Communication apparatus includes multiple interfaces for connection to a packet data network and a memory configured to contain packets awaiting transmission to the network in multiple queues, which are assigned respective transmission priorities. Control logic assigns to the queues respective weighting factors, which vary inversely with the respective transmission priorities, and calculates for each egress interface a respective interface congestion level. The control logic calculates effective congestion levels for the queues as a weighted function of the respective queue lengths and the respective interface congestion level, weighted by the respective weighting factors, and applies congestion control to the queues responsively to the effective congestion levels.