diff --git a/src/db/db/dbHierNetworkProcessor.h b/src/db/db/dbHierNetworkProcessor.h
index f15013901..69918db97 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbHierNetworkProcessor.h
+++ b/src/db/db/dbHierNetworkProcessor.h
@@ -383,6 +383,48 @@ private:
 };
 
 template <class T> class hier_clusters;
+template <class T> class connected_clusters;
+
+/**
+ *  @brief An iterator delivering all clusters of a connected_clusters set
+ */
+template <class T>
+class DB_PUBLIC connected_clusters_iterator
+{
+public:
+  typedef typename local_cluster<T>::id_type value_type;
+
+  connected_clusters_iterator (const connected_clusters<T> &c);
+
+  connected_clusters_iterator &operator++ ()
+  {
+    if (! m_lc_iter.at_end ()) {
+      ++m_lc_iter;
+    } else if (m_x_iter != m_x_iter_end) {
+      ++m_x_iter;
+    }
+    return *this;
+  }
+
+  bool at_end () const
+  {
+    return m_lc_iter.at_end () && m_x_iter == m_x_iter_end;
+  }
+
+  value_type operator* () const
+  {
+    if (m_lc_iter.at_end ()) {
+      return m_x_iter->first;
+    } else {
+      return m_lc_iter->id ();
+    }
+  }
+
+private:
+  typename local_clusters<T>::const_iterator m_lc_iter;
+  typedef std::list<ClusterInstance> connections_type;
+  typename std::map<typename local_cluster<T>::id_type, connections_type>::const_iterator m_x_iter, m_x_iter_end;
+};
 
 /**
  *  @brief Local clusters with connections to clusters from child cells
@@ -394,6 +436,7 @@ class DB_PUBLIC connected_clusters
 public:
   typedef std::list<ClusterInstance> connections_type;
   typedef typename local_clusters<T>::box_type box_type;
+  typedef connected_clusters_iterator<T> all_iterator;
 
   /**
    *  @brief Constructor
@@ -429,11 +472,38 @@ public:
    */
   void join_cluster_with (typename local_cluster<T>::id_type id, typename local_cluster<T>::id_type with_id);
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief An iterator delivering all clusters (even the connectors)
+   *
+   *  This iterator will deliver ID's rather than cluster objects.
+   */
+  all_iterator begin_all () const
+  {
+    return connected_clusters_iterator<T> (*this);
+  }
+
 private:
+  template<typename> friend class connected_clusters_iterator;
+
   std::map<typename local_cluster<T>::id_type, connections_type> m_connections;
   std::map<ClusterInstance, typename local_cluster<T>::id_type> m_rev_connections;
 };
 
+template <class T>
+connected_clusters_iterator<T>::connected_clusters_iterator (const connected_clusters<T> &c)
+  : m_lc_iter (c.begin ())
+{
+  size_t max_id = 0;
+  for (typename connected_clusters<T>::const_iterator i = c.begin (); i != c.end (); ++i) {
+    if (i->id () > max_id) {
+      max_id = i->id ();
+    }
+  }
+
+  m_x_iter = c.m_connections.lower_bound (max_id + 1);
+  m_x_iter_end = c.m_connections.end ();
+}
+
 template <typename> class cell_clusters_box_converter;
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierNetworkProcessorTests.cc b/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierNetworkProcessorTests.cc
index 3ca36d282..e92130442 100644
--- a/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierNetworkProcessorTests.cc
+++ b/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierNetworkProcessorTests.cc
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ static void normalize_layer (db::Layout &layout, unsigned int layer)
   }
 }
 
-static void copy_cluster_shapes (db::Shapes &out, db::cell_index_type ci, const db::hier_clusters<db::PolygonRef> &hc, const db::local_cluster<db::PolygonRef> &cluster, const db::ICplxTrans &trans, const db::Connectivity &conn)
+static void copy_cluster_shapes (db::Shapes &out, db::cell_index_type ci, const db::hier_clusters<db::PolygonRef> &hc, db::local_cluster<db::PolygonRef>::id_type cluster_id, const db::ICplxTrans &trans, const db::Connectivity &conn)
 {
   //  use property #1 to code the cell name
 
@@ -431,9 +431,12 @@ static void copy_cluster_shapes (db::Shapes &out, db::cell_index_type ci, const
   pm.insert (std::make_pair (pn_id, tl::Variant (out.layout ()->cell_name (ci))));
   db::properties_id_type cell_pid = pr.properties_id (pm);
 
