diff --git a/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultStorageRetryStrategy.java b/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultStorageRetryStrategy.java
index cf85b7400d..b9a8df0b52 100644
--- a/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultStorageRetryStrategy.java
+++ b/google-cloud-storage/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultStorageRetryStrategy.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import com.google.gson.stream.MalformedJsonException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.SocketException;
+import java.net.UnknownHostException;
 import java.util.Set;
 import javax.net.ssl.SSLException;
 
@@ -114,6 +115,8 @@ private RetryResult shouldRetryIOException(IOException ioException) {
           SocketException se = (SocketException) cause;
           return shouldRetryIOException(se);
         }
+      } else if (ioException instanceof UnknownHostException && idempotent) {
+        return RetryResult.RETRY;
       }
       if (BaseServiceException.isRetryable(idempotent, ioException)) {
         return RetryResult.RETRY;
diff --git a/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultRetryHandlingBehaviorTest.java b/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultRetryHandlingBehaviorTest.java
index f1c37b09d4..0f90c7524f 100644
--- a/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultRetryHandlingBehaviorTest.java
+++ b/google-cloud-storage/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/storage/DefaultRetryHandlingBehaviorTest.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.SocketException;
 import java.net.SocketTimeoutException;
+import java.net.UnknownHostException;
 import java.security.cert.CertificateException;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -342,6 +343,7 @@ enum ThrowableCategory {
     IO_EXCEPTION(new IOException("no retry")),
     AUTH_RETRYABLE_TRUE(new RetryableException(true)),
     AUTH_RETRYABLE_FALSE(new RetryableException(false)),
+    UNKNOWN_HOST_EXCEPTION(C.UNKNOWN_HOST_EXCEPTION),
     ;
 
     private final Throwable throwable;
@@ -415,6 +417,8 @@ private static final class C {
       private static final MalformedJsonException GSON_MALFORMED_EXCEPTION =
           new MalformedJsonException("parse-exception");
       private static final IOException IO_PREMATURE_EOF = new IOException("Premature EOF");
+      private static final UnknownHostException UNKNOWN_HOST_EXCEPTION =
+          new UnknownHostException("fake.fake");
 
       private static HttpResponseException newHttpResponseException(
           int httpStatusCode, String name) {
@@ -1065,6 +1069,16 @@ private static ImmutableList<Case> getAllCases() {
                 ThrowableCategory.AUTH_RETRYABLE_FALSE,
                 HandlerCategory.NONIDEMPOTENT,
                 ExpectRetry.NO,
+                Behavior.SAME),
+            new Case(
+                ThrowableCategory.UNKNOWN_HOST_EXCEPTION,
+                HandlerCategory.IDEMPOTENT,
+                ExpectRetry.YES,
+                Behavior.DEFAULT_MORE_PERMISSIBLE),
+            new Case(
+                ThrowableCategory.UNKNOWN_HOST_EXCEPTION,
+                HandlerCategory.NONIDEMPOTENT,
+                ExpectRetry.NO,
                 Behavior.SAME))
         .build();
   }