diff --git a/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShim.java b/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShim.java
index ac3c1f62c17..2551e83d7d8 100644
--- a/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShim.java
+++ b/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShim.java
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ final class SpanBuilderShim extends BaseShimObject implements SpanBuilder {
 
   private final List<Object> spanBuilderAttributeValues = new ArrayList<>();
   @Nullable private SpanKind spanKind;
-  private boolean error;
+  @Nullable private Boolean error;
   private long startTimestampMicros;
 
   private static final Attributes CHILD_OF_ATTR =
@@ -249,8 +249,8 @@ public Span start() {
     }
 
     io.opentelemetry.api.trace.Span span = builder.startSpan();
-    if (error) {
-      span.setStatus(StatusCode.ERROR);
+    if (error != null) {
+      span.setStatus(error ? StatusCode.ERROR : StatusCode.OK);
     }
 
     return new SpanShim(telemetryInfo(), span, baggage);
diff --git a/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShim.java b/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShim.java
index 10adf19adf5..c12858c72ff 100644
--- a/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShim.java
+++ b/opentracing-shim/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShim.java
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public Span setTag(String key, String value) {
       // TODO: confirm we can safely ignore span.kind after Span was created
       // https://github.com/bogdandrutu/opentelemetry/issues/42
     } else if (Tags.ERROR.getKey().equals(key)) {
-      StatusCode canonicalCode = Boolean.parseBoolean(value) ? StatusCode.ERROR : StatusCode.UNSET;
+      StatusCode canonicalCode = Boolean.parseBoolean(value) ? StatusCode.ERROR : StatusCode.OK;
       span.setStatus(canonicalCode);
     } else {
       span.setAttribute(key, value);
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ public Span setTag(String key, String value) {
   @Override
   public Span setTag(String key, boolean value) {
     if (Tags.ERROR.getKey().equals(key)) {
-      StatusCode canonicalCode = value ? StatusCode.ERROR : StatusCode.UNSET;
+      StatusCode canonicalCode = value ? StatusCode.ERROR : StatusCode.OK;
       span.setStatus(canonicalCode);
     } else {
       span.setAttribute(key, value);
diff --git a/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShimTest.java b/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShimTest.java
index 16ff9cfeb99..a915cee1272 100644
--- a/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShimTest.java
+++ b/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanBuilderShimTest.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import io.opentelemetry.api.GlobalOpenTelemetry;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.common.AttributeKey;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.common.Attributes;
+import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.SpanContext;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.SpanKind;
 import io.opentelemetry.api.trace.Tracer;
 import io.opentelemetry.context.Context;
@@ -18,10 +19,12 @@
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.SdkTracerProvider;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.data.LinkData;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.data.SpanData;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.data.StatusData;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.samplers.Sampler;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.samplers.SamplingResult;
 import io.opentelemetry.semconv.trace.attributes.SemanticAttributes;
 import io.opentracing.References;
+import io.opentracing.tag.Tags;
 import java.math.BigInteger;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
@@ -41,6 +44,23 @@ void setUp() {
     GlobalOpenTelemetry.resetForTest();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void default_values() {
+    SpanShim span = (SpanShim) new SpanBuilderShim(telemetryInfo, SPAN_NAME).start();
+    try {
+      SpanData spanData = ((ReadableSpan) span.getSpan()).toSpanData();
+      assertThat(spanData.getName()).isEqualTo(SPAN_NAME);
+      assertThat(spanData.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.unset());
+      assertThat(spanData.getSpanContext()).isNotEqualTo(SpanContext.getInvalid());
+      assertThat(spanData.getKind()).isEqualTo(SpanKind.INTERNAL);
+      assertThat(spanData.getAttributes().size()).isEqualTo(0);
+      assertThat(spanData.getEvents()).hasSize(0);
+      assertThat(spanData.getLinks()).hasSize(0);
+    } finally {
+      span.finish();
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   void parent_single() {
     SpanShim parentSpan = (SpanShim) new SpanBuilderShim(telemetryInfo, SPAN_NAME).start();
@@ -297,6 +317,54 @@ void withStartTimestamp() {
     assertThat(spanData.getStartEpochNanos()).isEqualTo(micros * 1000L);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void setAttribute_errorAsBoolean() {
+    SpanShim span1 =
+        (SpanShim)
+            new SpanBuilderShim(telemetryInfo, SPAN_NAME)
+                .withTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), true)
+                .start();
+    SpanShim span2 =
+        (SpanShim)
+            new SpanBuilderShim(telemetryInfo, SPAN_NAME)
+                .withTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), false)
+                .start();
+    try {
+      SpanData spanData1 = ((ReadableSpan) span1.getSpan()).toSpanData();
+      assertThat(spanData1.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.error());
+
+      SpanData spanData2 = ((ReadableSpan) span2.getSpan()).toSpanData();
+      assertThat(spanData2.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.ok());
+    } finally {
+      span1.finish();
+      span2.finish();
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void setAttribute_errorAsString() {
+    SpanShim span1 =
+        (SpanShim)
+            new SpanBuilderShim(telemetryInfo, SPAN_NAME)
+                .withTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), "tRuE")
+                .start();
+    SpanShim span2 =
+        (SpanShim)
+            new SpanBuilderShim(telemetryInfo, SPAN_NAME)
+                .withTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), "FaLsE")
+                .start();
+    try {
+      SpanData spanData1 = ((ReadableSpan) span1.getSpan()).toSpanData();
+      assertThat(spanData1.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.error());
+
+      SpanData spanData2 = ((ReadableSpan) span2.getSpan()).toSpanData();
+      assertThat(spanData2.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.ok());
+    } finally {
+      span1.finish();
+      span2.finish();
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   void setAttribute_unrecognizedType() {
     SpanShim span =
diff --git a/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShimTest.java b/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShimTest.java
index 1d304e04c32..66b9a21be25 100644
--- a/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShimTest.java
+++ b/opentracing-shim/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/opentracingshim/SpanShimTest.java
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.SdkTracerProvider;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.data.EventData;
 import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.data.SpanData;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.trace.data.StatusData;
 import io.opentelemetry.semconv.trace.attributes.SemanticAttributes;
 import io.opentracing.log.Fields;
+import io.opentracing.tag.Tags;
 import java.math.BigInteger;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -60,6 +62,32 @@ void context_simple() {
     assertThat(contextShim.baggageItems().iterator().hasNext()).isFalse();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  void setAttribute_errorAsBoolean() {
+    SpanShim spanShim = new SpanShim(telemetryInfo, span);
+    spanShim.setTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), true);
+
+    SpanData spanData = ((ReadableSpan) span).toSpanData();
+    assertThat(spanData.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.error());
+
+    spanShim.setTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), false);
+    spanData = ((ReadableSpan) span).toSpanData();
+    assertThat(spanData.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.ok());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void setAttribute_errorAsString() {
+    SpanShim spanShim = new SpanShim(telemetryInfo, span);
+    spanShim.setTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), "tRuE");
+
+    SpanData spanData = ((ReadableSpan) span).toSpanData();
+    assertThat(spanData.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.error());
+
+    spanShim.setTag(Tags.ERROR.getKey(), "FaLsE");
+    spanData = ((ReadableSpan) span).toSpanData();
+    assertThat(spanData.getStatus()).isEqualTo(StatusData.ok());
+  }
+
   @Test
   void setAttribute_unrecognizedType() {
     SpanShim spanShim = new SpanShim(telemetryInfo, span);