+  const db::connected_clusters<db::PolygonRef> &clusters = hc.clusters_per_cell (ci);
+  const db::local_cluster<db::PolygonRef> &lc = clusters.cluster_by_id (cluster_id);
+
   //  copy the shapes from this cell
   for (db::Connectivity::layer_iterator l = conn.begin_layers (); l != conn.end_layers (); ++l) {
-    for (db::local_cluster<db::PolygonRef>::shape_iterator s = cluster.begin (*l); ! s.at_end (); ++s) {
+    for (db::local_cluster<db::PolygonRef>::shape_iterator s = lc.begin (*l); ! s.at_end (); ++s) {
       db::Polygon poly = s->obj ().transformed (trans * db::ICplxTrans (s->trans ()));
       out.insert (db::PolygonWithProperties (poly, cell_pid));
     }
@@ -443,13 +446,13 @@ static void copy_cluster_shapes (db::Shapes &out, db::cell_index_type ci, const
 
   //  copy the shapes from the child cells too
   typedef db::connected_clusters<db::PolygonRef>::connections_type connections_type;
-  const connections_type &connections = hc.clusters_per_cell (ci).connections_for_cluster (cluster.id ());
+  const connections_type &connections = clusters.connections_for_cluster (cluster_id);
   for (connections_type::const_iterator i = connections.begin (); i != connections.end (); ++i) {
 
     db::ICplxTrans t = trans * i->inst ().complex_trans ();
 
     db::cell_index_type cci = i->inst ().inst_ptr.cell_index ();
-    copy_cluster_shapes (out, cci, hc, hc.clusters_per_cell (cci).cluster_by_id (i->id ()), t, conn);
+    copy_cluster_shapes (out, cci, hc, i->id (), t, conn);
 
   }
 }
@@ -510,7 +513,7 @@ static void run_hc_test (tl::TestBase *_this, const std::string &file, const std
   for (db::Layout::top_down_const_iterator td = ly.begin_top_down (); td != ly.end_top_down (); ++td) {
 
     const db::connected_clusters<db::PolygonRef> &clusters = hc.clusters_per_cell (*td);
-    for (db::connected_clusters<db::PolygonRef>::const_iterator c = clusters.begin (); ! c.at_end (); ++c) {
+    for (db::connected_clusters<db::PolygonRef>::all_iterator c = clusters.begin_all (); ! c.at_end (); ++c) {
 
       net_layers.push_back (std::make_pair (0, ly.insert_layer ()));
 
@@ -543,22 +546,32 @@ static void run_hc_test (tl::TestBase *_this, const std::string &file, const std
   db::compare_layouts (_this, ly, tl::testsrc () + "/testdata/algo/" + au_file);
 }
 
-TEST(40_HierClusters)
+TEST(41_HierClusters)
 {
   run_hc_test (_this, "hc_test_l1.gds", "hc_test_au1.gds");
 }
 
-TEST(41_HierClusters)
+TEST(42_HierClusters)
 {
   run_hc_test (_this, "hc_test_l2.gds", "hc_test_au2.gds");
 }
 
-TEST(42_HierClusters)
+TEST(43_HierClusters)
 {
   run_hc_test (_this, "hc_test_l3.gds", "hc_test_au3.gds");
 }
 
-TEST(43_HierClusters)
+TEST(44_HierClusters)
 {
   run_hc_test (_this, "hc_test_l4.gds", "hc_test_au4.gds");
 }
+
+TEST(45_HierClusters)
+{
+  run_hc_test (_this, "hc_test_l5.gds", "hc_test_au5.gds");
+}
+
+TEST(46_HierClusters)
+{
+  run_hc_test (_this, "hc_test_l6.gds", "hc_test_au6.gds");
+}
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hc_test_au5.gds b/testdata/algo/hc_test_au5.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9ca93f454
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hc_test_au5.gds differ
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hc_test_au6.gds b/testdata/algo/hc_test_au6.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..520e0bbfd
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hc_test_au6.gds differ
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hc_test_l5.gds b/testdata/algo/hc_test_l5.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1ed519c46
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hc_test_l5.gds differ
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hc_test_l6.gds b/testdata/algo/hc_test_l6.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..38ff58c9c
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hc_test_l6.gds differ