diff --git a/cache.go b/cache.go
index 43d40fe..519ce02 100644
--- a/cache.go
+++ b/cache.go
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 package cache
 
 import (
+	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/gob"
 	"fmt"
+	"hash/fnv"
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"reflect"
@@ -277,20 +279,19 @@ func (j *janitor) Run(c *cache) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (j *janitor) Stop() {
-	j.stop <- true
-}
-
 func stopJanitor(c *Cache) {
-	c.janitor.Stop()
+	c.janitor.stop <- true
 }
 
-// Return a new cache with a given default expiration duration and cleanup
-// interval. If the expiration duration is less than 1, the items in the cache
-// never expire (by default), and must be deleted manually. If the cleanup
-// interval is less than one, expired items are not deleted from the cache
-// before their next lookup or before calling DeleteExpired.
-func New(de, ci time.Duration) *Cache {
+func runJanitor(c *cache, ci time.Duration) {
+	j := &janitor{
+		Interval: ci,
+	}
+	c.janitor = j
+	go j.Run(c)
+}
+
+func newCache(de time.Duration) *cache {
 	if de == 0 {
 		de = -1
 	}
@@ -299,21 +300,145 @@ func New(de, ci time.Duration) *Cache {
 		Items:             map[string]*Item{},
 		mu:                sync.Mutex{},
 	}
-	if ci > 0 {
-		j := &janitor{
-			Interval: ci,
-		}
-		c.janitor = j
-		go j.Run(c)
-	}
+	return c
+}
+
+// Return a new cache with a given default expiration duration and cleanup
+// interval. If the expiration duration is less than 1, the items in the cache
+// never expire (by default), and must be deleted manually. If the cleanup
+// interval is less than one, expired items are not deleted from the cache
+// before their next lookup or before calling DeleteExpired.
+func New(defaultExpiration, cleanupInterval time.Duration) *Cache {
+	c := newCache(defaultExpiration)
 	// This trick ensures that the janitor goroutine (which--granted it
 	// was enabled--is running DeleteExpired on c forever) does not keep
 	// the returned C object from being garbage collected. When it is
 	// garbage collected, the finalizer stops the janitor goroutine, after
 	// which c can be collected.
 	C := &Cache{c}
-	if ci > 0 {
+	if cleanupInterval > 0 {
+		runJanitor(c, cleanupInterval)
 		runtime.SetFinalizer(C, stopJanitor)
 	}
 	return C
 }
+
+type ShardedCache struct {
+	*shardedCache
+}
+
+type shardedCache struct {
+	m       uint32
+	cs      []*cache
+	janitor *shardedJanitor
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) index(k string) uint32 {
+	h := fnv.New32()
+	h.Write([]byte(k))
+	n := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(h.Sum(nil))
+	return n % sc.m
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Set(k string, x interface{}, d time.Duration) {
+	sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Set(k, x, d)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Add(k string, x interface{}, d time.Duration) error {
+	return sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Add(k, x, d)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Replace(k string, x interface{}, d time.Duration) error {
+	return sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Replace(k, x, d)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Get(k string) (interface{}, bool) {
+	return sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Get(k)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Increment(k string, n int64) error {
+	return sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Increment(k, n)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) IncrementFloat(k string, n float64) error {
+	return sc.cs[sc.index(k)].IncrementFloat(k, n)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Decrement(k string, n int64) error {
+	return sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Decrement(k, n)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Delete(k string) {
+	sc.cs[sc.index(k)].Delete(k)
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) DeleteExpired() {
+	for _, v := range sc.cs {
+		v.DeleteExpired()
+	}
+}
+
+func (sc *shardedCache) Flush() {
+	for _, v := range sc.cs {
+		v.Flush()
+	}
+}
+
+type shardedJanitor struct {
+	Interval time.Duration
+	stop     chan bool
+}
+
+func (j *shardedJanitor) Run(sc *shardedCache) {
+	j.stop = make(chan bool)
+	tick := time.Tick(j.Interval)
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-tick:
+			sc.DeleteExpired()
+		case <-j.stop:
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func stopShardedJanitor(sc *ShardedCache) {
+	sc.janitor.stop <- true
+}
+
+func runShardedJanitor(sc *shardedCache, ci time.Duration) {
+	j := &shardedJanitor{
+		Interval: ci,
+	}
+	sc.janitor = j
+	go j.Run(sc)
+}
+
+func newShardedCache(n int, de time.Duration) *shardedCache {
+	sc := &shardedCache{
+		m:  uint32(n - 1),
+		cs: make([]*cache, n),
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		c := &cache{
+			DefaultExpiration: de,
+			Items:             map[string]*Item{},
+			mu:                sync.Mutex{},
+		}
+		sc.cs[i] = c
+	}
+	return sc
+}
+
+func NewSharded(shards int, defaultExpiration, cleanupInterval time.Duration) *ShardedCache {
+	if defaultExpiration == 0 {
+		defaultExpiration = -1
+	}
+	sc := newShardedCache(shards, defaultExpiration)
+	SC := &ShardedCache{sc}
+	if cleanupInterval > 0 {
+		runShardedJanitor(sc, cleanupInterval)
+		runtime.SetFinalizer(SC, stopShardedJanitor)
+	}
+	return SC
+}
diff --git a/cache_test.go b/cache_test.go
index 2fdcb82..93712c7 100644
--- a/cache_test.go
+++ b/cache_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"runtime"
+	"strconv"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -636,18 +637,22 @@ func TestSerializeUnserializable(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkCacheGet(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	tc := New(0, 0)
 	tc.Set("foo", "bar", 0)
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		tc.Get("foo")
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkMutexMapGet(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	m := map[string]string{
 		"foo": "bar",
 	}
 	mu := sync.Mutex{}
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		mu.Lock()
 		_, _ = m["foo"]
@@ -656,12 +661,14 @@ func BenchmarkMutexMapGet(b *testing.B) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkCacheGetConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	tc := New(0, 0)
 	tc.Set("foo", "bar", 0)
 	wg := new(sync.WaitGroup)
 	workers := runtime.NumCPU()
 	each := b.N / workers
 	wg.Add(workers)
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < workers; i++ {
 		go func() {
 			for j := 0; j < each; j++ {
@@ -674,6 +681,7 @@ func BenchmarkCacheGetConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkMutexMapGetConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	m := map[string]string{
 		"foo": "bar",
 	}
@@ -682,6 +690,7 @@ func BenchmarkMutexMapGetConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
 	workers := runtime.NumCPU()
 	each := b.N / workers
 	wg.Add(workers)
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < workers; i++ {
 		go func() {
 			for j := 0; j < each; j++ {
@@ -695,16 +704,72 @@ func BenchmarkMutexMapGetConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
 	wg.Wait()
 }
 
