diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/balancer/Dispatcher.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/balancer/Dispatcher.java
index f855e45332e..9270fdef17a 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/balancer/Dispatcher.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/balancer/Dispatcher.java
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.apache.hadoop.classification.InterfaceAudience;
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.fs.StorageType;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.DFSConfigKeys;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.DFSUtil;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.DFSUtilClient;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.DistributedFileSystem;
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@ public class Dispatcher {
 
   /** The maximum number of concurrent blocks moves at a datanode */
   private final int maxConcurrentMovesPerNode;
+  private final int maxMoverThreads;
 
   private final long getBlocksSize;
   private final long getBlocksMinBlockSize;
@@ -139,11 +141,13 @@ public class Dispatcher {
   static class Allocator {
     private final int max;
     private int count = 0;
+    private int lotSize = 1;
 
     Allocator(int max) {
       this.max = max;
     }
 
+    /** Allocate specified number of items */
     synchronized int allocate(int n) {
       final int remaining = max - count;
       if (remaining <= 0) {
@@ -155,9 +159,19 @@ public class Dispatcher {
       }
     }
 
+    /** Aloocate a single lot of items */
+    int allocate() {
+      return allocate(lotSize);
+    }
+
     synchronized void reset() {
       count = 0;
     }
+
+    /** Set the lot size */
+    synchronized void setLotSize(int lotSize) {
+      this.lotSize = lotSize;
+    }
   }
 
   private static class GlobalBlockMap {
@@ -1017,6 +1031,7 @@ public class Dispatcher {
     this.dispatchExecutor = dispatcherThreads == 0? null
         : Executors.newFixedThreadPool(dispatcherThreads);
     this.moverThreadAllocator = new Allocator(moverThreads);
+    this.maxMoverThreads = moverThreads;
     this.maxConcurrentMovesPerNode = maxConcurrentMovesPerNode;
 
     this.getBlocksSize = getBlocksSize;
@@ -1116,7 +1131,7 @@ public class Dispatcher {
     final DDatanode targetDn = p.target.getDDatanode();
     ExecutorService moveExecutor = targetDn.getMoveExecutor();
     if (moveExecutor == null) {
-      final int nThreads = moverThreadAllocator.allocate(maxConcurrentMovesPerNode);
+      final int nThreads = moverThreadAllocator.allocate();
       if (nThreads > 0) {
         moveExecutor = targetDn.initMoveExecutor(nThreads);
       }
@@ -1166,6 +1181,25 @@ public class Dispatcher {
       LOG.debug("Disperse Interval sec = " +
           concurrentThreads / BALANCER_NUM_RPC_PER_SEC);
     }
+
+    // Determine the size of each mover thread pool per target
+    int threadsPerTarget = maxMoverThreads/targets.size();
+    if (threadsPerTarget == 0) {
+      // Some scheduled moves will get ignored as some targets won't have
+      // any threads allocated.
+      moverThreadAllocator.setLotSize(1);
+      LOG.warn(DFSConfigKeys.DFS_BALANCER_MOVERTHREADS_KEY + "=" +
+          maxMoverThreads + " is too small for moving blocks to " +
+          targets.size() + " targets. Balancing may be slower.");
+    } else {
+      if  (threadsPerTarget > maxConcurrentMovesPerNode) {
+        threadsPerTarget = maxConcurrentMovesPerNode;
+        LOG.info("Limiting threads per target to the specified max.");
+      }
+      moverThreadAllocator.setLotSize(threadsPerTarget);
+      LOG.info("Allocating " + threadsPerTarget + " threads per target.");
+    }
+
     long dSec = 0;
     final Iterator<Source> i = sources.iterator();
     for (int j = 0; j < futures.length; j++) {