diff --git a/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/VortexWriterTest.java b/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/VortexWriterTest.java
index 5dc6c8ec..bb7e243b 100644
--- a/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/VortexWriterTest.java
+++ b/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/VortexWriterTest.java
@@ -51,6 +51,32 @@ private static ReadRegistry primitiveRegistry() {
                 .build();
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void writeSegments_are64ByteAligned(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        // Given a multi-chunk, multi-column file whose encoded buffers are not 64-byte multiples.
+        // VortexWriter pads before each segment so every buffer starts 64-aligned (Arrow-compatible);
+        // a broken pad — wrong modulus arithmetic or a skipped writePadding — leaves a segment offset
+        // off a 64-byte boundary.
+        WriteOptions opts = new WriteOptions(3, false, 0.90, 0, false, false);
+        Path file = tmp.resolve("aligned.vtx");
+        try (var ch = FileChannel.open(file, StandardOpenOption.CREATE, StandardOpenOption.WRITE);
+             var sut = VortexWriter.create(ch, SCHEMA, opts)) {
+            for (int c = 0; c < 3; c++) {
+                long[] id = {c * 3L, c * 3L + 1, c * 3L + 2};
+                double[] value = {c + 0.5, c + 1.5, c + 2.5};
+                sut.writeChunk(Map.of("id", id, "value", value));
+            }
+        }
+
+        // When / Then every data segment starts at a 64-byte boundary
+        try (VortexReader reader = VortexReader.open(file)) {
+            assertThat(reader.footer().segmentSpecs()).isNotEmpty();
+            for (var spec : reader.footer().segmentSpecs()) {
+                assertThat(spec.offset() % 64).as("segment offset %d aligned", spec.offset()).isZero();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     // ── writeChunk validation ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     @Test
diff --git a/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/WriterZoneMapTest.java b/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/WriterZoneMapTest.java
index d662ea41..df7648c0 100644
--- a/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/WriterZoneMapTest.java
+++ b/writer/src/test/java/io/github/dfa1/vortex/writer/WriterZoneMapTest.java
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package io.github.dfa1.vortex.writer;
 
+import static io.github.dfa1.vortex.core.io.PTypeIO.LE_FLOAT;
 import static io.github.dfa1.vortex.core.io.PTypeIO.LE_INT;
+import static io.github.dfa1.vortex.core.io.PTypeIO.LE_SHORT;
 import java.lang.foreign.MemorySegment;
 import java.lang.foreign.ValueLayout;
 
