diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
index 1ab3ade..16a2e7a 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@ find_heap_max_free_elem(int *s, unsigned align)
 
 static const struct rte_memzone *
 memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
-		int socket_id, unsigned flags, unsigned align, unsigned bound)
+		int socket_id, unsigned int flags, unsigned int align,
+		unsigned int bound, bool contig)
 {
 	struct rte_memzone *mz;
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg;
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
 
 	/* allocate memory on heap */
 	void *mz_addr = malloc_heap_alloc(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[socket], NULL,
-			requested_len, flags, align, bound);
+			requested_len, flags, align, bound, contig);
 
 	if ((mz_addr == NULL) && (socket_id == SOCKET_ID_ANY)) {
 		/* try other heaps */
@@ -197,7 +198,8 @@ memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
 				continue;
 
 			mz_addr = malloc_heap_alloc(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[i],
-					NULL, requested_len, flags, align, bound);
+					NULL, requested_len, flags, align,
+					bound, contig);
 			if (mz_addr != NULL)
 				break;
 		}
@@ -235,9 +237,9 @@ memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
 }
 
 static const struct rte_memzone *
-rte_memzone_reserve_thread_safe(const char *name, size_t len,
-				int socket_id, unsigned flags, unsigned align,
-				unsigned bound)
+rte_memzone_reserve_thread_safe(const char *name, size_t len, int socket_id,
+		unsigned int flags, unsigned int align, unsigned int bound,
+		bool contig)
 {
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg;
 	const struct rte_memzone *mz = NULL;
@@ -248,7 +250,7 @@ rte_memzone_reserve_thread_safe(const char *name, size_t len,
 	rte_rwlock_write_lock(&mcfg->mlock);
 
 	mz = memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(
-		name, len, socket_id, flags, align, bound);
+		name, len, socket_id, flags, align, bound, contig);
 
 	rte_rwlock_write_unlock(&mcfg->mlock);
 
@@ -265,7 +267,7 @@ rte_memzone_reserve_bounded(const char *name, size_t len, int socket_id,
 			    unsigned flags, unsigned align, unsigned bound)
 {
 	return rte_memzone_reserve_thread_safe(name, len, socket_id, flags,
-					       align, bound);
+					       align, bound, false);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -277,7 +279,7 @@ rte_memzone_reserve_aligned(const char *name, size_t len, int socket_id,
 			    unsigned flags, unsigned align)
 {
 	return rte_memzone_reserve_thread_safe(name, len, socket_id, flags,
-					       align, 0);
+					       align, 0, false);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -289,7 +291,8 @@ rte_memzone_reserve(const char *name, size_t len, int socket_id,
 		    unsigned flags)
 {
 	return rte_memzone_reserve_thread_safe(name, len, socket_id,
-					       flags, RTE_CACHE_LINE_SIZE, 0);
+					       flags, RTE_CACHE_LINE_SIZE, 0,
+					       false);
 }
 
 int
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.c
index c18f050..87695b9 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/queue.h>
 
 #include <rte_memory.h>
@@ -94,33 +95,112 @@ malloc_elem_insert(struct malloc_elem *elem)
 }
 
