diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectoryTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectoryTest.java
index a61580dd1..56e5549b8 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectoryTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectoryTest.java
@@ -455,6 +455,19 @@ public class RefDirectoryTest extends LocalDiskRepositoryTestCase {
 		assertEquals(v1_0, a.getObjectId());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testGetRefs_LooseSortedCorrectly() throws IOException {
+		Map<String, Ref> refs;
+
+		writeLooseRef("refs/heads/project1/A", A);
+		writeLooseRef("refs/heads/project1-B", B);
+
+		refs = refdir.getRefs(RefDatabase.ALL);
+		assertEquals(2, refs.size());
+		assertEquals(A, refs.get("refs/heads/project1/A").getObjectId());
+		assertEquals(B, refs.get("refs/heads/project1-B").getObjectId());
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testGetRefs_TagsOnly_AllPacked() throws IOException {
 		Map<String, Ref> tags;
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectory.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectory.java
index bba634a6b..cd199dcf9 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectory.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/storage/file/RefDirectory.java
@@ -288,6 +288,7 @@ public class RefDirectory extends RefDatabase {
 
 		RefList<LooseRef> loose;
 		if (scan.newLoose != null) {
+			scan.newLoose.sort();
 			loose = scan.newLoose.toRefList();
 			if (looseRefs.compareAndSet(oldLoose, loose))
 				modCnt.incrementAndGet();
@@ -312,6 +313,7 @@ public class RefDirectory extends RefDatabase {
 					loose = loose.remove(toRemove);
 			}
 		}
+		symbolic.sort();
 
 		return new RefMap(prefix, packed, upcast(loose), symbolic.toRefList());
 	}