diff --git a/src/lib/core/datetime/date-adapter.ts b/src/lib/core/datetime/date-adapter.ts
index 86369f8c85bf..ec645c214882 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/datetime/date-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/lib/core/datetime/date-adapter.ts
@@ -164,12 +164,18 @@ export abstract class DateAdapter<D> {
   abstract addCalendarDays(date: D, days: number): D;
 
   /**
-   * Gets the RFC 3339 compatible date string (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3339)  for the given
-   * date.
+   * Gets the RFC 3339 compatible string (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3339) for the given date.
    * @param date The date to get the ISO date string for.
    * @returns The ISO date string date string.
    */
-  abstract getISODateString(date: D): string;
+  abstract toIso8601(date: D): string;
+
+  /**
+   * Creates a date from an RFC 3339 compatible string (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3339).
+   * @param iso8601String The ISO date string to create a date from
+   * @returns The date created from the ISO date string.
+   */
+  abstract fromIso8601(iso8601String: string): D | null;
 
   /**
    * Checks whether the given object is considered a date instance by this DateAdapter.
diff --git a/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.spec.ts b/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.spec.ts
index cc03629e724e..7ed61ee3753b 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.spec.ts
@@ -331,6 +331,14 @@ describe('NativeDateAdapter', () => {
     let d = '1/1/2017';
     expect(adapter.isDateInstance(d)).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it('should create dates from valid ISO strings', () => {
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1985-04-12T23:20:50.52Z')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1996-12-19T16:39:57-08:00')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1937-01-01T12:00:27.87+00:20')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1990-13-31T23:59:00Z')).toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1/1/2017')).toBeNull();
+  });
 });
 
 
diff --git a/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts b/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts
index 6eb459c17206..af5fc07637bc 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/lib/core/datetime/native-date-adapter.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,15 @@ const DEFAULT_DAY_OF_WEEK_NAMES = {
 };
 
 
+/**
+ * Matches strings that have the form of a valid RFC 3339 string
+ * (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3339). Note that the string may not actually be a valid date
+ * because the regex will match strings an with out of bounds month, date, etc.
+ */
+const ISO_8601_REGEX =
+    /^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}(?:\.\d+)?(?:Z|(?:(?:\+|-)\d{2}:\d{2}))$/;
+
+
 /** Creates an array and fills it with values. */
 function range<T>(length: number, valueFunction: (index: number) => T): T[] {
   const valuesArray = Array(length);
@@ -202,7 +211,7 @@ export class NativeDateAdapter extends DateAdapter<Date> {
         this.getYear(date), this.getMonth(date), this.getDate(date) + days);
   }
 
-  getISODateString(date: Date): string {
+  toIso8601(date: Date): string {
     return [
       date.getUTCFullYear(),
       this._2digit(date.getUTCMonth() + 1),
@@ -210,6 +219,18 @@ export class NativeDateAdapter extends DateAdapter<Date> {
     ].join('-');
   }
 
+  fromIso8601(iso8601String: string): Date | null {
+    // The `Date` constructor accepts formats other than ISO 8601, so we need to make sure the
+    // string is the right format first.
+    if (ISO_8601_REGEX.test(iso8601String)) {
+      let d = new Date(iso8601String);
+      if (this.isValid(d)) {
+        return d;
+      }
+    }
+    return null;
+  }
+
   isDateInstance(obj: any) {
     return obj instanceof Date;
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/calendar.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/calendar.ts
index fd4cb3f5fa1f..75a4a3531a70 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/calendar.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/calendar.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import {
 } from '@angular/material/core';
 import {first} from 'rxjs/operator/first';
 import {Subscription} from 'rxjs/Subscription';
+import {coerceDateProperty} from './coerce-date-property';
 import {createMissingDateImplError} from './datepicker-errors';
 import {MdDatepickerIntl} from './datepicker-intl';
 
@@ -63,19 +64,31 @@ export class MdCalendar<D> implements AfterContentInit, OnDestroy {
   private _intlChanges: Subscription;
 
