diff --git a/config/common_base b/config/common_base
index fcf3a1f6f..b0e3937e0 100644
--- a/config/common_base
+++ b/config/common_base
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ CONFIG_RTE_CACHE_LINE_SIZE=64
 CONFIG_RTE_LIBRTE_EAL=y
 CONFIG_RTE_MAX_LCORE=128
 CONFIG_RTE_MAX_NUMA_NODES=8
+CONFIG_RTE_MAX_HEAPS=32
 CONFIG_RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_LISTS=64
 # each memseg list will be limited to either RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_PER_LIST pages
 # or RTE_MAX_MEM_MB_PER_LIST megabytes worth of memory, whichever is smaller
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
index faa3b0615..25c56052c 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
@@ -52,6 +52,26 @@ memzone_lookup_thread_unsafe(const char *name)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+static size_t
+heap_max_free_elem(unsigned int heap_idx, unsigned int align)
+{
+	struct rte_malloc_socket_stats stats;
+	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg;
+	size_t len;
+
+	/* get pointer to global configuration */
+	mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
+
+	malloc_heap_get_stats(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[heap_idx], &stats);
+
+	len = stats.greatest_free_size;
+
+	if (len < MALLOC_ELEM_OVERHEAD + align)
+		return 0;
+
+	return len - MALLOC_ELEM_OVERHEAD - align;
+}
+
 
 /* This function will return the greatest free block if a heap has been
  * specified. If no heap has been specified, it will return the heap and
@@ -59,29 +79,23 @@ memzone_lookup_thread_unsafe(const char *name)
 static size_t
 find_heap_max_free_elem(int *s, unsigned align)
 {
-	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg;
-	struct rte_malloc_socket_stats stats;
-	int i, socket = *s;
+	unsigned int idx;
+	int socket = *s;
 	size_t len = 0;
 
-	/* get pointer to global configuration */
-	mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < RTE_MAX_NUMA_NODES; i++) {
-		if ((socket != SOCKET_ID_ANY) && (socket != i))
+	for (idx = 0; idx < rte_socket_count(); idx++) {
+		int cur_socket = rte_socket_id_by_idx(idx);
+		if ((socket != SOCKET_ID_ANY) && (socket != cur_socket))
 			continue;
 
-		malloc_heap_get_stats(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[i], &stats);
-		if (stats.greatest_free_size > len) {
-			len = stats.greatest_free_size;
-			*s = i;
+		size_t cur_len = heap_max_free_elem(idx, align);
+		if (cur_len > len) {
+			len = cur_len;
+			*s = cur_socket;
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (len < MALLOC_ELEM_OVERHEAD + align)
-		return 0;
-
-	return len - MALLOC_ELEM_OVERHEAD - align;
+	return len;
 }
 
 static const struct rte_memzone *
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_eal_memconfig.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_eal_memconfig.h
index 4e8720ba6..7e03196a6 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_eal_memconfig.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_eal_memconfig.h
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ struct rte_mem_config {
 
 	struct rte_tailq_head tailq_head[RTE_MAX_TAILQ]; /**< Tailqs for objects */
 
-	/* Heaps of Malloc per socket */
-	struct malloc_heap malloc_heaps[RTE_MAX_NUMA_NODES];
+	/* Heaps of Malloc */
+	struct malloc_heap malloc_heaps[RTE_MAX_HEAPS];
 
 	/* address of mem_config in primary process. used to map shared config into
 	 * exact same address the primary process maps it.
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c
index 8a1f54905..e7e1838b1 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c
@@ -93,9 +93,10 @@ malloc_add_seg(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl,
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
 	struct rte_memseg_list *found_msl;
 	struct malloc_heap *heap;
-	int msl_idx;
+	int msl_idx, heap_idx;
 
-	heap = &mcfg->malloc_heaps[msl->socket_id];
+	heap_idx = rte_socket_idx_by_id(msl->socket_id);
+	heap = &mcfg->malloc_heaps[heap_idx];
 
 	/* msl is const, so find it */
 	msl_idx = msl - mcfg->memsegs;
@@ -494,14 +495,20 @@ alloc_more_mem_on_socket(struct malloc_heap *heap, size_t size, int socket,
 
 /* this will try lower page sizes first */
 static void *
-heap_alloc_on_socket(const char *type, size_t size, int socket,
-		unsigned int flags, size_t align, size_t bound, bool contig)
+malloc_heap_alloc_on_heap_id(const char *type, size_t size,
+		unsigned int heap_id, unsigned int flags, size_t align,
+		size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
-	struct malloc_heap *heap = &mcfg->malloc_heaps[socket];
+	struct malloc_heap *heap = &mcfg->malloc_heaps[heap_id];
 	unsigned int size_flags = flags & ~RTE_MEMZONE_SIZE_HINT_ONLY;
+	int socket_id;
 	void *ret;
 
+	/* return NULL if size is 0 or alignment is not power-of-2 */
+	if (size == 0 || (align && !rte_is_power_of_2(align)))
+		return NULL;
+
 	rte_spinlock_lock(&(heap->lock));
 
 	align = align == 0 ? 1 : align;
@@ -521,8 +528,13 @@ heap_alloc_on_socket(const char *type, size_t size, int socket,
 	if (ret != NULL)
 		goto alloc_unlock;
 