@@ -9,6 +11,7 @@
 import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.Layout;
 import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.SegmentSpec;
 import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.VortexReader;
+import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.array.DoubleArray;
 import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.array.LongArray;
 import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.array.MaskedArray;
 import io.github.dfa1.vortex.reader.array.StructArray;
@@ -382,6 +385,105 @@ void primitiveDictColumn_emitsNumericMinMaxZoneMapWrappingDict(@TempDir Path tmp
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void zoneMaps_f64StatsPayloadDecodesPerZoneMinMaxSum(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        // Given a zone-mapped F64 file (3 zones of 4 rows). Only I64 stats are otherwise covered, so
+        // the float stat path — scalarDouble plus the F64 arms of statColumn/sumColumn — is untested:
+        // a decode that returned 0.0 or read the wrong scalar field would slip through. Fractional
+        // .5 values also make a truncating (int) decode observable.
+        DType.Struct schema = new DType.Struct(List.of("v"), List.of(DType.F64), false);
+        WriteOptions opts = new WriteOptions(4, true, 0.90, 0, true, false);
+        Path file = tmp.resolve("zoned-f64.vtx");
+        try (var ch = FileChannel.open(file, StandardOpenOption.CREATE, StandardOpenOption.WRITE);
+             var sut = VortexWriter.create(ch, schema, opts)) {
+            for (int z = 0; z < 3; z++) {
+                double[] v = new double[4];
+                for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+                    v[i] = z * 4.0 + i + 0.5;
+                }
+                sut.writeChunk(Map.of("v", v));
+            }
+        }
+
+        // When / Then min/max/sum per zone decode as exact doubles
+        try (VortexReader reader = VortexReader.open(file)) {
+            Layout zonesFlat = reader.layout().children().get(0).children().get(1);
+            SegmentSpec spec = reader.footer().segmentSpecs().get(zonesFlat.segments().getFirst());
+            try (Arena arena = Arena.ofConfined()) {
+                StructArray stats = (StructArray) reader.decodeFlatSegment(spec, f64StatsTableDtype(), 3, arena);
+                DoubleArray max = (DoubleArray) ((MaskedArray) stats.field("max")).inner();
+                DoubleArray min = (DoubleArray) ((MaskedArray) stats.field("min")).inner();
+                DoubleArray sum = (DoubleArray) ((MaskedArray) stats.field("sum")).inner();
+                for (int z = 0; z < 3; z++) {
+                    double base = z * 4.0;
+                    assertThat(min.getDouble(z)).as("min zone %d", z).isEqualTo(base + 0.5);
+                    assertThat(max.getDouble(z)).as("max zone %d", z).isEqualTo(base + 3.5);
+                    assertThat(sum.getDouble(z)).as("sum zone %d", z)
+                            .isEqualTo((base + 0.5) + (base + 1.5) + (base + 2.5) + (base + 3.5));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    @EnumSource(value = PType.class, names = {"I8", "I16", "I32", "F32"})
+    void zoneMaps_perTypeStatsDecodePerZoneMinMax(PType ptype, @TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        // Given a 2-zone column of `ptype`: zone 0 = [0, 1], zone 1 = [2, 3]. everyPrimitiveType only
+        // checks the layout is zoned; this pins the decoded per-zone MIN/MAX for the I8/I16/I32 and
+        // F32 statColumn arms (and the f32 scalar field read in scalarDouble), which the I64/F64
+        // value tests never reach.
+        DType.Struct schema = new DType.Struct(List.of("v"), List.of(new DType.Primitive(ptype, false)), false);
+        WriteOptions opts = new WriteOptions(2, true, 0.90, 0, false, false);
+        Path file = tmp.resolve("ptype-stats-" + ptype + ".vtx");
+        try (var ch = FileChannel.open(file, StandardOpenOption.CREATE, StandardOpenOption.WRITE);
+             var sut = VortexWriter.create(ch, schema, opts)) {
+            sut.writeChunk(Map.of("v", sample(ptype, 0)));
+            sut.writeChunk(Map.of("v", sample(ptype, 2)));
+        }
+
+        // When / Then min/max per zone match the source
+        try (VortexReader reader = VortexReader.open(file)) {
+            Layout zonesFlat = reader.layout().children().get(0).children().get(1);
+            SegmentSpec spec = reader.footer().segmentSpecs().get(zonesFlat.segments().getFirst());
+            try (Arena arena = Arena.ofConfined()) {
+                StructArray stats = (StructArray) reader.decodeFlatSegment(spec, perTypeStatsTableDtype(ptype), 2, arena);
+                MemorySegment min = ((MaskedArray) stats.field("min")).inner().materialize(arena);
+                MemorySegment max = ((MaskedArray) stats.field("max")).inner().materialize(arena);
+                assertThat(readStat(min, ptype, 0)).as("min zone 0").isEqualTo(0.0);
+                assertThat(readStat(max, ptype, 0)).as("max zone 0").isEqualTo(1.0);
+                assertThat(readStat(min, ptype, 1)).as("min zone 1").isEqualTo(2.0);
+                assertThat(readStat(max, ptype, 1)).as("max zone 1").isEqualTo(3.0);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Reads the per-zone stat at `idx` from a materialised min/max segment, widened to double for
+    /// uniform assertion across the fixed-width primitive types.
+    private static double readStat(MemorySegment seg, PType ptype, int idx) {
+        return switch (ptype) {
+            case I8 -> seg.get(ValueLayout.JAVA_BYTE, idx);
+            case I16 -> seg.get(LE_SHORT, (long) idx * 2);
+            case I32 -> seg.get(LE_INT, (long) idx * 4);
+            case F32 -> seg.get(LE_FLOAT, (long) idx * 4);
+            default -> throw new AssertionError(ptype);
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// Stats-table dtype for a numeric column of `ptype`: MAX/MIN in the column ptype, SUM widened
+    /// to i64/u64/f64 per [VortexWriter] `zoneSumDtype`, plus NULL_COUNT.
+    private static DType.Struct perTypeStatsTableDtype(PType ptype) {
+        DType minMax = new DType.Primitive(ptype, true);
+        DType sum = switch (ptype) {
+            case U8, U16, U32, U64 -> new DType.Primitive(PType.U64, true);
+            case I8, I16, I32, I64 -> new DType.Primitive(PType.I64, true);
+            default -> new DType.Primitive(PType.F64, true);
+        };
+        return new DType.Struct(
+                List.of("max", "max_is_truncated", "min", "min_is_truncated", "sum", "null_count"),
+                List.of(minMax, DType.BOOL, minMax, DType.BOOL, sum, new DType.Primitive(PType.U64, true)),
+                false);
+    }
+
     /// Two values starting at `base` in the storage shape for `ptype`.
     private static Object sample(PType ptype, int base) {
         return switch (ptype) {
@@ -416,6 +518,16 @@ private static DType.Struct numericStatsTableDtype() {
                 false);
     }
 
+    /// Stats-table dtype for a numeric F64 column: MAX, MIN, SUM (nullable F64), NULL_COUNT.
+    private static DType.Struct f64StatsTableDtype() {
+        DType nullableF64 = new DType.Primitive(PType.F64, true);
+        return new DType.Struct(
+                List.of("max", "max_is_truncated", "min", "min_is_truncated", "sum", "null_count"),
+                List.of(nullableF64, DType.BOOL, nullableF64, DType.BOOL,
+                        nullableF64, new DType.Primitive(PType.U64, true)),
+                false);
+    }
+
     /// Same as [#statsTableDtype()] but with Utf8 (string) MAX/MIN columns.
     private static DType.Struct utf8StatsTableDtype() {
         DType nullableUtf8 = new DType.Utf8(true);