   /** A date representing the period (month or year) to start the calendar in. */
-  @Input() startAt: D;
+  @Input()
+  get startAt(): D | null { return this._startAt; }
+  set startAt(value: D | null) { this._startAt = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value); }
+  private _startAt: D | null;
 
   /** Whether the calendar should be started in month or year view. */
   @Input() startView: 'month' | 'year' = 'month';
 
   /** The currently selected date. */
-  @Input() selected: D | null;
+  @Input()
+  get selected(): D | null { return this._selected; }
+  set selected(value: D | null) { this._selected = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value); }
+  private _selected: D | null;
 
   /** The minimum selectable date. */
-  @Input() minDate: D | null;
+  @Input()
+  get minDate(): D | null { return this._minDate; }
+  set minDate(value: D | null) { this._minDate = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value); }
+  private _minDate: D | null;
 
   /** The maximum selectable date. */
-  @Input() maxDate: D | null;
+  @Input()
+  get maxDate(): D | null { return this._maxDate; }
+  set maxDate(value: D | null) { this._maxDate = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value); }
+  private _maxDate: D | null;
 
   /** A function used to filter which dates are selectable. */
   @Input() dateFilter: (date: D) => boolean;
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/coerce-date-property.spec.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/coerce-date-property.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..52c15b36655e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/coerce-date-property.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import {async, inject, TestBed} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {DateAdapter, JAN, MdNativeDateModule} from '@angular/material/core';
+import {coerceDateProperty} from './index';
+
+
+describe('coerceDateProperty', () => {
+  let adapter: DateAdapter<Date>;
+
+  beforeEach(async(() => {
+    TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+      imports: [MdNativeDateModule],
+    });
+
+    TestBed.compileComponents();
+  }));
+
+  beforeEach(inject([DateAdapter], (dateAdapter: DateAdapter<Date>) => {
+    adapter = dateAdapter;
+  }));
+
+  it('should pass through existing date', () => {
+    const d = new Date(2017, JAN, 1);
+    expect(coerceDateProperty(adapter, d)).toBe(d);
+  });
+
+  it('should pass through invalid date', () => {
+    const d = new Date(NaN);
+    expect(coerceDateProperty(adapter, d)).toBe(d);
+  });
+
+  it('should pass through null and undefined', () => {
+    expect(coerceDateProperty(adapter, null)).toBeNull();
+    expect(coerceDateProperty(adapter, undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('should coerce empty string to null', () => {
+    expect(coerceDateProperty(adapter, '')).toBe(null);
+  });
+
+  it('should coerce ISO 8601 string to date', () => {
+    let isoString = '2017-01-01T00:00:00Z';
+    expect(coerceDateProperty(adapter, isoString)).toEqual(new Date(isoString));
+  });
+
+  it('should throw when given a number', () => {
+    expect(() => coerceDateProperty(adapter, 5)).toThrow();
+    expect(() => coerceDateProperty(adapter, 0)).toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it('should throw when given a string with incorrect format', () => {
+    expect(() => coerceDateProperty(adapter, '1/1/2017')).toThrow();
+    expect(() => coerceDateProperty(adapter, 'hello')).toThrow();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/coerce-date-property.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/coerce-date-property.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..08fb8ffbb9a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/coerce-date-property.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright Google Inc. All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ * Use of this source code is governed by an MIT-style license that can be
+ * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
+ */
+
+import {DateAdapter} from '@angular/material/core';
+
+
+/**
+ * Function that attempts to coerce a value to a date using a DateAdapter. Date instances, null,
+ * and undefined will be passed through. Empty strings will be coerced to null. Valid ISO 8601
+ * strings (https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3339.txt) will be coerced to dates. All other values will
+ * result in an error being thrown.
+ * @param adapter The date adapter to use for coercion
+ * @param value The value to coerce.
+ * @return A date object coerced from the value.
+ * @throws Throws when the value cannot be coerced.
+ */
+export function coerceDateProperty<D>(adapter: DateAdapter<D>, value: any): D | null {
+  if (typeof value === 'string') {
+    if (value == '') {
+      value = null;
+    } else {
+      value = adapter.fromIso8601(value) || value;
+    }
+  }
+  if (value == null || adapter.isDateInstance(value)) {
+    return value;
+  }
+  throw Error(`Datepicker: Value must be either a date object recognized by the DateAdapter or ` +
+              `an ISO 8601 string. Instead got: ${value}`);
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker-input.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker-input.ts
index ee97403108b7..6116ad87c219 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker-input.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker-input.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import {
 import {DateAdapter, MD_DATE_FORMATS, MdDateFormats} from '@angular/material/core';
 import {MdFormField} from '@angular/material/form-field';
 import {Subscription} from 'rxjs/Subscription';
+import {coerceDateProperty} from './coerce-date-property';
 import {MdDatepicker} from './datepicker';
 import {createMissingDateImplError} from './datepicker-errors';
 
