diff --git a/src/Step.tsx b/src/Step.tsx
index 9f29512..a9c7258 100644
--- a/src/Step.tsx
+++ b/src/Step.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /* eslint react/prop-types: 0 */
 import * as React from 'react';
-import { isNonNullable } from '@rc-component/util';
+import { isNonNullable, isReactRenderable } from '@rc-component/util';
 import { clsx } from 'clsx';
 import type { Status, StepItem, StepsProps } from './Steps';
 import Rail from './Rail';
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ export default function Step(props: StepProps) {
     itemCls,
     `${itemCls}-${mergedStatus}`,
     {
-      [`${itemCls}-custom`]: icon,
+      [`${itemCls}-custom`]: isReactRenderable(icon),
       [`${itemCls}-active`]: active,
       [`${itemCls}-disabled`]: disabled === true,
       [`${itemCls}-empty-header`]: !hasTitle && !hasSubTitle,
@@ -228,7 +228,8 @@ export default function Step(props: StepProps) {
   );
 
   if (itemRender) {
-    stepNode = (itemRender(stepNode, renderInfo) || null) as React.ReactElement;
+    const renderedNode = itemRender(stepNode, renderInfo);
+    stepNode = isReactRenderable(renderedNode) ? renderedNode : null;
   }
 
   return stepNode;
diff --git a/tests/renderability.test.tsx b/tests/renderability.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..720e695
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/renderability.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
+import Steps from '../src';
+
+it('preserves a zero itemRender result', () => {
+  const { container } = render(<Steps items={[{ title: 'A' }]} itemRender={() => 0} />);
+  expect(container.textContent).toBe('0');
+});
+
+it('marks a zero icon as custom', () => {
+  const { container } = render(<Steps items={[{ title: 'A', icon: 0 }]} />);
+  expect(container.querySelector('.rc-steps-item')).toHaveClass('rc-steps-item-custom');
+});
+
+it.each([false, null, undefined, ''])('keeps an empty itemRender result hidden: %s', (value) => {
+  const { container } = render(<Steps items={[{ title: 'A' }]} itemRender={() => value} />);
+  expect(container.querySelector('.rc-steps').textContent).toBe('');
+});