-func BenchmarkCacheSet(b *testing.B) {
+func BenchmarkCacheGetManyConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
+	// This is the same as BenchmarkCacheGetConcurrent, but its result
+	// can be compared against BenchmarkShardedCacheGetManyConcurrent.
+	b.StopTimer()
+	n := 10000
 	tc := New(0, 0)
+	keys := make([]string, n)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		k := "foo" + strconv.Itoa(n)
+		keys[i] = k
+		tc.Set(k, "bar", 0)
+	}
+	each := b.N / n
+	wg := new(sync.WaitGroup)
+	wg.Add(n)
+	for _, v := range keys {
+		go func() {
+			for j := 0; j < each; j++ {
+				tc.Get(v)
+			}
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
+	}
+	b.StartTimer()
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
+func BenchmarkShardedCacheGetManyConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
+	n := 10000
+	tsc := NewSharded(20, 0, 0)
+	keys := make([]string, n)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		k := "foo" + strconv.Itoa(n)
+		keys[i] = k
+		tsc.Set(k, "bar", 0)
+	}
+	each := b.N / n
+	wg := new(sync.WaitGroup)
+	wg.Add(n)
+	for _, v := range keys {
+		go func() {
+			for j := 0; j < each; j++ {
+				tsc.Get(v)
+			}
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
+	}
+	b.StartTimer()
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
+func BenchmarkCacheSet(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
+	tc := New(0, 0)
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		tc.Set("foo", "bar", 0)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkMutexMapSet(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	m := map[string]string{}
 	mu := sync.Mutex{}
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		mu.Lock()
 		m["foo"] = "bar"
@@ -713,7 +778,9 @@ func BenchmarkMutexMapSet(b *testing.B) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkCacheSetDelete(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	tc := New(0, 0)
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		tc.Set("foo", "bar", 0)
 		tc.Delete("foo")
@@ -721,8 +788,10 @@ func BenchmarkCacheSetDelete(b *testing.B) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkMutexMapSetDelete(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	m := map[string]string{}
 	mu := sync.Mutex{}
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		mu.Lock()
 		m["foo"] = "bar"
@@ -734,7 +803,9 @@ func BenchmarkMutexMapSetDelete(b *testing.B) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkCacheSetDeleteSingleLock(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	tc := New(0, 0)
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		tc.mu.Lock()
 		tc.set("foo", "bar", 0)
@@ -744,8 +815,10 @@ func BenchmarkCacheSetDeleteSingleLock(b *testing.B) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkMutexMapSetDeleteSingleLock(b *testing.B) {
+	b.StopTimer()
 	m := map[string]string{}
 	mu := sync.Mutex{}
+	b.StartTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		mu.Lock()
 		m["foo"] = "bar"