@@ -74,8 +75,8 @@ export class MdDatepickerInputEvent<D> {
   host: {
     '[attr.aria-haspopup]': 'true',
     '[attr.aria-owns]': '(_datepicker?.opened && _datepicker.id) || null',
-    '[attr.min]': 'min ? _dateAdapter.getISODateString(min) : null',
-    '[attr.max]': 'max ? _dateAdapter.getISODateString(max) : null',
+    '[attr.min]': 'min ? _dateAdapter.toIso8601(min) : null',
+    '[attr.max]': 'max ? _dateAdapter.toIso8601(max) : null',
     '[disabled]': 'disabled',
     '(input)': '_onInput($event.target.value)',
     '(change)': '_onChange()',
@@ -122,9 +123,7 @@ export class MdDatepickerInput<D> implements AfterContentInit, ControlValueAcces
     return this._value;
   }
   set value(value: D | null) {
-    if (value != null && !this._dateAdapter.isDateInstance(value)) {
-      throw Error('Datepicker: value not recognized as a date object by DateAdapter.');
-    }
+    value = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value);
     this._lastValueValid = !value || this._dateAdapter.isValid(value);
     value = this._getValidDateOrNull(value);
 
@@ -142,7 +141,7 @@ export class MdDatepickerInput<D> implements AfterContentInit, ControlValueAcces
   @Input()
   get min(): D | null { return this._min; }
   set min(value: D | null) {
-    this._min = value;
+    this._min = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value);
     this._validatorOnChange();
   }
   private _min: D | null;
@@ -151,7 +150,7 @@ export class MdDatepickerInput<D> implements AfterContentInit, ControlValueAcces
   @Input()
   get max(): D | null { return this._max; }
   set max(value: D | null) {
-    this._max = value;
+    this._max = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value);
     this._validatorOnChange();
   }
   private _max: D | null;
@@ -199,21 +198,24 @@ export class MdDatepickerInput<D> implements AfterContentInit, ControlValueAcces
 
   /** The form control validator for the min date. */
   private _minValidator: ValidatorFn = (control: AbstractControl): ValidationErrors | null => {
-    return (!this.min || !control.value ||
-        this._dateAdapter.compareDate(this.min, control.value) <= 0) ?
-        null : {'mdDatepickerMin': {'min': this.min, 'actual': control.value}};
+    const controlValue = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, control.value);
+    return (!this.min || !controlValue ||
+        this._dateAdapter.compareDate(this.min, controlValue) <= 0) ?
+        null : {'mdDatepickerMin': {'min': this.min, 'actual': controlValue}};
   }
 
   /** The form control validator for the max date. */
   private _maxValidator: ValidatorFn = (control: AbstractControl): ValidationErrors | null => {
-    return (!this.max || !control.value ||
-        this._dateAdapter.compareDate(this.max, control.value) >= 0) ?
-        null : {'mdDatepickerMax': {'max': this.max, 'actual': control.value}};
+    const controlValue = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, control.value);
+    return (!this.max || !controlValue ||
+        this._dateAdapter.compareDate(this.max, controlValue) >= 0) ?
+        null : {'mdDatepickerMax': {'max': this.max, 'actual': controlValue}};
   }
 