-	if (!alloc_more_mem_on_socket(heap, size, socket, flags, align, bound,
-			contig)) {
+	socket_id = rte_socket_id_by_idx(heap_id);
+	/* if socket ID is invalid, this is an external heap */
+	if (socket_id < 0)
+		goto alloc_unlock;
+
+	if (!alloc_more_mem_on_socket(heap, size, socket_id, flags, align,
+			bound, contig)) {
 		ret = heap_alloc(heap, type, size, flags, align, bound, contig);
 
 		/* this should have succeeded */
@@ -538,13 +550,9 @@ void *
 malloc_heap_alloc(const char *type, size_t size, int socket_arg,
 		unsigned int flags, size_t align, size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
-	int socket, i, cur_socket;
+	int socket, heap_id, i;
 	void *ret;
 
-	/* return NULL if size is 0 or alignment is not power-of-2 */
-	if (size == 0 || (align && !rte_is_power_of_2(align)))
-		return NULL;
-
 	if (!rte_eal_has_hugepages())
 		socket_arg = SOCKET_ID_ANY;
 
@@ -557,18 +565,23 @@ malloc_heap_alloc(const char *type, size_t size, int socket_arg,
 	if (socket >= RTE_MAX_NUMA_NODES)
 		return NULL;
 
-	ret = heap_alloc_on_socket(type, size, socket, flags, align, bound,
-			contig);
+	/* turn socket ID into heap ID */
+	heap_id = rte_socket_idx_by_id(socket);
+	/* if heap id is invalid, it's a non-existent NUMA node */
+	if (heap_id < 0)
+		return NULL;
+
+	ret = malloc_heap_alloc_on_heap_id(type, size, heap_id, flags, align,
+			bound, contig);
 	if (ret != NULL || socket_arg != SOCKET_ID_ANY)
 		return ret;
 
 	/* try other heaps */
 	for (i = 0; i < (int) rte_socket_count(); i++) {
-		cur_socket = rte_socket_id_by_idx(i);
-		if (cur_socket == socket)
+		if (i == heap_id)
 			continue;
-		ret = heap_alloc_on_socket(type, size, cur_socket, flags,
-				align, bound, contig);
+		ret = malloc_heap_alloc_on_heap_id(type, size, i, flags, align,
+				bound, contig);
 		if (ret != NULL)
 			return ret;
 	}
@@ -788,7 +801,7 @@ malloc_heap_resize(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size)
 }
 
 /*
- * Function to retrieve data for heap on given socket
+ * Function to retrieve data for a given heap
  */
 int
 malloc_heap_get_stats(struct malloc_heap *heap,
@@ -826,7 +839,7 @@ malloc_heap_get_stats(struct malloc_heap *heap,
 }
 
 /*
- * Function to retrieve data for heap on given socket
+ * Function to retrieve data for a given heap
  */
 void
 malloc_heap_dump(struct malloc_heap *heap, FILE *f)
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c
index b51a6d111..4387bc494 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c
@@ -152,11 +152,17 @@ rte_malloc_get_socket_stats(int socket,
 		struct rte_malloc_socket_stats *socket_stats)
 {
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
+	int heap_idx;
 
 	if (socket >= RTE_MAX_NUMA_NODES || socket < 0)
 		return -1;
 
-	return malloc_heap_get_stats(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[socket], socket_stats);
+	heap_idx = rte_socket_idx_by_id(socket);
+	if (heap_idx < 0)
+		return -1;
+
+	return malloc_heap_get_stats(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[heap_idx],
+			socket_stats);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -168,10 +174,9 @@ rte_malloc_dump_heaps(FILE *f)
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
 	unsigned int idx;
 
-	for (idx = 0; idx < rte_socket_count(); idx++) {
-		unsigned int socket = rte_socket_id_by_idx(idx);
-		fprintf(f, "Heap on socket %i:\n", socket);
-		malloc_heap_dump(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[socket], f);
+	for (idx = 0; idx < RTE_MAX_HEAPS; idx++) {
+		fprintf(f, "Heap id: %u\n", idx);
+		malloc_heap_dump(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[idx], f);
 	}
 
 }
@@ -182,14 +187,17 @@ rte_malloc_dump_heaps(FILE *f)
 void
 rte_malloc_dump_stats(FILE *f, __rte_unused const char *type)
 {
-	unsigned int socket;
+	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
+	unsigned int heap_id;
 	struct rte_malloc_socket_stats sock_stats;
+
 	/* Iterate through all initialised heaps */
-	for (socket=0; socket< RTE_MAX_NUMA_NODES; socket++) {
-		if ((rte_malloc_get_socket_stats(socket, &sock_stats) < 0))
-			continue;
+	for (heap_id = 0; heap_id < RTE_MAX_HEAPS; heap_id++) {
+		struct malloc_heap *heap = &mcfg->malloc_heaps[heap_id];
 
-		fprintf(f, "Socket:%u\n", socket);
+		malloc_heap_get_stats(heap, &sock_stats);
+
+		fprintf(f, "Heap id:%u\n", heap_id);
 		fprintf(f, "\tHeap_size:%zu,\n", sock_stats.heap_totalsz_bytes);
 		fprintf(f, "\tFree_size:%zu,\n", sock_stats.heap_freesz_bytes);
 		fprintf(f, "\tAlloc_size:%zu,\n", sock_stats.heap_allocsz_bytes);