 /*
+ * Attempt to find enough physically contiguous memory in this block to store
+ * our data. Assume that element has at least enough space to fit in the data,
+ * so we just check the page addresses.
+ */
+static bool
+elem_check_phys_contig(const struct rte_memseg *ms __rte_unused,
+		void *start, size_t size)
+{
+	rte_iova_t cur, expected;
+	void *start_page, *end_page, *cur_page;
+	size_t pagesz;
+
+	/* for hugepage memory or IOVA as VA, it's always contiguous */
+	if (rte_eal_has_hugepages() || rte_eal_iova_mode() == RTE_IOVA_VA)
+		return true;
+
+	/* otherwise, check if start and end are within the same page */
+	pagesz = getpagesize();
+
+	start_page = RTE_PTR_ALIGN_FLOOR(start, pagesz);
+	end_page = RTE_PTR_ALIGN_FLOOR(RTE_PTR_ADD(start, size - 1), pagesz);
+
+	if (start_page == end_page)
+		return true;
+
+	/* if they are from different pages, check if they are contiguous */
+
+	/* if we can't access physical addresses, assume non-contiguous */
+	if (!rte_eal_using_phys_addrs())
+		return false;
+
+	/* skip first iteration */
+	cur = rte_mem_virt2iova(start_page);
+	expected = cur + pagesz;
+	cur_page = RTE_PTR_ADD(start_page, pagesz);
+
+	while (cur_page <= end_page) {
+		cur = rte_mem_virt2iova(cur_page);
+		if (cur != expected)
+			return false;
+		cur_page = RTE_PTR_ADD(cur_page, pagesz);
+		expected += pagesz;
+	}
+	return true;
+}
+
+/*
  * calculate the starting point of where data of the requested size
  * and alignment would fit in the current element. If the data doesn't
  * fit, return NULL.
  */
 static void *
 elem_start_pt(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size, unsigned align,
-		size_t bound)
+		size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
-	const size_t bmask = ~(bound - 1);
-	uintptr_t end_pt = (uintptr_t)elem +
-			elem->size - MALLOC_ELEM_TRAILER_LEN;
-	uintptr_t new_data_start = RTE_ALIGN_FLOOR((end_pt - size), align);
-	uintptr_t new_elem_start;
-
-	/* check boundary */
-	if ((new_data_start & bmask) != ((end_pt - 1) & bmask)) {
-		end_pt = RTE_ALIGN_FLOOR(end_pt, bound);
-		new_data_start = RTE_ALIGN_FLOOR((end_pt - size), align);
-		end_pt = new_data_start + size;
-		if (((end_pt - 1) & bmask) != (new_data_start & bmask))
-			return NULL;
-	}
+	size_t elem_size = elem->size;
+
+	/*
+	 * we're allocating from the end, so adjust the size of element by
+	 * alignment size.
+	 */
+	while (elem_size >= size) {
+		const size_t bmask = ~(bound - 1);
+		uintptr_t end_pt = (uintptr_t)elem +
+				elem_size - MALLOC_ELEM_TRAILER_LEN;
+		uintptr_t new_data_start = RTE_ALIGN_FLOOR((end_pt - size),
+				align);
+		uintptr_t new_elem_start;
+
+		/* check boundary */
+		if ((new_data_start & bmask) != ((end_pt - 1) & bmask)) {
+			end_pt = RTE_ALIGN_FLOOR(end_pt, bound);
+			new_data_start = RTE_ALIGN_FLOOR((end_pt - size),
+					align);
+			end_pt = new_data_start + size;
+
+			if (((end_pt - 1) & bmask) != (new_data_start & bmask))
+				return NULL;
+		}
+
+		new_elem_start = new_data_start - MALLOC_ELEM_HEADER_LEN;
 
-	new_elem_start = new_data_start - MALLOC_ELEM_HEADER_LEN;
+		/* if the new start point is before the exist start,
+		 * it won't fit
+		 */
+		if (new_elem_start < (uintptr_t)elem)
+			return NULL;
 
-	/* if the new start point is before the exist start, it won't fit */
-	return (new_elem_start < (uintptr_t)elem) ? NULL : (void *)new_elem_start;
+		if (contig) {
+			size_t new_data_size = end_pt - new_data_start;
+
+			/*
+			 * if physical contiguousness was requested and we
+			 * couldn't fit all data into one physically contiguous
+			 * block, try again with lower addresses.
+			 */
+			if (!elem_check_phys_contig(elem->ms,
+					(void *)new_data_start,
+					new_data_size)) {
+				elem_size -= align;
+				continue;
+			}
+		}
+		return (void *)new_elem_start;
+	}
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -129,9 +209,9 @@ elem_start_pt(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size, unsigned align,
  */
 int
 malloc_elem_can_hold(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size,	unsigned align,
-		size_t bound)
+		size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
-	return elem_start_pt(elem, size, align, bound) != NULL;
+	return elem_start_pt(elem, size, align, bound, contig) != NULL;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -259,9 +339,10 @@ malloc_elem_free_list_remove(struct malloc_elem *elem)
  */
 struct malloc_elem *
 malloc_elem_alloc(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size, unsigned align,
-		size_t bound)
+		size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
-	struct malloc_elem *new_elem = elem_start_pt(elem, size, align, bound);
+	struct malloc_elem *new_elem = elem_start_pt(elem, size, align, bound,
+			contig);
 	const size_t old_elem_size = (uintptr_t)new_elem - (uintptr_t)elem;
 	const size_t trailer_size = elem->size - old_elem_size - size -
 		MALLOC_ELEM_OVERHEAD;
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.h
index 9c1614c..34bd268 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_elem.h
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #ifndef MALLOC_ELEM_H_
 #define MALLOC_ELEM_H_
 
