diff --git a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/index_mapping.hpp b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/index_mapping.hpp
index 15a895164..16f336173 100644
--- a/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/index_mapping.hpp
+++ b/power_grid_model_c/power_grid_model/include/power_grid_model/index_mapping.hpp
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ struct DenseIndexMapping {
     IdxVector reorder;
 };
 
-namespace detail {
+namespace index_mapping::detail {
 
 inline auto build_dense_mapping_comparison_sort(IdxVector const& idx_B_in_A, Idx const /* n_B */) {
     using DenseEntry = std::pair<Idx, Idx>;
@@ -118,22 +118,34 @@ inline auto build_dense_mapping_comparison_sort(IdxVector const& idx_B_in_A, Idx
 inline auto build_dense_mapping_counting_sort(IdxVector const& idx_B_in_A, Idx const n_B) {
     auto sparse_result = build_sparse_mapping(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
 
-    return DenseIndexMapping{.indvector = sparse_decode(sparse_result.indptr),
+    return DenseIndexMapping{.indvector = power_grid_model::detail::sparse_decode(sparse_result.indptr),
                              .reorder = std::move(sparse_result.reorder)};
 }
 
-} // namespace detail
+struct IndexMappingApproachCriterion {
+    double n_a_prefactor{};
+    double n_a_log_n_a_prefactor{};
+    double constant{};
 
-inline DenseIndexMapping build_dense_mapping(IdxVector const& idx_B_in_A, Idx const n_B) {
-    constexpr auto relative_complexity_prefactor = 1.0;
+    constexpr bool operator()(std::integral auto n_A, std::integral auto n_B) const {
+        auto const n_A_ = static_cast<double>(n_A);
+        auto const n_B_ = static_cast<double>(n_B);
+
+        return n_B_ < n_a_prefactor * n_A_ + n_a_log_n_a_prefactor * n_A_ * log(n_A_) + constant;
+    }
+};
+
+constexpr IndexMappingApproachCriterion index_mapping_criterion_gcc{.n_a_prefactor = -0.00733595283054587,
+                                                                    .n_a_log_n_a_prefactor = 0.01888288636738604,
+                                                                    .constant = 20.338844396105696};
 
-    auto const n_A_ = static_cast<double>(idx_B_in_A.size());
-    auto const n_B_ = static_cast<double>(n_B);
+} // namespace index_mapping::detail
 
-    if (n_A_ + n_B_ < relative_complexity_prefactor * n_A_ * log(n_A_)) {
-        return detail::build_dense_mapping_counting_sort(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
+inline DenseIndexMapping build_dense_mapping(IdxVector const& idx_B_in_A, Idx const n_B) {
+    if (index_mapping::detail::index_mapping_criterion_gcc(idx_B_in_A.size(), n_B)) {
+        return index_mapping::detail::build_dense_mapping_counting_sort(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
     }
-    return detail::build_dense_mapping_comparison_sort(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
+    return index_mapping::detail::build_dense_mapping_comparison_sort(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
 }
 
 } // namespace power_grid_model
diff --git a/tests/cpp_unit_tests/test_index_mapping.cpp b/tests/cpp_unit_tests/test_index_mapping.cpp
index 3da12dfa5..3cd5944e0 100644
--- a/tests/cpp_unit_tests/test_index_mapping.cpp
+++ b/tests/cpp_unit_tests/test_index_mapping.cpp
@@ -17,33 +17,64 @@ TEST_CASE("Test sparse mapping") {
     CHECK(mapping.reorder == mapping_2.reorder);
 }
 
-TEST_CASE("Test dense mapping - counting sort") {
-    IdxVector const idx_B_in_A{3, 5, 2, 1, 1, 2};
-    DenseIndexMapping const mapping{{1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 5}, {3, 4, 2, 5, 0, 1}};
-    DenseIndexMapping const mapping_2 = build_dense_mapping(idx_B_in_A, 7);
+TEST_CASE("Test dense mapping - comparison sort") {
+    constexpr Idx count{10};
+    constexpr Idx n_B = 100000;
 
-    CHECK(mapping.indvector == mapping_2.indvector);
-    CHECK(mapping.reorder == mapping_2.reorder);
-    CHECK(mapping_2.indvector.begin() == std::ranges::min_element(mapping_2.indvector));
-    CHECK(mapping_2.indvector.end() - 1 == std::ranges::max_element(mapping_2.indvector));
+    double decrement = static_cast<double>(n_B) / count;
+
+    IdxVector idx_B_in_A(count);
+    for (Idx i = 0; i < count; ++i) {
+        idx_B_in_A[i] = static_cast<Idx>(static_cast<double>(n_B) - static_cast<double>(i) * decrement);
+    }
+
+    IdxVector sorted_idx_B_in_A = idx_B_in_A;
+    std::ranges::sort(sorted_idx_B_in_A);
+
+    DenseIndexMapping const mapping = build_dense_mapping(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
+
+    CHECK(mapping.indvector == sorted_idx_B_in_A);
+    CHECK(mapping.indvector.begin() == std::ranges::min_element(mapping.indvector));
+    CHECK(mapping.indvector.end() - 1 == std::ranges::max_element(mapping.indvector));
 }
 
-TEST_CASE("Test dense mapping - comparison sort") {
-    constexpr Idx count{1'000'000};
+TEST_CASE("Test dense mapping index criterion - comparison sort") {
+    constexpr Idx count{10};
+    constexpr Idx n_B = 100000;
+
+    auto result = index_mapping::detail::index_mapping_criterion_gcc(count, n_B);
+
+    CHECK(result == false);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("Test dense mapping - counting sort") {
+    constexpr Idx count{1000000};
+    constexpr Idx n_B = 10;
+
+    double decrement = static_cast<double>(n_B) / count;
 
     IdxVector idx_B_in_A(count);
     for (Idx i = 0; i < count; ++i) {
-        idx_B_in_A[i] = count - 1 - i;
+        idx_B_in_A[i] = static_cast<Idx>(static_cast<double>(n_B - 1) - static_cast<double>(i) * decrement);
     }
 
     IdxVector sorted_idx_B_in_A = idx_B_in_A;
     std::ranges::sort(sorted_idx_B_in_A);
 
-    DenseIndexMapping const mapping = build_dense_mapping(idx_B_in_A, count);
+    DenseIndexMapping const mapping = build_dense_mapping(idx_B_in_A, n_B);
 
     CHECK(mapping.indvector == sorted_idx_B_in_A);
     CHECK(mapping.indvector.begin() == std::ranges::min_element(mapping.indvector));
     CHECK(mapping.indvector.end() - 1 == std::ranges::max_element(mapping.indvector));
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("Test dense mapping index criterion - counting sort") {
+    constexpr Idx count{1000000};
+    constexpr Idx n_B = 10;
+
+    auto result = index_mapping::detail::index_mapping_criterion_gcc(count, n_B);
+
+    CHECK(result == true);
+}
+
 } // namespace power_grid_model