   /** The form control validator for the date filter. */
   private _filterValidator: ValidatorFn = (control: AbstractControl): ValidationErrors | null => {
-    return !this._dateFilter || !control.value || this._dateFilter(control.value) ?
+    const controlValue = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, control.value);
+    return !this._dateFilter || !controlValue || this._dateFilter(controlValue) ?
         null : {'mdDatepickerFilter': true};
   }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.spec.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.spec.ts
index c488d6492710..a5f4a93f99b9 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.spec.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import {FormControl, FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule} from '@angular/forms';
 import {
   DEC,
   JAN,
+  JUL,
+  JUN,
   MAT_DATE_LOCALE,
   MdNativeDateModule,
   NativeDateModule,
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ describe('MdDatepicker', () => {
           DatepickerWithChangeAndInputEvents,
           DatepickerWithFilterAndValidation,
           DatepickerWithFormControl,
+          DatepickerWithISOStrings,
           DatepickerWithMinAndMaxValidation,
           DatepickerWithNgModel,
           DatepickerWithStartAt,
@@ -270,8 +273,9 @@ describe('MdDatepicker', () => {
       it('should throw when given wrong data type', () => {
         testComponent.date = '1/1/2017' as any;
 
-        expect(() => fixture.detectChanges())
-            .toThrowError(/Datepicker: value not recognized as a date object by DateAdapter\./);
+        expect(() => fixture.detectChanges()).toThrowError(
+            'Datepicker: Value must be either a date object recognized by the DateAdapter or an ' +
+            'ISO 8601 string. Instead got: 1/1/2017');
 
         testComponent.date = null;
       });
@@ -865,6 +869,32 @@ describe('MdDatepicker', () => {
         expect(testComponent.onDateInput).toHaveBeenCalled();
       });
     });
+
+    describe('with ISO 8601 strings as input', () => {
+      let fixture: ComponentFixture<DatepickerWithISOStrings>;
+      let testComponent: DatepickerWithISOStrings;
+
+      beforeEach(async(() => {
+        fixture = TestBed.createComponent(DatepickerWithISOStrings);
+        testComponent = fixture.componentInstance;
+      }));
+
+      afterEach(async(() => {
+        testComponent.datepicker.close();
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+      }));
+
+      it('should coerce ISO strings', async(() => {
+        expect(() => fixture.detectChanges()).not.toThrow();
+        fixture.whenStable().then(() => {
+          fixture.detectChanges();
+          expect(testComponent.datepicker.startAt).toEqual(new Date(2017, JUL, 1));
+          expect(testComponent.datepickerInput.value).toEqual(new Date(2017, JUN, 1));
+          expect(testComponent.datepickerInput.min).toEqual(new Date(2017, JAN, 1));
+          expect(testComponent.datepickerInput.max).toEqual(new Date(2017, DEC, 31));
+        });
+      }));
+    });
   });
 
   describe('with missing DateAdapter and MD_DATE_FORMATS', () => {
@@ -1179,3 +1209,18 @@ class DatepickerWithi18n {
   @ViewChild('d') datepicker: MdDatepicker<Date>;
   @ViewChild(MdDatepickerInput) datepickerInput: MdDatepickerInput<Date>;
 }
+
+@Component({
+  template: `
+    <input [mdDatepicker]="d" [(ngModel)]="value" [min]="min" [max]="max">
+    <md-datepicker #d [startAt]="startAt"></md-datepicker>
+  `
+})
+class DatepickerWithISOStrings {
+  value = new Date(2017, JUN, 1).toISOString();
+  min = new Date(2017, JAN, 1).toISOString();
+  max = new Date (2017, DEC, 31).toISOString();
+  startAt = new Date(2017, JUL, 1).toISOString();
+  @ViewChild('d') datepicker: MdDatepicker<Date>;
+  @ViewChild(MdDatepickerInput) datepickerInput: MdDatepickerInput<Date>;
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.ts
index df5c6190499e..72f8358e52f8 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/datepicker.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import {DOCUMENT} from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import {Subject} from 'rxjs/Subject';
 import {Subscription} from 'rxjs/Subscription';
 import {MdCalendar} from './calendar';
+import {coerceDateProperty} from './coerce-date-property';
 import {createMissingDateImplError} from './datepicker-errors';
 import {MdDatepickerInput} from './datepicker-input';
 
