diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/ErrorHandlers.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/ErrorHandlers.java
index 543e548529dd..be408816c0ba 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/ErrorHandlers.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/ErrorHandlers.java
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ public static Consumer<ErrorResponse> tableCommitHandler() {
     return CommitErrorHandler.INSTANCE;
   }
 
+  public static Consumer<ErrorResponse> createTableErrorHandler() {
+    return CreateTableErrorHandler.INSTANCE;
+  }
+
   public static Consumer<ErrorResponse> planErrorHandler() {
     return PlanErrorHandler.INSTANCE;
   }
@@ -138,6 +142,23 @@ public void accept(ErrorResponse error) {
     }
   }
 
+  /** Table create error handler. */
+  private static class CreateTableErrorHandler extends CommitErrorHandler {
+    private static final ErrorHandler INSTANCE = new CreateTableErrorHandler();
+
+    @Override
+    public void accept(ErrorResponse error) {
+      switch (error.code()) {
+        case 404:
+          throw new NoSuchNamespaceException("%s", error.message());
+        case 409:
+          throw new AlreadyExistsException("%s", error.message());
+      }
+
+      super.accept(error);
+    }
+  }
+
   /** Plan level error handler. */
   private static class PlanErrorHandler extends DefaultErrorHandler {
     private static final ErrorHandler INSTANCE = new PlanErrorHandler();
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/RESTTableOperations.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/RESTTableOperations.java
index d2a6ab618ca8..be763d30fef1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/RESTTableOperations.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/RESTTableOperations.java
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public void commit(TableMetadata base, TableMetadata metadata) {
                 .addAll(metadata.changes())
                 .build();
         requirements = UpdateRequirements.forCreateTable(updates);
-        errorHandler = ErrorHandlers.tableErrorHandler(); // throws NoSuchTableException
+        errorHandler = ErrorHandlers.createTableErrorHandler();
         break;
 
       case REPLACE:
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/TestRESTCatalog.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/TestRESTCatalog.java
index d202680e5626..09543bd0f932 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/TestRESTCatalog.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/rest/TestRESTCatalog.java
@@ -2543,6 +2543,77 @@ public void testNoCleanupForNonCleanableCreateTransaction() {
             });
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testNoCleanupOnCreate503() {
+    RESTCatalogAdapter adapter =
+        Mockito.spy(
+            new RESTCatalogAdapter(backendCatalog) {
+              @Override
+              protected <T extends RESTResponse> T execute(
+                  HTTPRequest request,
+                  Class<T> responseType,
+                  Consumer<ErrorResponse> errorHandler,
+                  Consumer<Map<String, String>> responseHeaders) {
+                var response = super.execute(request, responseType, errorHandler, responseHeaders);
+                if (request.method() == HTTPMethod.POST && request.path().contains(TABLE.name())) {
+                  // Simulate a 503 Service Unavailable error
+                  ErrorResponse error =
+                      ErrorResponse.builder()
+                          .responseCode(503)
+                          .withMessage("Service unavailable")
+                          .build();
+
+                  errorHandler.accept(error);
+                  throw new IllegalStateException("Error handler should have thrown");
+                }
+                return response;
+              }
+            });
+
+    RESTCatalog catalog = catalog(adapter);
+
+    if (requiresNamespaceCreate()) {
+      catalog.createNamespace(TABLE.namespace());
+    }
+
+    Transaction createTableTransaction = catalog.newCreateTableTransaction(TABLE, SCHEMA);
+    createTableTransaction.newAppend().appendFile(FILE_A).commit();
+
+    // Verify that 503 is mapped to CommitStateUnknownException (not just ServiceFailureException)
+    assertThatThrownBy(createTableTransaction::commitTransaction)
+        .isInstanceOf(CommitStateUnknownException.class)
+        .cause()
+        .isInstanceOf(ServiceFailureException.class)
+        .hasMessageContaining("Service failed: 503");
+
+    // Verify files are NOT cleaned up (because commit state is unknown)
+    assertThat(allRequests(adapter))
+        .anySatisfy(
+            req -> {
+              assertThat(req.method()).isEqualTo(HTTPMethod.POST);
+              assertThat(req.path()).isEqualTo(RESOURCE_PATHS.table(TABLE));
+              assertThat(req.body()).isInstanceOf(UpdateTableRequest.class);
+              UpdateTableRequest body = (UpdateTableRequest) req.body();
+              assertThat(
+                      body.updates().stream()
+                          .filter(MetadataUpdate.AddSnapshot.class::isInstance)
+                          .map(MetadataUpdate.AddSnapshot.class::cast)
+                          .findFirst())
+                  .hasValueSatisfying(
+                      addSnapshot -> {
+                        String manifestListLocation = addSnapshot.snapshot().manifestListLocation();
+                        // Files should still exist because we don't know if commit succeeded
+                        assertThat(
+                                catalog
+                                    .loadTable(TABLE)
+                                    .io()
+                                    .newInputFile(manifestListLocation)
+                                    .exists())
+                            .isTrue();
+                      });
+            });
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testCleanupCleanableExceptionsReplace() {
     RESTCatalogAdapter adapter = Mockito.spy(new RESTCatalogAdapter(backendCatalog));