diff --git a/tests/app/ui/styling/style-tests.ts b/tests/app/ui/styling/style-tests.ts
index b634637b8..23bcfd1f5 100644
--- a/tests/app/ui/styling/style-tests.ts
+++ b/tests/app/ui/styling/style-tests.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import types = require("utils/types");
 import viewModule = require("ui/core/view");
 import styleModule = require("ui/styling/style");
 import dependencyObservableModule = require("ui/core/dependency-observable");
+import {StyleScope} from 'ui/styling/style-scope';
 
 export function test_css_dataURI_is_applied_to_backgroundImageSource() {
     var stack = new stackModule.StackLayout();
@@ -1443,6 +1444,17 @@ export function test_CascadingClassNamesAppliesAfterPageLoad() {
         helper.assertViewBackgroundColor(stack, "#FF0000");
     });
 }
+
+export function test_SortingOfCssSelectorsWithSameSpecificity() {
+    let scope = new StyleScope();
+    scope.css = ".button { border-color: #b2b2b2; background-color: hotpink; color: #444; margin: 5; padding: 7 2; border-width: 1; border-style: solid; border-radius: 2; text-align: center; font-size: 18; line-height: 42; } .button-small { background-color: salmon; } .button-large { font-size: 26; } .button-light { border-color: #ddd; background-color: #fff; color: #444; } .button-stable { border-color: #b2b2b2; background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #444; } .button-positive { border-color: #0c60ee; background-color: #387ef5; color: #fff; } .button-calm { border-color: #0a9dc7;background-color: #11c1f3; color: #fff; } .button-balanced { border-color: #28a54c; background-color: #33cd5f; color: #fff; } .button-energized { border-color: #e6b500; background-color: #ffc900; color: #fff; } .button-assertive { border-color: #e42112; background-color: #ef473a; color: #fff; } .button-royal { border-color: #6b46e5; background-color: #886aea; color: #fff; } .button-dark { border-color: #111; background-color: #444; color: #fff; }";
+    scope.ensureSelectors();
+    let expressions = [];
+    (<any>scope)._mergedCssSelectors.forEach((v) => {
+        expressions.push(v.expression);
+    });
+    TKUnit.assertTrue(expressions.indexOf('button') < expressions.indexOf('button-calm'), "button class selector should be before button-calm selector.");
+}
 // <snippet module="ui/styling" title="styling">
 // For information and example how to use style properties please refer to special [**Styling**](../../../styling.md) topic. 
 // </snippet>
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style-scope.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style-scope.ts
index 07be3695e..365ad0043 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style-scope.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style-scope.ts
@@ -191,7 +191,8 @@ export class StyleScope {
                 mergedResult.push.apply(mergedResult, arrays[i]);
             }
         }
-        mergedResult.sort((a, b) => a.specificity - b.specificity);
+        ensureUtils();
+        mergedResult = utils.mergeSort(mergedResult, (a, b) => { return a.specificity - b.specificity; });
 
         return mergedResult;
     }
@@ -200,9 +201,9 @@ export class StyleScope {
         this.ensureSelectors();
 
         view.style._beginUpdate();
-        let i,
-            selector: cssSelector.CssSelector,
-            matchedStateSelectors = new Array<cssSelector.CssVisualStateSelector>()
+        let i;
+        let selector: cssSelector.CssSelector;
+        let matchedStateSelectors = new Array<cssSelector.CssVisualStateSelector>();
 
         // Go trough all selectors - and directly apply all non-state selectors
         for (i = 0; i < this._mergedCssSelectors.length; i++) {
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/utils/utils-common.ts b/tns-core-modules/utils/utils-common.ts
index e3e9f30df..b730bccd8 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/utils/utils-common.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/utils/utils-common.ts
@@ -134,3 +134,36 @@ export function isDataURI(uri: string): boolean {
 
     return firstSegment && firstSegment.indexOf("data:") === 0 && firstSegment.indexOf('base64') >= 0;
 }
+
+export function mergeSort(arr, compareFunc) {
+    if (arr.length < 2) {
+        return arr;
+    }
+
+    let middle = arr.length / 2;
+    let left = arr.slice(0, middle);
+    let right = arr.slice(middle, arr.length);
+
+    return merge(mergeSort(left, compareFunc), mergeSort(right, compareFunc), compareFunc);
+}
+
+export function merge(left, right, compareFunc) {
+    let result = [];
+    while(left.length && right.length) {
+        if (compareFunc(left[0], right[0]) <= 0) {
+            result.push(left.shift());
+        } else {
+            result.push(right.shift());
+        }
+    }
+
+    while (left.length) {
+        result.push(left.shift());
+    }
+
+    while (right.length) {
+        result.push(right.shift());
+    }
+
+    return result;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/utils/utils.d.ts b/tns-core-modules/utils/utils.d.ts
index a2c83fbd0..76f9518bf 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/utils/utils.d.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/utils/utils.d.ts
@@ -249,5 +249,12 @@
      * Converts string value to number or boolean.
      * @param value The original value. 
      */
-    export function convertString(value: any): any    
+    export function convertString(value: any): any
+
+    /**
+     * Sorts an array by using merge sort algoritm (which ensures stable sort since the built-in Array.sort() does not promise a stable sort).
+     * @param arr - array to be sorted
+     * @param compareFunc - function that will be used to compare two elements of the array
+     */
+    export function mergeSort(arr: Array<any>, compareFunc: (a: any, b: any) => number): Array<any>
 }