diff --git a/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.cc b/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.cc
index 86c0c389d..7ade36468 100644
--- a/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.cc
+++ b/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.cc
@@ -76,6 +76,6 @@ inline const HealpixGrid::grid_t* healpix_grid(const Grid::Implementation* grid)
 
 HealpixGrid::HealpixGrid(const Grid& grid): StructuredGrid(grid), grid_(healpix_grid(get())) {}
 
-HealpixGrid::HealpixGrid(int N): HealpixGrid(Grid(new HealpixGrid::grid_t(N))) {}
+HealpixGrid::HealpixGrid(int N, const std::string& ordering): HealpixGrid(Grid(new HealpixGrid::grid_t(N, ordering))) {}
 
 }  // namespace atlas
diff --git a/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.h b/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.h
index a78feeabb..16d3893c7 100644
--- a/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.h
+++ b/src/atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.h
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ class HealpixGrid : public StructuredGrid {
 
 public:
     HealpixGrid(const Grid&);
-    HealpixGrid(int N);
+    HealpixGrid(int N, const std::string& ordering = "ring");
 
     operator bool() const { return valid(); }
 
diff --git a/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.cc b/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.cc
index 9a0d4c6f3..1150b54db 100644
--- a/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.cc
+++ b/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.cc
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <iomanip>
 #include <limits>
 #include <ostream>
+#include <sstream>
 
 #include "atlas/grid/Spacing.h"
 #include "atlas/grid/StructuredGrid.h"
@@ -42,16 +43,17 @@ static class HealpixGridBuilder : GridBuilder {
         int id;
         std::vector<std::string> matches;
         if (match(name, matches, id)) {
-            int N = std::stoi(matches[0]);
-            return new detail::grid::Healpix(N);
+            int N                = std::stoi(matches[0]);
+            std::string ordering = config.getString("ordering", "ring");
+            return new detail::grid::Healpix(N, ordering);
         }
         return nullptr;
     }
 
     const Grid::Implementation* create(const Grid::Config& config) const override {
-        long N;
-        config.get("N", N);
-        return new detail::grid::Healpix(N);
+        long N               = config.getLong("N", 0);
+        std::string ordering = config.getString("ordering", "ring");
+        return new detail::grid::Healpix(N, ordering);
     }
 
 } healpix_builder_;
@@ -110,8 +112,12 @@ Healpix::YSpace healpix_yspace(long N) {
     return new spacing::CustomSpacing(y.size(), y.data());
 }
 
-Healpix::Healpix(long N):
-    Structured("H" + std::to_string(N), healpix_xspace(N), healpix_yspace(N), Projection(), GlobalDomain()) {}
+Healpix::Healpix(long N, const std::string& ordering):
+    Structured("H" + std::to_string(N), healpix_xspace(N), healpix_yspace(N), Projection(), GlobalDomain()) {
+        if (ordering != "ring") {
+            ATLAS_THROW_EXCEPTION("atlas Healpix Grid is only supported with ring ordering");
+        }
+    }
 
 
 Healpix::Config Healpix::meshgenerator() const {
diff --git a/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.h b/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.h
index fbe2de34a..3d5f4dd92 100644
--- a/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.h
+++ b/src/atlas/grid/detail/grid/Healpix.h
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ namespace grid {
 class Healpix : public Structured {
 public:
     using Structured::Structured;
-    Healpix(long N);
+    Healpix(long N, const std::string& ordering = "ring");
     Config meshgenerator() const override;
     Config partitioner() const override;
     static std::string static_type() { return "healpix"; }
diff --git a/src/tests/mesh/test_healpixmeshgen.cc b/src/tests/mesh/test_healpixmeshgen.cc
index c83be6aaa..e49bdba8f 100644
--- a/src/tests/mesh/test_healpixmeshgen.cc
+++ b/src/tests/mesh/test_healpixmeshgen.cc
@@ -128,10 +128,30 @@ CASE("test_create_healpix_mesh") {
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+CASE("construction by config") {
+    EXPECT(Grid(util::Config("type", "healpix")("N", 3)) == Grid("H3"));
+}
+
 CASE("construction by integer") {
     EXPECT(HealpixGrid(3) == Grid("H3"));
 }
 
+CASE("construction by integer and ordering") {
+    EXPECT(HealpixGrid(3, "ring") == Grid("H3"));
+}
+
+CASE("failing construction by integer and unsupported ordering") {
+    EXPECT_THROWS(HealpixGrid grid(3, "nested"));
+}
+
+CASE("failing construction by config with unsupported ordering") {
+    EXPECT_THROWS(Grid grid(util::Config("name", "H3")("ordering", "nested")));
+}
+
+CASE("failing construction by config with unsupported ordering") {
+    EXPECT_THROWS(Grid grid(util::Config("type", "healpix")("N", 3)("ordering", "nested")));
+}
+
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 CASE("matching mesh partitioner") {