+#include <stdbool.h>
+
 #include <rte_memory.h>
 
 /* dummy definition of struct so we can use pointers to it in malloc_elem struct */
@@ -123,7 +125,7 @@ malloc_elem_insert(struct malloc_elem *elem);
  */
 int
 malloc_elem_can_hold(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size,
-		unsigned align, size_t bound);
+		unsigned int align, size_t bound, bool contig);
 
 /*
  * reserve a block of data in an existing malloc_elem. If the malloc_elem
@@ -131,7 +133,7 @@ malloc_elem_can_hold(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size,
  */
 struct malloc_elem *
 malloc_elem_alloc(struct malloc_elem *elem, size_t size,
-		unsigned align, size_t bound);
+		unsigned int align, size_t bound, bool contig);
 
 /*
  * free a malloc_elem block by adding it to the free list. If the
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c
index a2c2e4c..564b61a 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.c
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ malloc_heap_add_memseg(struct malloc_heap *heap, struct rte_memseg *ms)
  */
 static struct malloc_elem *
 find_suitable_element(struct malloc_heap *heap, size_t size,
-		unsigned flags, size_t align, size_t bound)
+		unsigned int flags, size_t align, size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
 	size_t idx;
 	struct malloc_elem *elem, *alt_elem = NULL;
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@ find_suitable_element(struct malloc_heap *heap, size_t size,
 			idx < RTE_HEAP_NUM_FREELISTS; idx++) {
 		for (elem = LIST_FIRST(&heap->free_head[idx]);
 				!!elem; elem = LIST_NEXT(elem, free_list)) {
-			if (malloc_elem_can_hold(elem, size, align, bound)) {
+			if (malloc_elem_can_hold(elem, size, align, bound,
+					contig)) {
 				if (check_hugepage_sz(flags, elem->ms->hugepage_sz))
 					return elem;
 				if (alt_elem == NULL)
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ find_suitable_element(struct malloc_heap *heap, size_t size,
 void *
 malloc_heap_alloc(struct malloc_heap *heap,
 		const char *type __attribute__((unused)), size_t size, unsigned flags,
-		size_t align, size_t bound)
+		size_t align, size_t bound, bool contig)
 {
 	struct malloc_elem *elem;
 
@@ -130,9 +131,9 @@ malloc_heap_alloc(struct malloc_heap *heap,
 
 	rte_spinlock_lock(&heap->lock);
 
-	elem = find_suitable_element(heap, size, flags, align, bound);
+	elem = find_suitable_element(heap, size, flags, align, bound, contig);
 	if (elem != NULL) {
-		elem = malloc_elem_alloc(elem, size, align, bound);
+		elem = malloc_elem_alloc(elem, size, align, bound, contig);
 		/* increase heap's count of allocated elements */
 		heap->alloc_count++;
 	}
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.h
index bb28422..c57b59a 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/malloc_heap.h
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #ifndef MALLOC_HEAP_H_
 #define MALLOC_HEAP_H_
 
+#include <stdbool.h>
+
 #include <rte_malloc.h>
 #include <rte_malloc_heap.h>
 
@@ -25,7 +27,7 @@ malloc_get_numa_socket(void)
 
 void *
 malloc_heap_alloc(struct malloc_heap *heap,	const char *type, size_t size,
-		unsigned flags, size_t align, size_t bound);
+		unsigned int flags, size_t align, size_t bound, bool contig);
 
 int
 malloc_heap_free(struct malloc_elem *elem);
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c
index 2cda48e..436818a 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/rte_malloc.c
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ void rte_free(void *addr)
  * Allocate memory on specified heap.
  */
 void *
-rte_malloc_socket(const char *type, size_t size, unsigned align, int socket_arg)
+rte_malloc_socket(const char *type, size_t size, unsigned int align,
+		int socket_arg)
 {
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
 	int socket, i;
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ rte_malloc_socket(const char *type, size_t size, unsigned align, int socket_arg)
 		return NULL;
 
 	ret = malloc_heap_alloc(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[socket], type,
-				size, 0, align == 0 ? 1 : align, 0);
+				size, 0, align == 0 ? 1 : align, 0, false);
 	if (ret != NULL || socket_arg != SOCKET_ID_ANY)
 		return ret;
 
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ rte_malloc_socket(const char *type, size_t size, unsigned align, int socket_arg)
 			continue;
 
 		ret = malloc_heap_alloc(&mcfg->malloc_heaps[i], type,
-					size, 0, align == 0 ? 1 : align, 0);
+				size, 0, align == 0 ? 1 : align, 0, false);
 		if (ret != NULL)
 			return ret;
 	}
