diff --git a/odoo/addons/base/data/base_data.sql b/odoo/addons/base/data/base_data.sql
index b90c3bbb779..a40dc963ce7 100644
--- a/odoo/addons/base/data/base_data.sql
+++ b/odoo/addons/base/data/base_data.sql
@@ -14,14 +14,14 @@ CREATE TABLE ir_act_client (primary key(id)) INHERITS (ir_actions);
 
 CREATE TABLE res_users (
     id serial NOT NULL,
-    active boolean default True,
-    login varchar(64) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
-    password varchar default null,
     -- No FK references below, will be added later by ORM
     -- (when the destination rows exist)
     company_id integer, -- references res_company,
     partner_id integer, -- references res_partner,
+    active boolean default True,
     create_date timestamp without time zone,
+    login varchar(64) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+    password varchar default null,
     primary key(id)
 );
 
@@ -86,11 +86,11 @@ CREATE TABLE ir_model_data (
     create_date timestamp without time zone DEFAULT (now() at time zone 'UTC'),
     write_date timestamp without time zone DEFAULT (now() at time zone 'UTC'),
     write_uid integer,
+    res_id integer,
     noupdate boolean DEFAULT False,
     name varchar NOT NULL,
     module varchar NOT NULL,
     model varchar NOT NULL,
-    res_id integer,
     primary key(id)
 );
 
@@ -113,9 +113,9 @@ CREATE TABLE res_company (
 
 CREATE TABLE res_partner (
     id serial,
-    name varchar,
     company_id integer,
     create_date timestamp without time zone,
+    name varchar,
     primary key(id)
 );
 
diff --git a/odoo/fields.py b/odoo/fields.py
index 45c959ecbc6..3c73428c535 100644
--- a/odoo/fields.py
+++ b/odoo/fields.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import pytz
 from .tools import (
     float_repr, float_round, float_compare, float_is_zero, html_sanitize, human_size,
     pg_varchar, ustr, OrderedSet, pycompat, sql, date_utils, unique,
-    image_process, merge_sequences,
+    image_process, merge_sequences, SQL_ORDER_BY_TYPE,
 )
 from .tools import DEFAULT_SERVER_DATE_FORMAT as DATE_FORMAT
 from .tools import DEFAULT_SERVER_DATETIME_FORMAT as DATETIME_FORMAT
@@ -937,6 +937,11 @@ class Field(MetaField('DummyField', (object,), {})):
     # Update database schema
     #
 
+    @property
+    def column_order(self):
+        """ Prescribed column order in table. """
+        return 0 if self.column_type is None else SQL_ORDER_BY_TYPE[self.column_type[0]]
+
     def update_db(self, model, columns):
         """ Update the database schema to implement this field.
 
diff --git a/odoo/models.py b/odoo/models.py
index 2ba025553f5..0c01392b208 100644
--- a/odoo/models.py
+++ b/odoo/models.py
@@ -2850,9 +2850,9 @@ class BaseModel(metaclass=MetaModel):
                     return field.column_type[1] + (" NOT NULL" if field.required else "")
 
                 tools.create_model_table(cr, self._table, self._description, [
-                    (name, make_type(field), field.string)
-                    for name, field in self._fields.items()
-                    if name != 'id' and field.store and field.column_type
+                    (field.name, make_type(field), field.string)
+                    for field in sorted(self._fields.values(), key=lambda f: f.column_order)
+                    if field.name != 'id' and field.store and field.column_type
                 ])
 
             if self._parent_store:
@@ -2868,7 +2868,7 @@ class BaseModel(metaclass=MetaModel):
             columns = tools.table_columns(cr, self._table)
             fields_to_compute = []
 
-            for field in self._fields.values():
+            for field in sorted(self._fields.values(), key=lambda f: f.column_order):
                 if not field.store:
                     continue
                 if field.manual and not update_custom_fields:
diff --git a/odoo/tools/sql.py b/odoo/tools/sql.py
index 8cbf8c883da..914cdd3bed0 100644
--- a/odoo/tools/sql.py
+++ b/odoo/tools/sql.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import logging
 import psycopg2
 import odoo.sql_db
+from collections import defaultdict
 from contextlib import closing
 
 _schema = logging.getLogger('odoo.schema')
@@ -50,6 +51,17 @@ def table_kind(cr, tablename):
     cr.execute(query, (tablename,))
     return cr.fetchone()[0] if cr.rowcount else None
 
+# prescribed column order by type size: 4 bytes, 1 byte, 8 bytes, variable size
+# (values have been chosen to minimize padding in rows; unknown column types
+# are considered variable size and put last)
+SQL_ORDER_BY_TYPE = defaultdict(lambda: 6, {
+    'int4': 1,        # 4 bytes
+    'date': 2,        # 4 bytes
+    'bool': 3,        # 1 byte
+    'float8': 4,      # 8 bytes
+    'timestamp': 5,   # 8 bytes
+})
+
 def create_model_table(cr, tablename, comment=None, columns=()):
     """ Create the table for a model. """
     colspecs = ['id SERIAL NOT NULL'] + [