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ export class MdDatepicker<D> implements OnDestroy {
     // selected value is.
     return this._startAt || (this._datepickerInput ? this._datepickerInput.value : null);
   }
-  set startAt(date: D | null) { this._startAt = date; }
+  set startAt(date: D | null) { this._startAt = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, date); }
   private _startAt: D | null;
 
   /** The view that the calendar should start in. */
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/month-view.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/month-view.ts
index 379d2edc1c18..11d3e27236df 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/month-view.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/month-view.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 } from '@angular/core';
 import {DateAdapter, MD_DATE_FORMATS, MdDateFormats} from '@angular/material/core';
 import {MdCalendarCell} from './calendar-body';
+import {coerceDateProperty} from './coerce-date-property';
 import {createMissingDateImplError} from './datepicker-errors';
 
 
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ export class MdMonthView<D> implements AfterContentInit {
   get activeDate(): D { return this._activeDate; }
   set activeDate(value: D) {
     let oldActiveDate = this._activeDate;
-    this._activeDate = value || this._dateAdapter.today();
+    this._activeDate = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value) || this._dateAdapter.today();
     if (!this._hasSameMonthAndYear(oldActiveDate, this._activeDate)) {
       this._init();
     }
@@ -53,12 +54,12 @@ export class MdMonthView<D> implements AfterContentInit {
 
   /** The currently selected date. */
   @Input()
-  get selected(): D { return this._selected; }
-  set selected(value: D) {
-    this._selected = value;
-    this._selectedDate = this._getDateInCurrentMonth(this.selected);
+  get selected(): D | null { return this._selected; }
+  set selected(value: D | null) {
+    this._selected = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value);
+    this._selectedDate = this._getDateInCurrentMonth(this._selected);
   }
-  private _selected: D;
+  private _selected: D | null;
 
   /** A function used to filter which dates are selectable. */
   @Input() dateFilter: (date: D) => boolean;
@@ -171,13 +172,13 @@ export class MdMonthView<D> implements AfterContentInit {
    * Gets the date in this month that the given Date falls on.
    * Returns null if the given Date is in another month.
    */
-  private _getDateInCurrentMonth(date: D): number | null {
-    return this._hasSameMonthAndYear(date, this.activeDate) ?
+  private _getDateInCurrentMonth(date: D | null): number | null {
+    return date && this._hasSameMonthAndYear(date, this.activeDate) ?
         this._dateAdapter.getDate(date) : null;
   }
 
   /** Checks whether the 2 dates are non-null and fall within the same month of the same year. */
-  private _hasSameMonthAndYear(d1: D, d2: D): boolean {
+  private _hasSameMonthAndYear(d1: D | null, d2: D | null): boolean {
     return !!(d1 && d2 && this._dateAdapter.getMonth(d1) == this._dateAdapter.getMonth(d2) &&
               this._dateAdapter.getYear(d1) == this._dateAdapter.getYear(d2));
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/public_api.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/public_api.ts
index 176f930bba88..c2d4b7d44456 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/public_api.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/public_api.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {MdYearView} from './year-view';
 
 export * from './calendar';
 export * from './calendar-body';
+export * from './coerce-date-property';
 export * from './datepicker';
 export * from './datepicker-input';
 export * from './datepicker-intl';
diff --git a/src/lib/datepicker/year-view.ts b/src/lib/datepicker/year-view.ts
index 81560fbf93ee..dab337978842 100644
--- a/src/lib/datepicker/year-view.ts
+++ b/src/lib/datepicker/year-view.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 } from '@angular/core';
 import {DateAdapter, MD_DATE_FORMATS, MdDateFormats} from '@angular/material/core';
 import {MdCalendarCell} from './calendar-body';
+import {coerceDateProperty} from './coerce-date-property';
 import {createMissingDateImplError} from './datepicker-errors';
 
