diff --git a/crates/io/src/dxf_read/document.rs b/crates/io/src/dxf_read/document.rs
index 6f61e3415..d0fea46cc 100644
--- a/crates/io/src/dxf_read/document.rs
+++ b/crates/io/src/dxf_read/document.rs
@@ -314,7 +314,17 @@ pub(super) fn apply_sortents(
     paper_for: &HashMap<String, String>,
     first_layout: &str,
 ) {
-    for (owner, map) in tables {
+    // Each sort rebuilds its whole space, so a space named by many tables is sorted once, by the
+    // last of them (which decided its order anyway); repeated tables made import quadratic.
+    let target = |owner: &String| {
+        let up = brs.get(owner)?.to_ascii_uppercase();
+        Some(if up.starts_with("*PAPER_SPACE") { paper_for.get(&up).cloned().unwrap_or_else(|| first_layout.to_string()) + "\0paper" } else { up })
+    };
+    let last: HashMap<String, usize> = tables.iter().enumerate().filter_map(|(i, (owner, _))| Some((target(owner)?, i))).collect();
+    for (i, (owner, map)) in tables.iter().enumerate() {
+        if target(owner).and_then(|t| last.get(&t)) != Some(&i) {
+            continue;
+        }
         let Some(name) = brs.get(owner) else { continue };
         let up = name.to_ascii_uppercase();
         // A sort handle of 0 draws last (ezdxf `reorder`, which notes AutoCAD defines it, undocumented).
diff --git a/crates/io/src/tests.rs b/crates/io/src/tests.rs
index 46536f24e..45c2d3470 100644
--- a/crates/io/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/io/src/tests.rs
@@ -337,6 +337,28 @@ fn entity_transparency_roundtrips_as_group_440() {
     assert_eq!(d.model.iter().map(|e| e.common.transparency).collect::<Vec<_>>(), [Transparency::ByLayer, Transparency::Percent(90)]);
 }
 
+/// Several SORTENTSTABLEs for one space sort it once, in the last table's order.
+#[test]
+fn repeated_sortents_tables_use_the_last() {
+    let table =
+        |a: u32, b: u32| format!("0\nSORTENTSTABLE\n5\n{:X}\n100\nAcDbSortentsTable\n330\n1F\n331\nA\n5\n{a:X}\n331\nB\n5\n{b:X}\n", 0x100 + a);
+    let mut t = String::from(
+        "0\nSECTION\n2\nTABLES\n0\nTABLE\n2\nBLOCK_RECORD\n0\nBLOCK_RECORD\n5\n1F\n2\n*Model_Space\n0\nENDTAB\n0\nENDSEC\n\
+         0\nSECTION\n2\nENTITIES\n0\nLINE\n5\nA\n330\n1F\n10\n0\n20\n0\n11\n1\n21\n1\n0\nLINE\n5\nB\n330\n1F\n10\n0\n20\n0\n11\n2\n21\n2\n0\nENDSEC\n\
+         0\nSECTION\n2\nOBJECTS\n0\nDICTIONARY\n5\nC\n",
+    );
+    for _ in 0..1000 {
+        t.push_str(&table(2, 1));
+    }
+    t.push_str(&table(1, 2));
+    t.push_str("0\nENDSEC\n0\nEOF\n");
+    let d = read(t.as_bytes(), "s.dxf").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(d.model.iter().map(|e| e.handle.0).collect::<Vec<_>>(), [0xA, 0xB]);
+    let reversed = t.replacen(&table(1, 2), &table(2, 1), 1);
+    let d = read(reversed.as_bytes(), "s.dxf").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(d.model.iter().map(|e| e.handle.0).collect::<Vec<_>>(), [0xB, 0xA]);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn hostile_dxf_does_not_panic() {
     for t in [