diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DateTieredStoreEngine.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DateTieredStoreEngine.java
index 59c3090f403..14eae2dc3ec 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DateTieredStoreEngine.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DateTieredStoreEngine.java
@@ -57,8 +57,9 @@ public class DateTieredStoreEngine extends StoreEngine<DefaultStoreFlusher,
   protected void createComponents(Configuration conf, Store store, KVComparator kvComparator)
       throws IOException {
     this.compactionPolicy = new DateTieredCompactionPolicy(conf, store);
-    this.storeFileManager = new DefaultStoreFileManager(kvComparator, conf,
-        compactionPolicy.getConf());
+    this.storeFileManager =
+        new DefaultStoreFileManager(kvComparator, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID_MAX_TIMESTAMP, conf,
+            compactionPolicy.getConf());
     this.storeFlusher = new DefaultStoreFlusher(conf, store);
     this.compactor = new DateTieredCompactor(conf, store);
   }
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreEngine.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreEngine.java
index 38d392aaea5..8c4b9b63589 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreEngine.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreEngine.java
@@ -81,7 +81,9 @@ public class DefaultStoreEngine extends StoreEngine<
     } catch (Exception e) {
       throw new IOException("Unable to load configured compaction policy '" + className + "'", e);
     }
-    storeFileManager = new DefaultStoreFileManager(kvComparator, conf, compactionPolicy.getConf());
+    storeFileManager =
+        new DefaultStoreFileManager(kvComparator, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID, conf,
+            compactionPolicy.getConf());
     className = conf.get(
         DEFAULT_STORE_FLUSHER_CLASS_KEY, DEFAULT_STORE_FLUSHER_CLASS.getName());
     try {
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreFileManager.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreFileManager.java
index 66112029095..a9b3d0ff669 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreFileManager.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/DefaultStoreFileManager.java
@@ -22,9 +22,14 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableCollection;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
+import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
+
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
@@ -34,10 +39,6 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.KeyValue.KVComparator;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver.compactions.CompactionConfiguration;
 
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableCollection;
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
-import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
-
 /**
  * Default implementation of StoreFileManager. Not thread-safe.
  */
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ class DefaultStoreFileManager implements StoreFileManager {
   private final KVComparator kvComparator;
   private final CompactionConfiguration comConf;
   private final int blockingFileCount;
-
+  private final Comparator<StoreFile> storeFileComparator;
   /**
    * List of store files inside this store. This is an immutable list that
    * is atomically replaced when its contents change.
@@ -62,9 +63,11 @@ class DefaultStoreFileManager implements StoreFileManager {
    */
   private volatile List<StoreFile> compactedfiles = null;
 
-  public DefaultStoreFileManager(KVComparator kvComparator, Configuration conf,
+  public DefaultStoreFileManager(KVComparator kvComparator,
+      Comparator<StoreFile> storeFileComparator, Configuration conf,
       CompactionConfiguration comConf) {
     this.kvComparator = kvComparator;
+    this.storeFileComparator = storeFileComparator;
     this.comConf = comConf;
     this.blockingFileCount =
         conf.getInt(HStore.BLOCKING_STOREFILES_KEY, HStore.DEFAULT_BLOCKING_STOREFILE_COUNT);
@@ -210,13 +213,13 @@ class DefaultStoreFileManager implements StoreFileManager {
   }
 
   private void sortAndSetStoreFiles(List<StoreFile> storeFiles) {
-    Collections.sort(storeFiles, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID);
+    Collections.sort(storeFiles, storeFileComparator);
     storefiles = ImmutableList.copyOf(storeFiles);
   }
 
   private List<StoreFile> sortCompactedfiles(List<StoreFile> storefiles) {
     // Sorting may not be really needed here for the compacted files?
-    Collections.sort(storefiles, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID);
+    Collections.sort(storefiles, storeFileComparator);
     return new ArrayList<StoreFile>(storefiles);
   }
 
@@ -229,5 +232,10 @@ class DefaultStoreFileManager implements StoreFileManager {
     }
     return (double) (storefileCount - minFilesToCompact) / (blockingFileCount - minFilesToCompact);
   }
+
+  @Override
+  public Comparator<StoreFile> getStoreFileComparator() {
+    return storeFileComparator;
+  }
 }
 
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HStore.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HStore.java
index e03d70ebc99..db666410049 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HStore.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/HStore.java
@@ -1511,7 +1511,8 @@ public class HStore implements Store {
         filesToCompact = filesToCompact.subList(count - N, count);
         isMajor = (filesToCompact.size() == storeEngine.getStoreFileManager().getStorefileCount());
         filesCompacting.addAll(filesToCompact);
-        Collections.sort(filesCompacting, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID);
+        Collections.sort(filesCompacting, storeEngine.getStoreFileManager()
+            .getStoreFileComparator());
       }
     } finally {
       this.lock.readLock().unlock();
@@ -1700,7 +1701,7 @@ public class HStore implements Store {
       Preconditions.checkArgument(false, "%s overlaps with %s", filesToAdd, filesCompacting);
     }
     filesCompacting.addAll(filesToAdd);
-    Collections.sort(filesCompacting, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID);
+    Collections.sort(filesCompacting, storeEngine.getStoreFileManager().getStoreFileComparator());
   }
 
   private void removeUnneededFiles() throws IOException {
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StoreFileManager.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StoreFileManager.java
index 7e7054766a4..cb192678c6f 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StoreFileManager.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StoreFileManager.java
@@ -20,14 +20,15 @@ package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.regionserver;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 
-import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableCollection;
+
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.Cell;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.KeyValue;
-
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableCollection;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.classification.InterfaceAudience;
 
 /**
  * Manages the store files and basic metadata about that that determines the logical structure
@@ -163,4 +164,10 @@ public interface StoreFileManager {
    * @see Store#getCompactionPressure()
    */
   double getCompactionPressure();
+
+  /**
+   * @return the comparator used to sort storefiles. Usually, the
+   *         {@link StoreFile#getMaxSequenceId()} is the first priority.
+   */
+  Comparator<StoreFile> getStoreFileComparator();
 }
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StripeStoreFileManager.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StripeStoreFileManager.java
index 5b797909b64..cd7288d6327 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StripeStoreFileManager.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/StripeStoreFileManager.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -1048,4 +1049,9 @@ public class StripeStoreFileManager
     }
     return max;
   }
+
+  @Override
+  public Comparator<StoreFile> getStoreFileComparator() {
+    return StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/compactions/DateTieredCompactionPolicy.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/compactions/DateTieredCompactionPolicy.java
index 6527c9b214f..669820c44b1 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/compactions/DateTieredCompactionPolicy.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/compactions/DateTieredCompactionPolicy.java
@@ -191,10 +191,8 @@ public class DateTieredCompactionPolicy extends SortedCompactionPolicy {
     long now = EnvironmentEdgeManager.currentTime();
     long oldestToCompact = getOldestToCompact(comConf.getMaxStoreFileAgeMillis(), now);
 
-    // Make sure the store files is sorted by SeqId then maxTimestamp
     List<StoreFile> storeFileList = Lists.newArrayList(filterOldStoreFiles(candidateSelection,
       oldestToCompact));
-    Collections.sort(storeFileList, StoreFile.Comparators.SEQ_ID_MAX_TIMESTAMP);
 
     List<Pair<StoreFile, Long>> storefileMaxTimestampPairs =
         Lists.newArrayListWithCapacity(Iterables.size(storeFileList));