPOS);
+  __ beqz(t1, done);
 
   // Do we need to load the previous value?
   if (obj != noreg) {
diff --git a/src/hotspot/cpu/x86/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_x86.cpp b/src/hotspot/cpu/x86/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_x86.cpp
index 573edc26dad..25a2b931468 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/cpu/x86/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_x86.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/cpu/x86/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler_x86.cpp
@@ -219,7 +219,6 @@ void ShenandoahBarrierSetAssembler::satb_write_barrier_pre(MacroAssembler* masm,
     assert(pre_val != rax, "check this code");
   }
 
-  Address in_progress(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_active_offset()));
   Address index(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_index_offset()));
   Address buffer(thread, in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_buffer_offset()));
 
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp
index 1131945dc8c..30bf1f7a395 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp
@@ -58,26 +58,32 @@ ShenandoahBarrierSetC1::ShenandoahBarrierSetC1() :
 
 void ShenandoahBarrierSetC1::pre_barrier(LIRGenerator* gen, CodeEmitInfo* info, DecoratorSet decorators, LIR_Opr addr_opr, LIR_Opr pre_val) {
   // First we test whether marking is in progress.
-  BasicType flag_type;
+
   bool patch = (decorators & C1_NEEDS_PATCHING) != 0;
   bool do_load = pre_val == LIR_OprFact::illegalOpr;
-  if (in_bytes(SATBMarkQueue::byte_width_of_active()) == 4) {
-    flag_type = T_INT;
-  } else {
-    guarantee(in_bytes(SATBMarkQueue::byte_width_of_active()) == 1,
-              "Assumption");
-    // Use unsigned type T_BOOLEAN here rather than signed T_BYTE since some platforms, eg. ARM,
-    // need to use unsigned instructions to use the large offset to load the satb_mark_queue.
-    flag_type = T_BOOLEAN;
-  }
+
   LIR_Opr thrd = gen->getThreadPointer();
-  LIR_Address* mark_active_flag_addr =
-    new LIR_Address(thrd,
-                    in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_active_offset()),
-                    flag_type);
-  // Read the marking-in-progress flag.
+  LIR_Address* gc_state_addr =
+          new LIR_Address(thrd,
+                          in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::gc_state_offset()),
+                          T_BYTE);
+  // Read the gc_state flag.
   LIR_Opr flag_val = gen->new_register(T_INT);
-  __ load(mark_active_flag_addr, flag_val);
+  __ load(gc_state_addr, flag_val);
+
+  // Create a mask to test if the marking bit is set.
+  // TODO: can we directly test if bit is set?
+  LIR_Opr mask = LIR_OprFact::intConst(ShenandoahHeap::MARKING);
+  LIR_Opr mask_reg = gen->new_register(T_INT);
+  __ move(mask, mask_reg);
+
+  if (two_operand_lir_form) {
+    __ logical_and(flag_val, mask_reg, flag_val);
+  } else {
+    LIR_Opr masked_flag = gen->new_register(T_INT);
+    __ logical_and(flag_val, mask_reg, masked_flag);
+    flag_val = masked_flag;
+  }
   __ cmp(lir_cond_notEqual, flag_val, LIR_OprFact::intConst(0));
 
   LIR_PatchCode pre_val_patch_code = lir_patch_none;
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c2/shenandoahBarrierSetC2.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c2/shenandoahBarrierSetC2.cpp
index f34b1cae8fb..7d1f5cc16a8 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c2/shenandoahBarrierSetC2.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c2/shenandoahBarrierSetC2.cpp
@@ -980,7 +980,7 @@ void ShenandoahBarrierSetC2::verify_gc_barriers(Compile* compile, CompilePhase p
     ShenandoahBarrierC2Support::verify(Compile::current()->root());
   } else if (phase == BarrierSetC2::BeforeCodeGen) {
     // Verify Shenandoah pre-barriers
-    const int marking_offset = in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::satb_mark_queue_active_offset());
+    const int gc_state_offset = in_bytes(ShenandoahThreadLocalData::gc_state_offset());
 
     Unique_Node_List visited;
     Node_List worklist;
@@ -988,7 +988,10 @@ void ShenandoahBarrierSetC2::verify_gc_barriers(Compile* compile, CompilePhase p
     worklist.push(compile->root());
     while (worklist.size() > 0) {
       Node *x = worklist.pop();
-      if (x == nullptr || x == compile->top()) continue;
+      if (x == nullptr || x == compile->top()) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
       if (visited.member(x)) {
         continue;
       } else {
@@ -1016,7 +1019,7 @@ void ShenandoahBarrierSetC2::verify_gc_barriers(Compile* compile, CompilePhase p
               LoadNode *load = cmp->in(1)->as_Load();
               if (load->Opcode() == Op_LoadB && load->in(2)->is_AddP() && load->in(2)->in(2)->Opcode() == Op_ThreadLocal
                   && load->in(2)->in(3)->is_Con()
-                  && load->in(2)->in(3)->bottom_type()->is_intptr_t()->get_con() == marking_offset) {
+                  && load->in(2)->in(3)->bottom_type()->is_intptr_t()->get_con() == gc_state_offset) {
 
                 Node *if_ctrl = iff->in(0);
                 Node *load_ctrl = load->in(0);
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahThreadLocalData.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahThreadLocalData.hpp
index 9eec573cc56..91f1cfe7f56 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahThreadLocalData.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahThreadLocalData.hpp
@@ -158,10 +158,6 @@ public:
   }
 
   // Offsets
-  static ByteSize satb_mark_queue_active_offset() {
-    return satb_mark_queue_offset() + SATBMarkQueue::byte_offset_of_active();
-  }
-
   static ByteSize satb_mark_queue_index_offset() {
     return satb_mark_queue_offset() + SATBMarkQueue::byte_offset_of_index();
   }