diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ByteFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ByteFieldMapper.java
index 47abfb0bb4c..529f97a4cbf 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ByteFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ByteFieldMapper.java
@@ -307,5 +307,9 @@ public class ByteFieldMapper extends NumberFieldMapper<Byte> {
             }
             return null;
         }
+
+        @Override public String numericAsString() {
+            return Byte.toString(number);
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/DoubleFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/DoubleFieldMapper.java
index b927db76294..2542071c8ce 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/DoubleFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/DoubleFieldMapper.java
@@ -308,5 +308,9 @@ public class DoubleFieldMapper extends NumberFieldMapper<Double> {
             }
             return null;
         }
+
+        @Override public String numericAsString() {
+            return Double.toString(number);
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/FloatFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/FloatFieldMapper.java
index ed68c1e62c4..ee3726bc9e5 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/FloatFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/FloatFieldMapper.java
@@ -304,5 +304,9 @@ public class FloatFieldMapper extends NumberFieldMapper<Float> {
             }
             return null;
         }
+
+        @Override public String numericAsString() {
+            return Float.toString(number);
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/IntegerFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/IntegerFieldMapper.java
index 0e053aefc4f..0b7fca922eb 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/IntegerFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/IntegerFieldMapper.java
@@ -308,5 +308,9 @@ public class IntegerFieldMapper extends NumberFieldMapper<Integer> {
             }
             return null;
         }
+
+        @Override public String numericAsString() {
+            return Integer.toString(number);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/LongFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/LongFieldMapper.java
index ffa104cc813..8b5929d3724 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/LongFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/LongFieldMapper.java
@@ -307,5 +307,9 @@ public class LongFieldMapper extends NumberFieldMapper<Long> {
             }
             return null;
         }
+
+        @Override public String numericAsString() {
+            return Long.toString(number);
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/NumberFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/NumberFieldMapper.java
index f7be4fc34e5..cdb970dd354 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/NumberFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/NumberFieldMapper.java
@@ -248,5 +248,7 @@ public abstract class NumberFieldMapper<T extends Number> extends AbstractFieldM
         @Override public Reader readerValue() {
             return null;
         }
+
+        public abstract String numericAsString();
     }
 }
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ShortFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ShortFieldMapper.java
index b443f6b896d..99e4f37c924 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ShortFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/core/ShortFieldMapper.java
@@ -307,5 +307,9 @@ public class ShortFieldMapper extends NumberFieldMapper<Short> {
             }
             return null;
         }
+
+        @Override public String numericAsString() {
+            return Short.toString(number);
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/RoutingFieldMapper.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/RoutingFieldMapper.java
index 420463fc2a3..8da786aa809 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/RoutingFieldMapper.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/internal/RoutingFieldMapper.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.MergeMappingException;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.ParseContext;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.RootMapper;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.core.AbstractFieldMapper;
+import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.core.NumberFieldMapper;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -156,10 +157,23 @@ public class RoutingFieldMapper extends AbstractFieldMapper<String> implements I
         String routing = context.sourceToParse().routing();
         if (path != null && routing != null) {
             // we have a path, check if we can validate we have the same routing value as the one in the doc...
-            String value = context.doc().get(path);
+            String value = null;
+            Fieldable field = context.doc().getFieldable(path);
+            if (field != null) {
+                value = field.stringValue();
+                if (value == null) {
+                    // maybe its a numeric field...
+                    if (field instanceof NumberFieldMapper.CustomNumericField) {
+                        value = ((NumberFieldMapper.CustomNumericField) field).numericAsString();
+                    }
+                }
+            }
             if (value == null) {
                 value = context.ignoredValue(path);
             }
+            if (value == null) {
+                // maybe its a numeric field
+            }
             if (!routing.equals(value)) {
                 throw new MapperParsingException("External routing [" + routing + "] and document path routing [" + value + "] mismatch");
             }
diff --git a/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/routing/SimpleRoutingTests.java b/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/routing/SimpleRoutingTests.java
index 2c8344a3244..7df8cb273ea 100644
--- a/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/routing/SimpleRoutingTests.java
+++ b/modules/test/integration/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/integration/routing/SimpleRoutingTests.java
@@ -300,4 +300,28 @@ public class SimpleRoutingTests extends AbstractNodesTests {
             assertThat(client.prepareGet("test", "type1", "1").setRouting("0").execute().actionGet().exists(), equalTo(true));
         }
     }
+
+    @Test public void testRequiredRoutingWithPathNumericType() throws Exception {
+        client.admin().indices().prepareDelete().execute().actionGet();
+
+        client.admin().indices().prepareCreate("test")
+                .addMapping("type1", XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().startObject().startObject("type1")
+                        .startObject("_routing").field("required", true).field("path", "routing_field").endObject()
+                        .endObject().endObject())
+                .execute().actionGet();
+        client.admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setWaitForGreenStatus().execute().actionGet();
+
+        logger.info("--> indexing with id [1], and routing [0]");
+        client.prepareIndex("test", "type1", "1").setSource("field", "value1", "routing_field", 0).execute().actionGet();
+        client.admin().indices().prepareRefresh().execute().actionGet();
+
+        logger.info("--> verifying get with no routing, should not find anything");
+        for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+            assertThat(client.prepareGet("test", "type1", "1").execute().actionGet().exists(), equalTo(false));
+        }
+        logger.info("--> verifying get with routing, should find");
+        for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+            assertThat(client.prepareGet("test", "type1", "1").setRouting("0").execute().actionGet().exists(), equalTo(true));
+        }
+    }
 }