diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/_dtypes.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/_dtypes.py
index baa5e2e52..c123d31d1 100644
--- a/xrspatial/geotiff/_dtypes.py
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/_dtypes.py
@@ -192,6 +192,50 @@ def resolve_bits_per_sample(bps, sample_format=None) -> int:
     return int(bps)
 
 
+def resolve_sample_format(sf) -> int:
+    """Resolve a TIFF ``SampleFormat`` tag value to a single integer.
+
+    The TIFF spec allows ``SampleFormat`` to be a scalar or a sequence
+    with one entry per sample. xarray-spatial decodes a whole IFD with
+    one numpy dtype, so per-band sample formats must agree. A file that
+    mixes signed/unsigned/float bands at the same bit depth would
+    otherwise decode every band as the first band's type and silently
+    corrupt the others.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    sf : int or sequence of int
+        Raw value from ``IFD.sample_format``. Accepts ``int``, ``tuple``,
+        or ``list``. An empty sequence is treated as missing and falls
+        back to ``1`` (uint), matching the spec default.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    int
+        The shared SampleFormat value.
+
+    Raises
+    ------
+    ValueError
+        If ``sf`` is a sequence whose entries are not all equal.
+    """
+    if isinstance(sf, (tuple, list)):
+        if len(sf) == 0:
+            return 1
+        first = sf[0]
+        for v in sf[1:]:
+            if v != first:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"Mixed SampleFormat per band is not supported: "
+                    f"{tuple(sf)}. xarray-spatial decodes all bands with "
+                    f"a single dtype. Convert the file to a uniform "
+                    f"sample format first with gdal_translate or "
+                    f"rasterio."
+                )
+        return int(first)
+    return int(sf)
+
+
 def numpy_to_tiff_dtype(dt: np.dtype) -> tuple[int, int]:
     """Convert a numpy dtype to (bits_per_sample, sample_format).
 
diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/_header.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/_header.py
index ac0368a33..8e0e7378e 100644
--- a/xrspatial/geotiff/_header.py
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/_header.py
@@ -163,17 +163,12 @@ def samples_per_pixel(self) -> int:
 
     @property
     def sample_format(self) -> int:
-        v = self.get_value(TAG_SAMPLE_FORMAT, 1)
-        if isinstance(v, tuple):
-            # A SampleFormat tag with count=0 has been seen in malformed
-            # TIFFs (single-byte corruption flips the count field). Fall back
-            # to the default rather than raising IndexError -- the caller can
-            # then either succeed with a sensible dtype or fail with a typed
-            # ValueError downstream.
-            if len(v) == 0:
-                return 1
-            return v[0]
-        return v
+        # resolve_sample_format keeps the empty-tuple fallback exercised by
+        # tests/test_fuzz_hypothesis_1661.py:311 and raises ValueError on
+        # mixed per-band values so we don't silently decode the rest of the
+        # IFD with the first band's dtype.
+        from ._dtypes import resolve_sample_format
+        return resolve_sample_format(self.get_value(TAG_SAMPLE_FORMAT, 1))
 
