diff --git a/src/algebra/linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.lean b/src/algebra/linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.lean
index ad07979d3443e..16010c8c4a2c0 100644
--- a/src/algebra/linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.lean
+++ b/src/algebra/linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.lean
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import algebra.group_with_zero.power
 import tactic.abel
 
 /-!
-# Linearly ordered commutative groups with a zero element adjoined
+# Linearly ordered commutative groups and monoids with a zero element adjoined
 
 This file sets up a special class of linearly ordered commutative monoids
 that show up as the target of so-called “valuations” in algebraic number theory.
@@ -21,29 +21,23 @@ by taking a linearly ordered commutative group Γ and formally adjoining a zero
 The disadvantage is that a type such as `nnreal` is not of that form,
 whereas it is a very common target for valuations.
 The solutions is to use a typeclass, and that is exactly what we do in this file.
+
+Note that to avoid issues with import cycles, `linear_ordered_comm_monoid_with_zero` is defined
+in another file. However, the lemmas about it are stated here.
 -/
 
 set_option old_structure_cmd true
 
 /-- A linearly ordered commutative group with a zero element. -/
 class linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero (α : Type*)
-  extends linear_order α, comm_group_with_zero α :=
-(mul_le_mul_left : ∀ {a b : α}, a ≤ b → ∀ c : α, c * a ≤ c * b)
-(zero_le_one : (0:α) ≤ 1)
+  extends linear_ordered_comm_monoid_with_zero α, comm_group_with_zero α
 
-variables {α : Type*} [linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero α]
+variables {α : Type*}
 variables {a b c d x y z : α}
 
-local attribute [instance] classical.prop_decidable
-
-/-- Every linearly ordered commutative group with zero is an ordered commutative monoid.-/
-@[priority 100] -- see Note [lower instance priority]
-instance linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.to_ordered_comm_monoid : ordered_comm_monoid α :=
-{ lt_of_mul_lt_mul_left := λ a b c h, by { contrapose! h,
-    exact linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.mul_le_mul_left h a }
-  .. ‹linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero α› }
-
 section linear_ordered_comm_monoid
+
+variables [linear_ordered_comm_monoid_with_zero α]
 /-
 The following facts are true more generally in a (linearly) ordered commutative monoid.
 -/
@@ -99,13 +93,8 @@ begin
   exact ne_of_gt h,
 end
 
-end linear_ordered_comm_monoid
-
 lemma zero_le_one' : (0 : α) ≤ 1 :=
-linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero.zero_le_one
-
-lemma zero_lt_one'' : (0 : α) < 1 :=
-lt_of_le_of_ne zero_le_one' zero_ne_one
+linear_ordered_comm_monoid_with_zero.zero_le_one
 
 @[simp] lemma zero_le' : 0 ≤ a :=
 by simpa only [mul_zero, mul_one] using mul_le_mul_left' (@zero_le_one' α _) a
@@ -119,6 +108,16 @@ not_lt_of_le zero_le'
 lemma zero_lt_iff : 0 < a ↔ a ≠ 0 :=
 ⟨ne_of_gt, λ h, lt_of_le_of_ne zero_le' h.symm⟩
 
+lemma ne_zero_of_lt (h : b < a) : a ≠ 0 :=
+λ h1, not_lt_zero' $ show b < 0, from h1 ▸ h
+
+end linear_ordered_comm_monoid
+
+variables [linear_ordered_comm_group_with_zero α]
+
+lemma zero_lt_one'' : (0 : α) < 1 :=
+lt_of_le_of_ne zero_le_one' zero_ne_one
+
 lemma le_of_le_mul_right (h : c ≠ 0) (hab : a * c ≤ b * c) : a ≤ b :=
 by simpa only [mul_inv_cancel_right' h] using (mul_le_mul_right' hab c⁻¹)
 
@@ -136,9 +135,6 @@ begin
   exact @div_le_div_iff' _ _ (units.mk0 a ha) (units.mk0 b hb) (units.mk0 c hc) (units.mk0 d hd)
 end
 
-lemma ne_zero_of_lt (h : b < a) : a ≠ 0 :=
-λ h1, not_lt_zero' $ show b < 0, from h1 ▸ h
-
 @[simp] lemma units.zero_lt (u : units α) : (0 : α) < u :=
 zero_lt_iff.2 $ u.ne_zero
 
diff --git a/src/algebra/ordered_monoid.lean b/src/algebra/ordered_monoid.lean
index 701f4a6382536..527d71dcf20e4 100644
--- a/src/algebra/ordered_monoid.lean
+++ b/src/algebra/ordered_monoid.lean
@@ -49,6 +49,21 @@ class ordered_add_comm_monoid (α : Type*) extends add_comm_monoid α, partial_o
 
 attribute [to_additive] ordered_comm_monoid
 
+/-- A linearly ordered commutative monoid with a zero element. -/
+class linear_ordered_comm_monoid_with_zero (α : Type*)
+  extends linear_order α, comm_monoid_with_zero α, ordered_comm_monoid α :=
+(zero_le_one : (0:α) ≤ 1)
+(lt_of_mul_lt_mul_left := λ x y z, by {
+  apply imp_of_not_imp_not,
+  intro h,
+  apply not_lt_of_le,
+  apply mul_le_mul_left,
+  -- type-class inference uses `a : linear_order α` which it can't unfold, unless we provide this!
+  -- `lt_iff_le_not_le` gets filled incorrectly with `autoparam` if we don't provide that field.
+  letI : linear_order α := by refine { le := le, lt := lt, lt_iff_le_not_le := _, .. }; assumption,
+  exact le_of_not_lt h })
+
+
 section ordered_comm_monoid
 variables [ordered_comm_monoid α] {a b c d : α}
 
diff --git a/src/data/nat/basic.lean b/src/data/nat/basic.lean
index 8558562657152..b25e60e500a47 100644
--- a/src/data/nat/basic.lean
+++ b/src/data/nat/basic.lean
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ Authors: Floris van Doorn, Leonardo de Moura, Jeremy Avigad, Mario Carneiro
 -/
 import algebra.group_power.basic
 import algebra.order_functions
+import algebra.ordered_monoid
 
 /-!
 # Basic operations on the natural numbers
@@ -63,6 +64,11 @@ instance : linear_ordered_cancel_add_comm_monoid ℕ :=
 { add_left_cancel := @nat.add_left_cancel,
   ..nat.linear_ordered_semiring }
 
+instance : linear_ordered_comm_monoid_with_zero ℕ :=
+{ mul_le_mul_left := λ a b h c, nat.mul_le_mul_left c h,
+  ..nat.linear_ordered_semiring,
+  ..(infer_instance : comm_monoid_with_zero ℕ)}
+
 /-! Extra instances to short-circuit type class resolution -/
 instance : add_comm_monoid nat    := by apply_instance
 instance : add_monoid nat         := by apply_instance