diff --git a/swiftclient/shell.py b/swiftclient/shell.py
index 4bcb251a..882a1c08 100755
--- a/swiftclient/shell.py
+++ b/swiftclient/shell.py
@@ -1388,14 +1388,16 @@ Positional arguments:
   <method>              An HTTP method to allow for this temporary URL.
                         Usually 'GET' or 'PUT'.
   <time>                The amount of time the temporary URL will be
-                        valid. The time can be specified in two ways:
-                        an integer representing the time in seconds or an
-                        ISO 8601 timestamp in a specific format.
-                        If --absolute is passed and time
-                        is an integer, the seconds are intepreted as the Unix
-                        timestamp when the temporary URL will expire. The ISO
-                        8601 timestamp can be specified in one of following
-                        formats:
+                        valid. The time can be specified in three ways:
+                        an integer representing the time in seconds;
+                        a number with a 's', 'm', 'h', or 'd' suffix to specify
+                        the time in seconds, minutes, hours, or days; or
+                        an ISO 8601 timestamp in a specific format.
+                        If --absolute is passed and time is an integer, the
+                        seconds are intepreted as the Unix timestamp when the
+                        temporary URL will expire.
+                        The ISO 8601 timestamp can be specified in one of
+                        following formats:
 
                         i) Complete date: YYYY-MM-DD (eg 1997-07-16)
 
diff --git a/swiftclient/utils.py b/swiftclient/utils.py
index c865d273..1b80e6d6 100644
--- a/swiftclient/utils.py
+++ b/swiftclient/utils.py
@@ -70,40 +70,7 @@ def prt_bytes(num_bytes, human_flag):
         return '%.1f%s' % (num, suffix)
 
 
-def generate_temp_url(path, seconds, key, method, absolute=False,
-                      prefix=False, iso8601=False, ip_range=None,
-                      digest='sha256'):
-    """Generates a temporary URL that gives unauthenticated access to the
-    Swift object.
-
-    :param path: The full path to the Swift object or prefix if
-        a prefix-based temporary URL should be generated. Example:
-        /v1/AUTH_account/c/o or /v1/AUTH_account/c/prefix.
-    :param seconds: time in seconds or ISO 8601 timestamp.
-        If absolute is False and this is the string representation of an
-        integer, then this specifies the amount of time in seconds for which
-        the temporary URL will be valid.
-        If absolute is True then this specifies an absolute time at which the
-        temporary URL will expire.
-    :param key: The secret temporary URL key set on the Swift
-        cluster. To set a key, run 'swift post -m
-        "Temp-URL-Key: <substitute tempurl key here>"'
-    :param method: A HTTP method, typically either GET or PUT, to allow
-        for this temporary URL.
-    :param absolute: if True then the seconds parameter is interpreted as a
-        Unix timestamp, if seconds represents an integer.
-    :param prefix: if True then a prefix-based temporary URL will be generated.
-    :param iso8601: if True, a URL containing an ISO 8601 UTC timestamp
-        instead of a UNIX timestamp will be created.
-    :param ip_range: if a valid ip range, restricts the temporary URL to the
-        range of ips.
-    :param digest: digest algorithm to use. Must be one of ``sha1``,
-                   ``sha256``, or ``sha512``.
-    :raises ValueError: if timestamp or path is not in valid format,
-                        or if digest is not one of ``sha1``, ``sha256``, or
-                        ``sha512``.
-    :return: the path portion of a temporary URL
-    """
+def parse_timestamp(seconds, absolute=False):
     try:
         try:
             timestamp = float(seconds)
@@ -127,6 +94,20 @@ def generate_temp_url(path, seconds, key, method, absolute=False,
                     absolute = True
                     break
 
+            if t is None and not absolute:
+                for suffix, multiplier in (
+                    ('s', 1),
+                    ('m', 60),
+                    ('min', 60),
+                    ('h', 60 * 60),
+                    ('hr', 60 * 60),
+                    ('d', 24 * 60 * 60),
+                ):
+                    if seconds.endswith(suffix):
+                        timestamp = t = int(
+                            multiplier * float(seconds[:-len(suffix)]))
+                        break
+
             if t is None:
                 raise ValueError()
         else:
@@ -137,6 +118,46 @@ def generate_temp_url(path, seconds, key, method, absolute=False,
                 raise ValueError()
     except ValueError:
         raise ValueError(TIME_ERRMSG)
+    return timestamp, absolute
+
+
+def generate_temp_url(path, seconds, key, method, absolute=False,
+                      prefix=False, iso8601=False, ip_range=None,
+                      digest='sha256'):
+    """Generates a temporary URL that gives unauthenticated access to the
+    Swift object.
+
+    :param path: The full path to the Swift object or prefix if
+        a prefix-based temporary URL should be generated. Example:
+        /v1/AUTH_account/c/o or /v1/AUTH_account/c/prefix.
+    :param seconds: time in seconds or ISO 8601 timestamp.
+        If absolute is False and this is the string representation of an
+        integer, then this specifies the amount of time in seconds for which
+        the temporary URL will be valid. This may include a suffix to scale
+        the value: 's' for seconds, 'm' (or 'min') for minutes,
+        'h' (or 'hr') for hours, or 'd' for days.
+        If absolute is True then this specifies an absolute time at which the
+        temporary URL will expire.
+    :param key: The secret temporary URL key set on the Swift
+        cluster. To set a key, run 'swift post -m
+        "Temp-URL-Key: <substitute tempurl key here>"'
+    :param method: A HTTP method, typically either GET or PUT, to allow
+        for this temporary URL.
+    :param absolute: if True then the seconds parameter is interpreted as a
+        Unix timestamp, if seconds represents an integer.
+    :param prefix: if True then a prefix-based temporary URL will be generated.
+    :param iso8601: if True, a URL containing an ISO 8601 UTC timestamp
+        instead of a UNIX timestamp will be created.
+    :param ip_range: if a valid ip range, restricts the temporary URL to the
+        range of ips.
+    :param digest: digest algorithm to use. Must be one of ``sha1``,
+                   ``sha256``, or ``sha512``.
+    :raises ValueError: if timestamp or path is not in valid format,
+                        or if digest is not one of ``sha1``, ``sha256``, or
+                        ``sha512``.
+    :return: the path portion of a temporary URL
+    """
+    timestamp, absolute = parse_timestamp(seconds, absolute)
 