     @property
     def compression(self) -> int:
diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/test_mixed_sample_format.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/test_mixed_sample_format.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7b0526fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/test_mixed_sample_format.py
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+"""Tests for non-uniform SampleFormat handling (issue #1868).
+
+A TIFF whose ``SampleFormat`` tag carries different values per band
+(e.g. ``(3, 3, 1)`` for two float bands plus one uint band at the same
+bit depth) cannot be decoded into a single numpy dtype. The reader
+previously collapsed the tuple to ``v[0]``, silently reinterpreting
+mismatched bands. xarray-spatial now rejects such files with a typed
+error, mirroring the mixed ``BitsPerSample`` behaviour.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import struct
+
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+
+from xrspatial.geotiff import open_geotiff
+from xrspatial.geotiff._dtypes import resolve_sample_format
+
+
+def _build_multi_band_tiff_sf(
+    width: int,
+    height: int,
+    samples: int,
+    sample_format,
+    bits_per_sample: int = 32,
+    pixel_dtype: np.dtype = np.dtype('float32'),
+) -> bytes:
+    """Build a minimal stripped uncompressed multi-band TIFF.
+
+    ``sample_format`` is written as-is into tag 339 -- pass a list/tuple
+    to exercise the per-band code path.
+    """
+    bo = '<'
+    pixel_data = np.zeros((height, width, samples), dtype=pixel_dtype)
+    pixel_bytes = pixel_data.tobytes()
+
+    tags: list[tuple[int, int, int, bytes]] = []
+
+    def add_short(tag, val):
+        tags.append((tag, 3, 1, struct.pack(f'{bo}H', val)))
+
+    def add_long(tag, val):
+        tags.append((tag, 4, 1, struct.pack(f'{bo}I', val)))
+
+    def add_shorts(tag, vals):
+        tags.append((tag, 3, len(vals),
+                     struct.pack(f'{bo}{len(vals)}H', *vals)))
+
+    add_short(256, width)                          # ImageWidth
+    add_short(257, height)                         # ImageLength
+    add_shorts(258, [bits_per_sample] * samples)   # BitsPerSample
+    add_short(259, 1)                              # Compression = none
+    add_short(262, 2 if samples >= 3 else 1)       # PhotometricInterpretation
+    add_long(273, 0)                               # StripOffsets (patched)
+    add_short(277, samples)                        # SamplesPerPixel
+    add_short(278, height)                         # RowsPerStrip
+    add_long(279, len(pixel_bytes))                # StripByteCounts
+    add_short(284, 1)                              # PlanarConfiguration = chunky
+    if isinstance(sample_format, (list, tuple)):
+        add_shorts(339, list(sample_format))       # SampleFormat (per band)
+    else:
+        add_short(339, sample_format)
+
+    tags.sort(key=lambda t: t[0])
+
+    num_entries = len(tags)
+    ifd_start = 8
+    ifd_size = 2 + 12 * num_entries + 4
+    overflow_start = ifd_start + ifd_size
+
+    overflow_buf = bytearray()
+    tag_overflow_offsets: dict[int, int | None] = {}
+    for tag, typ, count, raw in tags:
+        if len(raw) > 4:
+            tag_overflow_offsets[tag] = len(overflow_buf)
+            overflow_buf.extend(raw)
+            if len(overflow_buf) % 2:
+                overflow_buf.append(0)
+        else:
+            tag_overflow_offsets[tag] = None
+
+    pixel_start = overflow_start + len(overflow_buf)
+
+    # Patch StripOffsets to point at the pixel block
+    patched = []
+    for tag, typ, count, raw in tags:
+        if tag == 273:
+            patched.append((tag, 4, 1, struct.pack(f'{bo}I', pixel_start)))
+        else:
+            patched.append((tag, typ, count, raw))
+    tags = patched
+
+    out = bytearray()
+    out.extend(b'II')
+    out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}H', 42))
+    out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}I', ifd_start))
+    out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}H', num_entries))
+    for tag, typ, count, raw in tags:
+        out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}H', tag))
+        out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}H', typ))
+        out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}I', count))
+        if len(raw) <= 4:
+            payload = raw + b'\x00' * (4 - len(raw))
+            out.extend(payload)
+        else:
+            out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}I',
+                                    overflow_start + tag_overflow_offsets[tag]))
+    out.extend(struct.pack(f'{bo}I', 0))
+    out.extend(overflow_buf)
+    out.extend(pixel_bytes)
+    return bytes(out)
+
+
+class TestResolveSampleFormat:
+    """Unit tests for the helper."""
+
+    def test_scalar(self):
+        assert resolve_sample_format(3) == 3
+
+    def test_one_element_tuple(self):
+        assert resolve_sample_format((1,)) == 1
+
+    def test_uniform_tuple(self):
+        assert resolve_sample_format((3, 3, 3)) == 3
+
+    def test_uniform_list(self):
+        assert resolve_sample_format([2, 2, 2, 2]) == 2
+
+    def test_mixed_tuple_raises(self):
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=r"Mixed SampleFormat"):
+            resolve_sample_format((3, 3, 1))
+
+    def test_error_message_contains_values(self):
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc:
+            resolve_sample_format((3, 3, 1))
+        msg = str(exc.value)
+        assert "(3, 3, 1)" in msg
+        assert "gdal_translate" in msg or "rasterio" in msg
+
+    def test_mixed_signed_unsigned_raises(self):
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=r"Mixed SampleFormat"):
+            resolve_sample_format((1, 2, 1))
+
+    def test_empty_tuple_falls_back_to_default(self):
+        # Issue #1661 regression: empty SampleFormat from malformed TIFFs
+        # must not raise IndexError. Falling back to 1 (uint) is intentional.
+        assert resolve_sample_format(()) == 1
+
+
+class TestMixedSampleFormatTiff:
+    """End-to-end tests against open_geotiff."""
+
+    def test_uniform_sample_format_reads_fine(self, tmp_path):
+        path = tmp_path / "uniform_sf_1868.tif"
+        path.write_bytes(
+            _build_multi_band_tiff_sf(
+                width=4, height=3, samples=3,
+                sample_format=(3, 3, 3),
+                bits_per_sample=32,
+                pixel_dtype=np.dtype('float32'),
+            )
+        )
+        da = open_geotiff(str(path))
+        assert da.dtype == np.float32
+        assert da.sizes['y'] == 3
+        assert da.sizes['x'] == 4
+        assert da.sizes['band'] == 3
+
+    def test_mixed_float_uint_rejected(self, tmp_path):
+        """The canonical silent-corruption case: two float bands plus one
+        uint band at the same bit depth. Previously decoded as float32
+        across all bands."""
+        path = tmp_path / "mixed_sf_1868.tif"
+        path.write_bytes(
+            _build_multi_band_tiff_sf(
+                width=4, height=3, samples=3,
+                sample_format=(3, 3, 1),
+                bits_per_sample=32,
+                pixel_dtype=np.dtype('float32'),
+            )
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc:
+            open_geotiff(str(path))
+        msg = str(exc.value)
+        assert "Mixed SampleFormat" in msg
+        assert "(3, 3, 1)" in msg
+
+    def test_mixed_signed_unsigned_rejected(self, tmp_path):
+        """Mixed signed/unsigned integer bands at the same bit depth would
+        also corrupt silently."""
+        path = tmp_path / "mixed_sf_int_1868.tif"
+        path.write_bytes(
+            _build_multi_band_tiff_sf(
+                width=4, height=3, samples=3,
+                sample_format=(1, 2, 1),
+                bits_per_sample=16,
+                pixel_dtype=np.dtype('uint16'),
+            )
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=r"Mixed SampleFormat"):
+            open_geotiff(str(path))