diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/annotations/Document.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/annotations/Document.java
index d25496eef..968295f4c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/annotations/Document.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/annotations/Document.java
@@ -35,5 +35,8 @@ public @interface Document {
 
     String indexName();
     String type() default "";
+    short shards() default 1;
+    short replicas() default 5;
+    String refreshInterval() default "1s";
     String indexStoreType() default "fs";
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ElasticsearchTemplate.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ElasticsearchTemplate.java
index 76e1f0060..c31f313ba 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ElasticsearchTemplate.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/ElasticsearchTemplate.java
@@ -382,9 +382,16 @@ public class ElasticsearchTemplate implements ElasticsearchOperations {
     private <T> boolean createIndexWithSettings(Class<T> clazz) {
         ElasticsearchPersistentEntity<T> persistentEntity = getPersistentEntityFor(clazz);
         return client.admin().indices().create(Requests.createIndexRequest(persistentEntity.getIndexName()).
-                settings(new MapBuilder<String, String>()
-                        .put("index.store.type", persistentEntity.getIndexStoreType())
-                        .map())).actionGet().acknowledged();
+                settings(getSettings(persistentEntity))).actionGet().acknowledged();
+    }
+
+    private <T> Map getSettings(ElasticsearchPersistentEntity<T> persistentEntity) {
+       return new MapBuilder<String, String>()
+                .put("index.number_of_shards", String.valueOf(persistentEntity.getShards()))
+                .put("index.number_of_replicas", String.valueOf(persistentEntity.getReplicas()))
+                .put("index.refresh_interval", persistentEntity.getRefreshInterval())
+                .put("index.store.type", persistentEntity.getIndexStoreType())
+                .map();
     }
 
     private <T> SearchRequestBuilder prepareSearch(Query query, Class<T> clazz){
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/ElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/ElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java
index 067f2bc73..c4c637f45 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/ElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/ElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ public interface ElasticsearchPersistentEntity<T> extends PersistentEntity<T, El
 
 	String getIndexName();
     String getIndexType();
+    short getShards();
+    short getReplicas();
+    String getRefreshInterval();
     String getIndexStoreType();
     ElasticsearchPersistentProperty getVersionProperty();
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java
index ad7308955..08e20c035 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/core/mapping/SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity.java
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ public class SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity<T> extends BasicPersistentEntit
     private final StandardEvaluationContext context;
     private String indexName;
     private String indexType;
+    private short shards;
+    private short replicas;
+    private String refreshInterval;
     private String indexStoreType;
 
     public SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity(TypeInformation<T> typeInformation) {
@@ -56,6 +59,9 @@ public class SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity<T> extends BasicPersistentEntit
             Assert.hasText(document.indexName(), " Unknown indexName. Make sure the indexName is defined. e.g @Document(indexName=\"foo\")");
             this.indexName = typeInformation.getType().getAnnotation(Document.class).indexName();
             this.indexType = hasText(document.type())? document.type() : clazz.getSimpleName().toLowerCase(Locale.ENGLISH);
+            this.shards = typeInformation.getType().getAnnotation(Document.class).shards();
+            this.replicas = typeInformation.getType().getAnnotation(Document.class).replicas();
+            this.refreshInterval = typeInformation.getType().getAnnotation(Document.class).refreshInterval();
             this.indexStoreType = typeInformation.getType().getAnnotation(Document.class).indexStoreType();
         }
     }
@@ -77,10 +83,26 @@ public class SimpleElasticsearchPersistentEntity<T> extends BasicPersistentEntit
         return indexType;
     }
 
+    @Override
     public String getIndexStoreType() {
         return indexStoreType;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public short getShards() {
+        return shards;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public short getReplicas() {
+        return replicas;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String getRefreshInterval() {
+        return refreshInterval;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void addPersistentProperty(ElasticsearchPersistentProperty property) {
         super.addPersistentProperty(property);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/Book.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/Book.java
index b0bcefd0b..f35f436ef 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/Book.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/Book.java
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.annotations.Document;
  * @author Rizwan Idrees
  * @author Mohsin Husen
  */
-@Document(indexName = "book",type = "book", indexStoreType = "memory")
+@Document(indexName = "book",type = "book", indexStoreType = "memory", shards = 1 , replicas = 0, refreshInterval = "-1" )
 public class Book {
 
     @Id
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/DoubleIDEntity.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/DoubleIDEntity.java
index fd6ff7355..988893024 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/DoubleIDEntity.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/DoubleIDEntity.java
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.annotation.Version;
 import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.annotations.Document;
 
 
-@Document(indexName = "double-keyed-entity", type = "double-keyed-entity", indexStoreType = "memory")
+@Document(indexName = "double-keyed-entity", type = "double-keyed-entity", indexStoreType = "memory", shards = 1 , replicas = 0, refreshInterval = "-1")
 public class DoubleIDEntity {
 
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/IntegerIDEntity.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/IntegerIDEntity.java
index b6fe1dc07..843b367ba 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/IntegerIDEntity.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/IntegerIDEntity.java
@@ -15,14 +15,12 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.elasticsearch;
 
-import java.math.BigInteger;
-
 import org.springframework.data.annotation.Id;
 import org.springframework.data.annotation.Version;
 import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.annotations.Document;
 
 
-@Document(indexName = "integer-keyed-entity", type = "integer-keyed-entity", indexStoreType = "memory")
+@Document(indexName = "integer-keyed-entity", type = "integer-keyed-entity", indexStoreType = "memory", shards = 1 , replicas = 0, refreshInterval = "-1")
 public class IntegerIDEntity {
 
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleEntity.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleEntity.java
index eaa19ad6b..15c474db2 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleEntity.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleEntity.java
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.annotations.Document;
  * @author Rizwan Idrees
  * @author Mohsin Husen
  */
-@Document(indexName = "test-index", type = "test-type", indexStoreType = "memory")
+@Document(indexName = "test-index", type = "test-type", indexStoreType = "memory", shards = 1 , replicas = 0, refreshInterval = "-1")
 public class SampleEntity {
 
     @Id
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleMappingEntity.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleMappingEntity.java
index 3822ca183..64ba065ea 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleMappingEntity.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/elasticsearch/SampleMappingEntity.java
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.elasticsearch.annotations.Field;
  * @author Rizwan Idrees
  * @author Mohsin Husen
  */
-@Document(indexName = "test-mapping", type = "mapping", indexStoreType = "memory")
+@Document(indexName = "test-mapping", type = "mapping", indexStoreType = "memory", shards = 1 , replicas = 0, refreshInterval = "-1")
 public class SampleMappingEntity {
 
     @Id