 
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ export class MdYearView<D> implements AfterContentInit {
   get activeDate(): D { return this._activeDate; }
   set activeDate(value: D) {
     let oldActiveDate = this._activeDate;
-    this._activeDate = value || this._dateAdapter.today();
+    this._activeDate = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value) || this._dateAdapter.today();
     if (this._dateAdapter.getYear(oldActiveDate) != this._dateAdapter.getYear(this._activeDate)) {
       this._init();
     }
@@ -48,12 +49,12 @@ export class MdYearView<D> implements AfterContentInit {
 
   /** The currently selected date. */
   @Input()
-  get selected(): D { return this._selected; }
-  set selected(value: D) {
-    this._selected = value;
-    this._selectedMonth = this._getMonthInCurrentYear(this.selected);
+  get selected(): D | null { return this._selected; }
+  set selected(value: D | null) {
+    this._selected = coerceDateProperty(this._dateAdapter, value);
+    this._selectedMonth = this._getMonthInCurrentYear(this._selected);
   }
-  private _selected: D;
+  private _selected: D | null;
 
   /** A function used to filter which dates are selectable. */
   @Input() dateFilter: (date: D) => boolean;
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ export class MdYearView<D> implements AfterContentInit {
    * Gets the month in this year that the given Date falls on.
    * Returns null if the given Date is in another year.
    */
-  private _getMonthInCurrentYear(date: D) {
+  private _getMonthInCurrentYear(date: D | null) {
     return date && this._dateAdapter.getYear(date) == this._dateAdapter.getYear(this.activeDate) ?
         this._dateAdapter.getMonth(date) : null;
   }
diff --git a/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.spec.ts b/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.spec.ts
index c8330e8f1eaf..032b5c4c47bf 100644
--- a/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.spec.ts
+++ b/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.spec.ts
@@ -309,6 +309,14 @@ describe('MomentDateAdapter', () => {
     expect(adapter.isDateInstance(d)).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it('should create dates from valid ISO strings', () => {
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1985-04-12T23:20:50.52Z')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1996-12-19T16:39:57-08:00')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1937-01-01T12:00:27.87+00:20')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1990-13-31T23:59:00Z')).toBeNull();
+    expect(adapter.fromIso8601('1/1/2017')).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it('setLocale should not modify global moment locale', () => {
     expect(moment.locale()).toBe('en');
     adapter.setLocale('ja-JP');
@@ -342,7 +350,7 @@ describe('MomentDateAdapter', () => {
     adapter.addCalendarDays(date, 1);
     adapter.addCalendarMonths(date, 1);
     adapter.addCalendarYears(date, 1);
-    adapter.getISODateString(date);
+    adapter.toIso8601(date);
     adapter.isDateInstance(date);
     adapter.isValid(date);
     expect(date.locale()).toBe('en');
diff --git a/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.ts b/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.ts
index a941eec54354..cbf42b5b2199 100644
--- a/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/material-moment-adapter/adapter/moment-date-adapter.ts
@@ -170,10 +170,15 @@ export class MomentDateAdapter extends DateAdapter<Moment> {
     return this.clone(date).add({days});
   }
 
-  getISODateString(date: Moment): string {
+  toIso8601(date: Moment): string {
     return this.clone(date).format();
   }
 
+  fromIso8601(iso8601String: string): Moment | null {
+    let d = moment(iso8601String, moment.ISO_8601).locale(this.locale);
+    return this.isValid(d) ? d : null;
+  }
+
   isDateInstance(obj: any): boolean {
     return moment.isMoment(obj);
   }