diff --git a/include/nuttx/mm/iob.h b/include/nuttx/mm/iob.h
index 68224a5221..4a93ea6050 100644
--- a/include/nuttx/mm/iob.h
+++ b/include/nuttx/mm/iob.h
@@ -70,6 +70,22 @@
 #  error CONFIG_IOB_NBUFFERS <= CONFIG_IOB_THROTTLE
 #endif
 
+/* Default config of alignment and head padding size */
+
+#if !defined(CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT)
+#  define CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT      1
+#endif
+
+#if !defined(CONFIG_IOB_HEADSIZE)
+#  define CONFIG_IOB_HEADSIZE       0
+#endif
+
+/* For backward compatibility when not using iob header padding */
+
+#if CONFIG_IOB_HEADSIZE == 0
+#  define  io_head  io_data
+#endif
+
 /* IOB helpers */
 
 #define IOB_DATA(p)      (&(p)->io_data[(p)->io_offset])
@@ -108,6 +124,9 @@ struct iob_s
 #endif
   unsigned int io_pktlen; /* Total length of the packet */
 
+#if CONFIG_IOB_HEADSIZE > 0
+  uint8_t  io_head[CONFIG_IOB_HEADSIZE];
+#endif
   uint8_t  io_data[CONFIG_IOB_BUFSIZE];
 };
 
diff --git a/mm/iob/Kconfig b/mm/iob/Kconfig
index 85dc43fb9b..ecab1b9da2 100644
--- a/mm/iob/Kconfig
+++ b/mm/iob/Kconfig
@@ -32,6 +32,20 @@ config IOB_BUFSIZE
 		chain.  This setting determines the data payload each preallocated
 		I/O buffer.
 
+config IOB_HEADSIZE
+	int "Head size of each I/O buffer"
+	default 0
+	---help---
+		This setting determines the reserved size in front of the payload
+		buffer in each I/O buffer.
+
+config IOB_ALIGNMENT
+	int "Alignment size of each I/O buffer"
+	default 1
+	---help---
+		The member io_head of all I/O buffers is aligned to the value
+		specified by this configuration.
+
 config IOB_NCHAINS
 	int "Number of pre-allocated I/O buffer chain heads"
 	default 0 if !NET_READAHEAD
diff --git a/mm/iob/iob_initialize.c b/mm/iob/iob_initialize.c
index af76cdc226..24a458f412 100644
--- a/mm/iob/iob_initialize.c
+++ b/mm/iob/iob_initialize.c
@@ -30,14 +30,32 @@
 
 #include "iob.h"
 
+/****************************************************************************
+ * Pre-processor Definitions
+ ****************************************************************************/
+
+#define ROUNDUP(x, y)     (((x) + (y) - 1) / (y) * (y))
+
+/* Fix the I/O Buffer size with specified alignment size */
+
+#define IOB_ALIGN_SIZE    ROUNDUP(sizeof(struct iob_s), CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT)
+#define IOB_BUFFER_SIZE   (IOB_ALIGN_SIZE * CONFIG_IOB_NBUFFERS + \
+                           CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT - 1)
+
 /****************************************************************************
  * Private Data
  ****************************************************************************/
 
-/* This is a pool of pre-allocated I/O buffers */
+/* Following raw buffer will be divided into iob_s instances, the initial
+ * procedure will ensure that the member io_head of each iob_s is aligned
+ * to the CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT memory boundary.
+ */
+
+static uint8_t g_iob_buffer[IOB_BUFFER_SIZE];
 
-static struct iob_s        g_iob_pool[CONFIG_IOB_NBUFFERS];
 #if CONFIG_IOB_NCHAINS > 0
+/* This is a pool of pre-allocated iob_qentry_s buffers */
+
 static struct iob_qentry_s g_iob_qpool[CONFIG_IOB_NCHAINS];
 #endif
 
@@ -95,12 +113,22 @@ sem_t g_qentry_sem = SEM_INITIALIZER(CONFIG_IOB_NCHAINS);
 void iob_initialize(void)
 {
   int i;
+  uintptr_t buf;
 
-  /* Add each I/O buffer to the free list */
+  /* Get a start address which plus offsetof(struct iob_s, io_head) is
+   * aligned to the CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT memory boundary
+   */
+
+  buf = ROUNDUP((uintptr_t)g_iob_buffer + offsetof(struct iob_s, io_head),
+                CONFIG_IOB_ALIGNMENT) - offsetof(struct iob_s, io_head);
+
+  /* Get I/O buffer instance from the start address and add each I/O buffer
+   * to the free list
+   */
 
   for (i = 0; i < CONFIG_IOB_NBUFFERS; i++)
     {
-      FAR struct iob_s *iob = &g_iob_pool[i];
+      FAR struct iob_s *iob = (FAR struct iob_s *)(buf + i * IOB_ALIGN_SIZE);
 
       /* Add the pre-allocate I/O buffer to the head of the free list */