diff --git a/build/build.go b/build/build.go
index 21d6662a954d..81c66c4d02f4 100644
--- a/build/build.go
+++ b/build/build.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/buildx/util/imagetools"
 	"github.com/docker/buildx/util/progress"
 	clitypes "github.com/docker/cli/cli/config/types"
+	"github.com/docker/cli/opts"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/reference"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
 	dockerclient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ type Options struct {
 	ImageIDFile string
 	ExtraHosts  []string
 	NetworkMode string
+	Ulimits     *opts.UlimitOpt
 
 	NoCache   bool
 	Target    string
@@ -554,6 +556,14 @@ func toSolveOpt(ctx context.Context, d driver.Driver, multiDriver bool, opt Opti
 	}
 	so.FrontendAttrs["add-hosts"] = extraHosts
 
+	// setup ulimits
+	ulimits, err := toBuildkitUlimits(opt.Ulimits)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	} else if len(ulimits) > 0 {
+		so.FrontendAttrs["ulimit"] = ulimits
+	}
+
 	return &so, releaseF, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/build/utils.go b/build/utils.go
index 72376a071ac2..80a97655355e 100644
--- a/build/utils.go
+++ b/build/utils.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/docker/cli/opts"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
@@ -53,3 +54,15 @@ func toBuildkitExtraHosts(inp []string) (string, error) {
 	}
 	return strings.Join(hosts, ","), nil
 }
+
+// toBuildkitUlimits converts ulimits from docker type=soft:hard format to buildkit's csv format
+func toBuildkitUlimits(inp *opts.UlimitOpt) (string, error) {
+	if inp == nil || len(inp.GetList()) == 0 {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+	ulimits := make([]string, 0, len(inp.GetList()))
+	for _, ulimit := range inp.GetList() {
+		ulimits = append(ulimits, ulimit.String())
+	}
+	return strings.Join(ulimits, ","), nil
+}
diff --git a/commands/build.go b/commands/build.go
index c8716d7d145b..38f060acb6bd 100644
--- a/commands/build.go
+++ b/commands/build.go
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/buildx/util/tracing"
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli"
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/command"
+	"github.com/docker/cli/opts"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/ioutils"
+	"github.com/docker/go-units"
 	"github.com/moby/buildkit/client"
 	"github.com/moby/buildkit/session/auth/authprovider"
 	"github.com/moby/buildkit/util/appcontext"
@@ -45,6 +47,7 @@ type buildOptions struct {
 	extraHosts  []string
 	networkMode string
 	quiet       bool
+	ulimits     *opts.UlimitOpt
 
 	// unimplemented
 	squash bool
@@ -53,7 +56,6 @@ type buildOptions struct {
 
 	// hidden
 	// untrusted   bool
-	// ulimits        *opts.UlimitOpt
 	// memory         opts.MemBytes
 	// memorySwap     opts.MemSwapBytes
 	// shmSize        opts.MemBytes
@@ -125,6 +127,7 @@ func runBuild(dockerCli command.Cli, in buildOptions) (err error) {
 		ImageIDFile: in.imageIDFile,
 		ExtraHosts:  in.extraHosts,
 		NetworkMode: in.networkMode,
+		Ulimits:     in.ulimits,
 	}
 
 	platforms, err := platformutil.Parse(in.platforms)
@@ -260,8 +263,15 @@ func buildTargets(ctx context.Context, dockerCli command.Cli, opts map[string]bu
 	return resp[defaultTargetName].ExporterResponse["containerimage.digest"], err
 }
 
+func newBuildOptions() buildOptions {
+	ulimits := make(map[string]*units.Ulimit)
+	return buildOptions{
+		ulimits: opts.NewUlimitOpt(&ulimits),
+	}
+}
+
 func buildCmd(dockerCli command.Cli, rootOpts *rootOptions) *cobra.Command {
-	var options buildOptions
+	options := newBuildOptions()
 
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:     "build [OPTIONS] PATH | URL | -",
@@ -303,6 +313,7 @@ func buildCmd(dockerCli command.Cli, rootOpts *rootOptions) *cobra.Command {
 	flags.StringSliceVar(&options.extraHosts, "add-host", []string{}, "Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (format: `host:ip`)")
 	flags.SetAnnotation("add-host", "docs.external.url", []string{"https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/build/#add-entries-to-container-hosts-file---add-host"})
 	flags.StringVar(&options.imageIDFile, "iidfile", "", "Write the image ID to the file")
+	flags.Var(options.ulimits, "ulimit", "Ulimit options")
 
 	// not implemented
 	flags.BoolVar(&options.squash, "squash", false, "Squash newly built layers into a single new layer")
@@ -313,8 +324,6 @@ func buildCmd(dockerCli command.Cli, rootOpts *rootOptions) *cobra.Command {
 	var ignoreSlice []string
 	var ignoreBool bool
 	var ignoreInt int64
-	flags.StringVar(&ignore, "ulimit", "", "Ulimit options")
-	flags.MarkHidden("ulimit")
 	flags.StringSliceVar(&ignoreSlice, "security-opt", []string{}, "Security options")
 	flags.MarkHidden("security-opt")
 	flags.BoolVar(&ignoreBool, "compress", false, "Compress the build context using gzip")
diff --git a/docs/reference/buildx_build.md b/docs/reference/buildx_build.md
index db031332952f..74e6902be287 100644
--- a/docs/reference/buildx_build.md
+++ b/docs/reference/buildx_build.md
@@ -317,3 +317,18 @@ with `--allow-insecure-entitlement` (see [`create --buildkitd-flags`](buildx_cre
 $ docker buildx create --use --name insecure-builder --buildkitd-flags '--allow-insecure-entitlement security.insecure'
 $ docker buildx build --allow security.insecure .
 ```
+
+### <a name="ulimit"></a> Set ulimits (--ulimit)
+
+`--ulimit` is specified with a soft and hard limit as such:
+`<type>=<soft limit>[:<hard limit>]`, for example:
+
+```console
+$ docker buildx build --ulimit nofile=1024:1024 .
+```
+
+> **Note**
+>
+> If you do not provide a `hard limit`, the `soft limit` is used
+> for both values. If no `ulimits` are set, they are inherited from
+> the default `ulimits` set on the daemon.
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index c9111d5bfbc2..24a40be6a406 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/docker/distribution v2.7.1+incompatible
 	github.com/docker/docker v20.10.7+incompatible
 	github.com/docker/go v1.5.1-1.0.20160303222718-d30aec9fd63c // indirect
+	github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0
 	github.com/docker/libtrust v0.0.0-20150526203908-9cbd2a1374f4 // indirect
 	github.com/elazarl/goproxy v0.0.0-20191011121108-aa519ddbe484 // indirect
 	github.com/fvbommel/sortorder v1.0.1 // indirect
diff --git a/vendor/modules.txt b/vendor/modules.txt
index ee11dd47033f..49a33630e7b8 100644
--- a/vendor/modules.txt
+++ b/vendor/modules.txt
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ github.com/docker/go-connections/tlsconfig
 # github.com/docker/go-metrics v0.0.1
 github.com/docker/go-metrics
 # github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0
+## explicit
 github.com/docker/go-units
 # github.com/docker/libtrust v0.0.0-20150526203908-9cbd2a1374f4
 ## explicit