diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/digitalpebble/stormcrawler/bolt/FetcherBolt.java b/core/src/main/java/com/digitalpebble/stormcrawler/bolt/FetcherBolt.java
index b97b1bdae..6316ea750 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/digitalpebble/stormcrawler/bolt/FetcherBolt.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/digitalpebble/stormcrawler/bolt/FetcherBolt.java
@@ -76,9 +76,12 @@ public class FetcherBolt extends StatusEmitterBolt {
      */
     public static final String QUEUED_TIMEOUT_PARAM_KEY = "fetcher.timeout.queue";
 
-    /** Key name of the custom crawl delay for a page that may be present in metadata */
+    /** Key name of the custom crawl delay for a queue that may be present in the metadata */
     private static final String CRAWL_DELAY_KEY_NAME = "crawl.delay";
 
+    /** Key name of the custom max number of threads that may be present in the metadata */
+    private static final String CRAWL_MAX_THREAD_KEY_NAME = "max.threads.queue";
+
     private final AtomicInteger activeThreads = new AtomicInteger(0);
     private final AtomicInteger spinWaiting = new AtomicInteger(0);
 
@@ -318,11 +321,12 @@ public synchronized void finishFetchItem(FetchItem it, boolean asap) {
 
         public synchronized FetchItemQueue getFetchItemQueue(String id, Metadata metadata) {
             FetchItemQueue fiq = queues.get(id);
-            // custom crawl delay from metadata?
-            final long customCrawlDelay =
+            // custom min crawl delay from metadata?
+            final long minDelay =
                     metadata != null && metadata.getFirstValue(CRAWL_DELAY_KEY_NAME) != null
                             ? Long.parseLong(metadata.getFirstValue(CRAWL_DELAY_KEY_NAME))
                             : minCrawlDelay;
+
             if (fiq == null) {
                 int customThreadVal = defaultMaxThread;
                 // custom maxThread value?
@@ -332,16 +336,24 @@ public synchronized FetchItemQueue getFetchItemQueue(String id, Metadata metadat
                         break;
                     }
                 }
+
+                // overridden at URL level
+                // custom thread number from metadata?
+                if (metadata != null) {
+                    final String val = metadata.getFirstValue(CRAWL_MAX_THREAD_KEY_NAME);
+                    if (val != null) {
+                        customThreadVal = Integer.parseInt(val);
+                    }
+                }
+
                 // initialize queue
-                fiq =
-                        new FetchItemQueue(
-                                customThreadVal, crawlDelay, customCrawlDelay, maxQueueSize);
+                fiq = new FetchItemQueue(customThreadVal, crawlDelay, minDelay, maxQueueSize);
                 queues.put(id, fiq);
             }
             // in cases where we have different pages with the same key that will fall in the same
             // queue, each one with a custom crawl delay, we take the less aggressive
-            if (fiq.minCrawlDelay < customCrawlDelay) {
-                fiq.minCrawlDelay = customCrawlDelay;
+            if (fiq.minCrawlDelay < minDelay) {
+                fiq.minCrawlDelay = minDelay;
             }
             return fiq;
         }