diff --git a/lib/layout.js b/lib/layout.js
index 26b07304..df006b23 100644
--- a/lib/layout.js
+++ b/lib/layout.js
@@ -20,14 +20,14 @@ module.exports = layout;
 function layout(g, opts) {
   var time = opts && opts.debugTiming ? util.time : util.notime;
   time("layout", function() {
-    var layoutGraph = 
+    var layoutGraph =
       time("  buildLayoutGraph", function() { return buildLayoutGraph(g); });
-    time("  runLayout",        function() { runLayout(layoutGraph, time); });
+    time("  runLayout",        function() { runLayout(layoutGraph, time, opts); });
     time("  updateInputGraph", function() { updateInputGraph(g, layoutGraph); });
   });
 }
 
-function runLayout(g, time) {
+function runLayout(g, time, opts) {
   time("    makeSpaceForEdgeLabels", function() { makeSpaceForEdgeLabels(g); });
   time("    removeSelfEdges",        function() { removeSelfEdges(g); });
   time("    acyclic",                function() { acyclic.run(g); });
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ function runLayout(g, time) {
   time("    normalize.run",          function() { normalize.run(g); });
   time("    parentDummyChains",      function() { parentDummyChains(g); });
   time("    addBorderSegments",      function() { addBorderSegments(g); });
-  time("    order",                  function() { order(g); });
+  time("    order",                  function() { order(g, opts); });
   time("    insertSelfEdges",        function() { insertSelfEdges(g); });
   time("    adjustCoordinateSystem", function() { coordinateSystem.adjust(g); });
   time("    position",               function() { position(g); });
diff --git a/lib/order/index.js b/lib/order/index.js
index 4ac2d9fa..ba8d35cc 100644
--- a/lib/order/index.js
+++ b/lib/order/index.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ module.exports = order;
  *    1. Graph nodes will have an "order" attribute based on the results of the
  *       algorithm.
  */
-function order(g) {
+function order(g, opts) {
   var maxRank = util.maxRank(g),
     downLayerGraphs = buildLayerGraphs(g, _.range(1, maxRank + 1), "inEdges"),
     upLayerGraphs = buildLayerGraphs(g, _.range(maxRank - 1, -1, -1), "outEdges");
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ function order(g) {
   var layering = initOrder(g);
   assignOrder(g, layering);
 
+  if (opts && opts.disableOptimalOrder) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   var bestCC = Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY,
     best;