diff --git a/STL_Extension/doc_tex/STL_Extension_ref/compact_container.tex b/STL_Extension/doc_tex/STL_Extension_ref/compact_container.tex
index 1c3cfd5268a..12157c7a71f 100644
--- a/STL_Extension/doc_tex/STL_Extension_ref/compact_container.tex
+++ b/STL_Extension/doc_tex/STL_Extension_ref/compact_container.tex
@@ -210,6 +210,12 @@
   {swaps the contents of \ccVar\ and \ccStyle{cc} in constant time
    complexity.  No exception is thrown.}
 
+ \ccMethod{void reserve(size_type value);}  
+ {if \ccc{value} is less than or equal to \ccc{capacity()}, this call
+   has no effect.  Otherwise, it is a request for allocation of
+   additional memory so that then \ccc{capacity()} is greater than or
+   equal to value. \ccc{size()} is unchanged.}
+ 
   %% +-----------------------------------+
   \ccHeading{Access Member Functions}
 
@@ -254,7 +260,6 @@
   {returns the total number of elements that~\ccVar\ can hold without requiring
    reallocation.}
 
-% - reserve()     % XXX  FIXME
 % - block_size()  % TODO
 
   \ccMethod{Allocator get_allocator() const;}{returns the allocator.}
diff --git a/STL_Extension/include/CGAL/Compact_container.h b/STL_Extension/include/CGAL/Compact_container.h
index bd58092fb50..2a299a64551 100644
--- a/STL_Extension/include/CGAL/Compact_container.h
+++ b/STL_Extension/include/CGAL/Compact_container.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 //   a free/used/boundary element.
 
 // TODO :
-// - Add .reserve() and .resize() (and proper copy of capacity_).
+// - Add .resize() (and proper copy of capacity_).
 // - Add preconditions in input that real pointers need to have clean bits.
 //   Also for the allocated memory alignment, and sizeof().
 // - Do a benchmark before/after.
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@
 
 namespace CGAL {
 
+#define CGAL_INIT_BLOCK_SIZE 14
+#define CGAL_INCREMENT_BLOCK_SIZE 16 
+  
 // The following base class can be used to easily add a squattable pointer
 // to a class (maybe you loose a bit of compactness though).
 // TODO : Shouldn't adding these bits be done automatically and transparently,
@@ -437,8 +440,6 @@ public:
     return capacity_;
   }
 
-  void reserve(size_type n); // TODO
-
   // void resize(size_type sz, T c = T()); // TODO  makes sense ???
 
   bool empty() const
@@ -488,6 +489,18 @@ public:
     return cit != end() && owns(cit);
   }
 
+  /** Reserve method to ensure that the capacity of the Compact_container be
+   * greater or equal than a given value n.
+   */ 
+  void reserve(size_type n)
+  {
+    if ( capacity_>=n ) return;
+    size_type tmp = block_size;
+    block_size = std::max( n - capacity_, block_size );
+    allocate_new_block();
+    block_size = tmp+CGAL_INCREMENT_BLOCK_SIZE;
+  }
+  
 private:
 
   void allocate_new_block();
@@ -552,7 +565,7 @@ private:
 
   void init()
   {
-    block_size = 14;
+    block_size = CGAL_INIT_BLOCK_SIZE;
     capacity_  = 0;
     size_      = 0;
     free_list  = NULL;
@@ -649,7 +662,7 @@ void Compact_container<T, Allocator>::allocate_new_block()
   }
   set_type(last_item, NULL, START_END);
   // Increase the block_size for the next time.
-  block_size += 16;
+  block_size += CGAL_INCREMENT_BLOCK_SIZE;
 }
 
 template < class T, class Allocator >
diff --git a/STL_Extension/test/STL_Extension/test_Compact_container.cpp b/STL_Extension/test/STL_Extension/test_Compact_container.cpp
index 1cc07345087..509b4da7476 100644
--- a/STL_Extension/test/STL_Extension/test_Compact_container.cpp
+++ b/STL_Extension/test/STL_Extension/test_Compact_container.cpp
@@ -192,6 +192,15 @@ void test(const Cont &)
 
   assert(c9.size() == v1.size() - 2);
 
+  // test reserve
+  Cont c11;
+  c11.reserve(v1.size());
+  for(typename Vect::const_iterator it = v1.begin(); it != v1.end(); ++it)
+    c11.insert(*it);
+  
+  assert(c11.size() == v1.size());
+  assert(c10 == c11);
+
   // owns() and owns_dereferencable().
   for(typename Cont::const_iterator it = c9.begin(), end = c9.end(); it != end; ++it) {
     assert(c9.owns(it));