diff --git a/meta/classes/nativesdk.bbclass b/meta/classes/nativesdk.bbclass
index a78257c192..31dde4a90f 100644
--- a/meta/classes/nativesdk.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/nativesdk.bbclass
@@ -97,3 +97,5 @@ do_populate_sysroot[stamp-extra-info] = ""
 do_packagedata[stamp-extra-info] = ""
 
 USE_NLS = "${SDKUSE_NLS}"
+
+OLDEST_KERNEL = "${SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL}"
diff --git a/meta/classes/populate_sdk_base.bbclass b/meta/classes/populate_sdk_base.bbclass
index a762655347..69aae2644e 100644
--- a/meta/classes/populate_sdk_base.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/populate_sdk_base.bbclass
@@ -89,11 +89,6 @@ POPULATE_SDK_POST_HOST_COMMAND_append = " write_host_sdk_manifest; "
 SDK_PACKAGING_COMMAND = "${@'${SDK_PACKAGING_FUNC};' if '${SDK_PACKAGING_FUNC}' else ''}"
 SDK_POSTPROCESS_COMMAND = " create_sdk_files; check_sdk_sysroots; tar_sdk; ${SDK_PACKAGING_COMMAND} "
 
-# Some archs override this, we need the nativesdk version
-# turns out this is hard to get from the datastore due to TRANSLATED_TARGET_ARCH
-# manipulation.
-SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL = "3.2.0"
-
 def populate_sdk_common(d):
     from oe.sdk import populate_sdk
     from oe.manifest import create_manifest, Manifest
diff --git a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
index 54a587f1b4..9f445bb196 100644
--- a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
@@ -408,6 +408,11 @@ OLDEST_KERNEL = "3.2.0"
 OLDEST_KERNEL_aarch64 = "3.14"
 OLDEST_KERNEL_nios2 = "3.19"
 
+# SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL can't be set using overrides since there are
+# none for the SDK architecture. Best to set it from a machine-sdk
+# include file if you need an SDK arch-specific value
+SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL = "3.2.0"
+
 # Define where the kernel headers are installed on the target as well as where
 # they are staged.
 KERNEL_SRC_PATH = "/usr/src/kernel"
diff --git a/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i586.conf b/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i586.conf
index 41e5e159d1..99083fb63e 100644
--- a/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i586.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i586.conf
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 SDK_ARCH = "i586"
 SDK_CC_ARCH = "-march=i586"
 ABIEXTENSION_class-nativesdk = ""
+SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL = "2.6.32"
 
diff --git a/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i686.conf b/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i686.conf
index fe406972c8..cf22784e9a 100644
--- a/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i686.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/machine-sdk/i686.conf
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 SDK_ARCH = "i686"
 SDK_CC_ARCH = "-march=i686"
 ABIEXTENSION_class-nativesdk = ""
+SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL = "2.6.32"
diff --git a/meta/conf/machine-sdk/x86_64.conf b/meta/conf/machine-sdk/x86_64.conf
index 61439b4fb0..7d2e717807 100644
--- a/meta/conf/machine-sdk/x86_64.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/machine-sdk/x86_64.conf
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 SDK_ARCH = "x86_64"
 ABIEXTENSION_class-nativesdk = ""
+SDK_OLDEST_KERNEL = "2.6.32"