     if isinstance(path, bytes):
         try:
diff --git a/test/unit/test_shell.py b/test/unit/test_shell.py
index f6af6cb9..98d73e9a 100644
--- a/test/unit/test_shell.py
+++ b/test/unit/test_shell.py
@@ -2079,6 +2079,14 @@ class TestShell(unittest.TestCase):
             '/v1/AUTH_account/c/o', "60", 'secret_key', 'GET', absolute=False,
             iso8601=False, prefix=False, ip_range=None, digest='sha256')
 
+        # sanity check that suffixes will just pass through to utils.py
+        argv = ["", "tempurl", "GET", "2d", "/v1/AUTH_account/c/o",
+                "secret_key"]
+        swiftclient.shell.main(argv)
+        temp_url.assert_called_with(
+            '/v1/AUTH_account/c/o', "2d", 'secret_key', 'GET', absolute=False,
+            iso8601=False, prefix=False, ip_range=None, digest='sha256')
+
     @mock.patch('swiftclient.shell.generate_temp_url', return_value='')
     def test_temp_url_prefix_based(self, temp_url):
         argv = ["", "tempurl", "GET", "60", "/v1/AUTH_account/c/",
diff --git a/test/unit/test_utils.py b/test/unit/test_utils.py
index 129208d5..6d2f4a17 100644
--- a/test/unit/test_utils.py
+++ b/test/unit/test_utils.py
@@ -122,6 +122,43 @@ class TestPrtBytes(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual('1024Y', u.prt_bytes(bytes_, True).lstrip())
 
 
+class TestParseTimestamp(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_int(self):
+        self.assertEqual((1234, False), u.parse_timestamp(1234, False))
+        self.assertEqual((3600, False), u.parse_timestamp('3600', False))
+
+    def test_suffixed(self):
+        self.assertEqual((54, False), u.parse_timestamp('54.321s', False))
+        self.assertEqual((int(54.321 * 60), False),
+                         u.parse_timestamp('54.321m', False))
+        self.assertEqual((900, False),
+                         u.parse_timestamp('15min', False))
+        self.assertEqual((int(54.321 * 60 * 60), False),
+                         u.parse_timestamp('54.321h', False))
+        self.assertEqual((7200, False),
+                         u.parse_timestamp('2hr', False))
+        self.assertEqual((60 * 60 * 24, False), u.parse_timestamp('1d', False))
+
+    def test_str(self):
+        self.assertEqual((1615852800, True),
+                         u.parse_timestamp('2021-03-16T00:00:00Z', False))
+
+    def test_absolute(self):
+        self.assertEqual((1234, True), u.parse_timestamp(1234, True))
+        self.assertEqual((1615852800, True),
+                         u.parse_timestamp('2021-03-16T00:00:00Z', True))
+
+    def test_error(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            u.parse_timestamp('asdf', False)
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            u.parse_timestamp(12.34, False)
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            u.parse_timestamp('54.321', True)
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            u.parse_timestamp(-1, False)
+
+
 class TestTempURL(unittest.TestCase):
     url = '/v1/AUTH_account/c/o'
     seconds = 3600
@@ -422,6 +459,7 @@ class TestTempURL(unittest.TestCase):
 class TestTempURLUnicodePathAndKey(TestTempURL):
     url = '/v1/\u00e4/c/\u00f3'
     key = 'k\u00e9y'
+    seconds = '1hr'
     expected_body = '\n'.join([
         'GET',
         '1400003600',
@@ -432,6 +470,7 @@ class TestTempURLUnicodePathAndKey(TestTempURL):
 class TestTempURLUnicodePathBytesKey(TestTempURL):
     url = '/v1/\u00e4/c/\u00f3'
     key = 'k\u00e9y'.encode('utf-8')
+    seconds = '60m'
     expected_body = '\n'.join([
         'GET',
         '1400003600',