diff --git a/DDCore/include/XML/Layering.h b/DDCore/include/XML/Layering.h
index 7a482c32ea310e314e9078bb6b8eb0f8f7baeaaf..4c835be78c943fbbfedd8559b06d59923f1a15d3 100644
--- a/DDCore/include/XML/Layering.h
+++ b/DDCore/include/XML/Layering.h
@@ -154,6 +154,9 @@ namespace DD4hep {
       return _stack.totalThickness();
     }
     double singleLayerThickness(XML::Element e) const;
+    double absorberThicknessInLayer(XML::Element e) const;
+    void sensitivePositionsInLayer(XML::Element e,std::vector<double>& sens_pos) const;
+
   };
 
   /// Namespace containing utilities to parse XML files using XercesC or TinyXML
diff --git a/DDCore/src/XML/Layering.cpp b/DDCore/src/XML/Layering.cpp
index ca2c7e8735d0a229636650887a6d4cff80e6fd8a..2f014946c83c141546f84cacb4a4a633b3415911 100644
--- a/DDCore/src/XML/Layering.cpp
+++ b/DDCore/src/XML/Layering.cpp
@@ -121,3 +121,28 @@ double Layering::singleLayerThickness(XML::Element e) const {
   }
   return thickness;
 }
+
+double Layering::absorberThicknessInLayer(XML::Element e) const {
+  Component lay = e;
+  double thickness = 0e0;
+  for (Collection_t s(lay, _U(slice)); s; ++s) {
+    Component slice = s;
+    if (slice.isRadiator())
+        thickness += slice.thickness();
+  }
+  return thickness;
+}
+
+void Layering::sensitivePositionsInLayer(XML::Element e, std::vector<double>& sens_pos) const {
+  Component lay = e;
+  double pos=-singleLayerThickness(e)/2.0;
+  for (Collection_t s(lay, _U(slice)); s; ++s) {
+    Component slice = s;
+    pos += slice.thickness();
+
+    if (slice.isSensitive()){
+        //store the position at the center of the slice
+        sens_pos.push_back(pos - slice.thickness()/2.);
+    }
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/doc/release.notes b/doc/release.notes
index dcda4a9c167d51c2000d18c9658018bd1246d425..372668225f7cd33efe3f38e9e20ae9a479d92cfe 100644
--- a/doc/release.notes
+++ b/doc/release.notes
@@ -3,6 +3,15 @@
 DD4hep  ----  Release Notes
 =================================
 
+2015-08-12 N.Nikiforou
+-----------------------
+ - DDCore/XML: Added new helper functions to Layering engine:
+   - double absorberThicknessInLayer(XML::Element e) : 
+     returns total absorber thickness in given layer
+   - void sensitivePositionsInLayer(XML::Element e, std::vector<double>& sens_pos) :
+     provides positions of sensitive slices within a layer with respect to the 
+     center of the layer
+
 
 2015-07-25 M.Frank
 ------------------