diff --git a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_read.rs b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_read.rs
index e249168..f428285 100644
--- a/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_read.rs
+++ b/crates/clawhdf5-format/src/chunked_read.rs
@@ -933,16 +933,40 @@ pub fn generate_implicit_chunks(
     dataset_dims: &[u64],
     chunk_dimensions: &[u32],
     element_size: u32,
+) -> Vec<ChunkInfo> {
+    generate_implicit_chunks_in_grid(
+        base_address,
+        dataset_dims,
+        dataset_dims,
+        chunk_dimensions,
+        element_size,
+    )
+}
+
+/// [`generate_implicit_chunks`] for a dataset whose maximum dimensions
+/// (`max_dims`) exceed its current ones: libhdf5 allocates the chunks of
+/// the whole maximum extent and places chunk `scaled` at its row-major
+/// position in the *maximum* chunk grid (`H5D__none_idx_get_addr`,
+/// `max_down_chunks`), so the current extent's chunks are not contiguous.
+/// Only the chunks of the current extent are listed.
+pub fn generate_implicit_chunks_in_grid(
+    base_address: u64,
+    dataset_dims: &[u64],
+    max_dims: &[u64],
+    chunk_dimensions: &[u32],
+    element_size: u32,
 ) -> Vec<ChunkInfo> {
     let rank = chunk_dimensions.len();
     let chunk_byte_size: u64 =
         chunk_dimensions.iter().map(|&d| d as u64).product::<u64>() * element_size as u64;
 
     let mut num_chunks_per_dim = Vec::with_capacity(rank);
+    let mut grid_per_dim = Vec::with_capacity(rank);
     for d in 0..rank {
-        let ds = dataset_dims[d];
         let ch = chunk_dimensions[d] as u64;
-        num_chunks_per_dim.push(ds.div_ceil(ch));
+        let n = dataset_dims[d].div_ceil(ch);
+        num_chunks_per_dim.push(n);
+        grid_per_dim.push(max_dims.get(d).map_or(n, |m| m.div_ceil(ch)).max(n));
     }
     let total_chunks: u64 = num_chunks_per_dim.iter().product();
 
@@ -951,18 +975,22 @@ pub fn generate_implicit_chunks(
     for linear_idx in 0..total_chunks {
         let mut offsets = vec![0u64; rank];
         let mut remaining = linear_idx;
+        let mut grid_idx = 0u64;
+        let mut down = 1u64;
         for d in (0..rank).rev() {
             let nchunks = num_chunks_per_dim[d];
             let chunk_idx = remaining % nchunks;
             remaining /= nchunks;
             offsets[d] = chunk_idx * chunk_dimensions[d] as u64;
+            grid_idx = grid_idx.saturating_add(chunk_idx.saturating_mul(down));
+            down = down.saturating_mul(grid_per_dim[d]);
         }
 
         chunks.push(ChunkInfo {
             chunk_size: chunk_byte_size as u32,
             filter_mask: 0,
             offsets,
-            address: base_address + linear_idx * chunk_byte_size,
+            address: base_address.saturating_add(grid_idx.saturating_mul(chunk_byte_size)),
         });
     }
 
@@ -1153,9 +1181,13 @@ pub fn list_chunks(
         (4, Some(2)) => {
             // Implicit index — use spatial chunk dims only
             let spatial_chunk_dims: &[u32] = &chunk_dimensions[..rank];
-            generate_implicit_chunks(
+            generate_implicit_chunks_in_grid(
                 addr,
                 &dataspace.dimensions,
+                dataspace
+                    .max_dimensions
+                    .as_deref()
+                    .unwrap_or(&dataspace.dimensions),
                 spatial_chunk_dims,
                 elem_size as u32,
             )
@@ -3015,6 +3047,17 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    /// A dataset below its maximum extent: libhdf5 lays chunks out over the
+    /// maximum chunk grid, so row 1 starts after a whole maximum row (here
+    /// 4 chunks), not after the current row of 3.
+    #[test]
+    fn implicit_chunks_use_the_maximum_grid() {
+        let chunks = generate_implicit_chunks_in_grid(0x100, &[2, 3], &[4, 4], &[1, 1], 4);
+        let addrs: Vec<u64> = chunks.iter().map(|c| (c.address - 0x100) / 4).collect();
+        assert_eq!(addrs, vec![0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6]);
+        assert_eq!(chunks[3].offsets, vec![1, 0]);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn implicit_chunks_partial_last() {
         // 25 elements, chunk size 10 => 3 chunks (last partial)