diff --git a/intern/cycles/kernel/integrator/shade_volume.h b/intern/cycles/kernel/integrator/shade_volume.h
index 8b6c554034b..958f73046b8 100644
--- a/intern/cycles/kernel/integrator/shade_volume.h
+++ b/intern/cycles/kernel/integrator/shade_volume.h
@@ -486,9 +486,12 @@ ccl_device_forceinline void volume_integrate_step_scattering(
     ccl_private VolumeIntegrateState &ccl_restrict vstate,
     ccl_private VolumeIntegrateResult &ccl_restrict result)
 {
-  /* Pick random color channel, we use the Veach one-sample
-   * model with balance heuristic for the channels. */
-  const Spectrum albedo = safe_divide_color(coeff.sigma_s, coeff.sigma_t);
+  /* Pick random color channel for sampling the scatter distance. We use the Veach one-sample model
+   * with balance heuristic for the channels.
+   * Set `albedo` to 1 for the channel where extinction coefficient `sigma_t` is zero, to make sure
+   * that we sample a distance outside the current segment when that channel is picked, meaning
+   * light passes through without attenuation. */
+  const Spectrum albedo = safe_divide_color(coeff.sigma_s, coeff.sigma_t, 1.0f);
   Spectrum channel_pdf;
   const int channel = volume_sample_channel(
       albedo, result.indirect_throughput, &vstate.rchannel, &channel_pdf);
diff --git a/intern/cycles/util/math.h b/intern/cycles/util/math.h
index cc7cf0fd619..68c74c1c610 100644
--- a/intern/cycles/util/math.h
+++ b/intern/cycles/util/math.h
@@ -634,12 +634,13 @@ ccl_device_inline Spectrum safe_invert_color(Spectrum a)
   return a;
 }
 
-ccl_device_inline Spectrum safe_divide_color(Spectrum a, Spectrum b)
+/* Returns `a/b`, and replace the channel value with `fallback` if `b == 0`. */
+ccl_device_inline Spectrum safe_divide_color(Spectrum a, Spectrum b, const float fallback = 0.0f)
 {
   FOREACH_SPECTRUM_CHANNEL (i) {
     GET_SPECTRUM_CHANNEL(a, i) = (GET_SPECTRUM_CHANNEL(b, i) != 0.0f) ?
                                      GET_SPECTRUM_CHANNEL(a, i) / GET_SPECTRUM_CHANNEL(b, i) :
-                                     0.0f;
+                                     fallback;
   }
 
   return a;