diff --git a/examples/persistent-volume-provisioning/README.md b/examples/persistent-volume-provisioning/README.md
index e664ae067d5..ada79f51cba 100644
--- a/examples/persistent-volume-provisioning/README.md
+++ b/examples/persistent-volume-provisioning/README.md
@@ -209,6 +209,7 @@ parameters:
     pool: kube
     userId: kube
     userSecretName: ceph-secret-user
+    imageFormat: "1"
 ```
 
 * `monitors`: Ceph monitors, comma delimited. It is required.
@@ -218,6 +219,10 @@ parameters:
 * `pool`: Ceph RBD pool. Default is "rbd".
 * `userId`: Ceph client ID that is used to map the RBD image. Default is the same as `adminId`.
 * `userSecretName`: The name of Ceph Secret for `userId` to map RBD image. It must exist in the same namespace as PVCs. It is required.
+* `imageFormat`: Ceph RBD image format, "1" or "2". Default is "1".
+* `imageFeatures`: Ceph RBD image format 2 features, comma delimited. This is optional, and only be used if you set `imageFormat` to "2". For a complete list of available image features, please refer to [RBD docs](http://docs.ceph.com/docs/master/man/8/rbd/). By default, all features (except for striping) will be enabled.
+
+NOTE: If you want to use RBD image format 2, you may need to disable some image features, because some of them are not supported by [Ceph kernel module](https://github.com/ceph/ceph-client). For example, only "layering" feature is supported on Linux 4.9 LTS version, so you need to specify `imageFeatures` to "layering", if set `imageFormat` to "2".
 
 #### Quobyte
 
diff --git a/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd.go b/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd.go
index d11b93ba551..25f5bd76c74 100644
--- a/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd.go
+++ b/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd.go
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ func (r *rbdVolumeProvisioner) Provision() (*v1.PersistentVolume, error) {
 	adminSecretNamespace := "default"
 	secretName := ""
 	secret := ""
-	imageFormat := ""
+	imageFormat := rbdImageFormat1
 
 	for k, v := range r.options.Parameters {
 		switch dstrings.ToLower(k) {
@@ -292,6 +292,11 @@ func (r *rbdVolumeProvisioner) Provision() (*v1.PersistentVolume, error) {
 			secretName = v
 		case "imageformat":
 			imageFormat = v
+		case "imagefeatures":
+			arr := dstrings.Split(v, ",")
+			for _, f := range arr {
+				r.imageFeatures = append(r.imageFeatures, f)
+			}
 		default:
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid option %q for volume plugin %s", k, r.plugin.GetPluginName())
 		}
@@ -386,15 +391,16 @@ func (rbd *rbd) GetPath() string {
 type rbdMounter struct {
 	*rbd
 	// capitalized so they can be exported in persistRBD()
-	Mon          []string
-	Id           string
-	Keyring      string
-	Secret       string
-	fsType       string
-	adminSecret  string
-	adminId      string
-	mountOptions []string
-	imageFormat  string
+	Mon           []string
+	Id            string
+	Keyring       string
+	Secret        string
+	fsType        string
+	adminSecret   string
+	adminId       string
+	mountOptions  []string
+	imageFormat   string
+	imageFeatures []string
 }
 
 var _ volume.Mounter = &rbdMounter{}
diff --git a/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd_util.go b/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd_util.go
index b868103670a..9a63c8e64bd 100644
--- a/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd_util.go
+++ b/pkg/volume/rbd/rbd_util.go
@@ -355,9 +355,18 @@ func (util *RBDUtil) CreateImage(p *rbdVolumeProvisioner) (r *v1.RBDVolumeSource
 	// iterate all monitors until create succeeds.
 	for i := start; i < start+l; i++ {
 		mon := p.Mon[i%l]
-		glog.V(4).Infof("rbd: create %s size %s using mon %s, pool %s id %s key %s", p.rbdMounter.Image, volSz, mon, p.rbdMounter.Pool, p.rbdMounter.adminId, p.rbdMounter.adminSecret)
-		output, err = p.rbdMounter.plugin.execCommand("rbd",
-			[]string{"create", p.rbdMounter.Image, "--size", volSz, "--pool", p.rbdMounter.Pool, "--id", p.rbdMounter.adminId, "-m", mon, "--key=" + p.rbdMounter.adminSecret, "--image-format", p.rbdMounter.imageFormat})
+		if p.rbdMounter.imageFormat == rbdImageFormat2 {
+			glog.V(4).Infof("rbd: create %s size %s format %s (features: %s) using mon %s, pool %s id %s key %s", p.rbdMounter.Image, volSz, p.rbdMounter.imageFormat, p.rbdMounter.imageFeatures, mon, p.rbdMounter.Pool, p.rbdMounter.adminId, p.rbdMounter.adminSecret)
+		} else {
+			glog.V(4).Infof("rbd: create %s size %s format %s using mon %s, pool %s id %s key %s", p.rbdMounter.Image, volSz, p.rbdMounter.imageFormat, mon, p.rbdMounter.Pool, p.rbdMounter.adminId, p.rbdMounter.adminSecret)
+		}
+		args := []string{"create", p.rbdMounter.Image, "--size", volSz, "--pool", p.rbdMounter.Pool, "--id", p.rbdMounter.adminId, "-m", mon, "--key=" + p.rbdMounter.adminSecret, "--image-format", p.rbdMounter.imageFormat}
+		if p.rbdMounter.imageFormat == rbdImageFormat2 && len(p.rbdMounter.imageFeatures) > 0 {
+			for _, f := range p.rbdMounter.imageFeatures {
+				args = append(args, "--image-feature", f)
+			}
+		}
+		output, err = p.rbdMounter.plugin.execCommand("rbd", args)
 		if err == nil {
 			break
 		} else {