diff --git a/include/iscsi-private.h b/include/iscsi-private.h
index e9b9e7e..df20702 100644
--- a/include/iscsi-private.h
+++ b/include/iscsi-private.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #define ISCSI_HEADER_SIZE (ISCSI_RAW_HEADER_SIZE	\
   + (iscsi->header_digest == ISCSI_HEADER_DIGEST_NONE?0:ISCSI_DIGEST_SIZE))
 
+#define SMALL_ALLOC_MAX_FREE (128) /* must be power of 2 */
 
 struct iscsi_in_pdu {
 	struct iscsi_in_pdu *next;
@@ -131,6 +132,10 @@ struct iscsi_context {
 	int mallocs;
 	int reallocs;
 	int frees;
+	int smallocs;
+	void* smalloc_ptrs[SMALL_ALLOC_MAX_FREE];
+	int smalloc_free;
+	size_t smalloc_size;
 
 	time_t last_reconnect;
 	int scsi_timeout;
@@ -301,6 +306,8 @@ inline void* iscsi_zmalloc(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, size_t size);
 inline void* iscsi_realloc(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, void* ptr, size_t size);
 inline void iscsi_free(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, void* ptr);
 inline char* iscsi_strdup(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, const char* str);
+inline void* iscsi_szmalloc(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, size_t size);
+inline void iscsi_sfree(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, void* ptr);
 
 unsigned long crc32c(char *buf, int len);
 
diff --git a/lib/init.c b/lib/init.c
index 60a1b6d..14a865f 100644
--- a/lib/init.c
+++ b/lib/init.c
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@
 #include "iscsi-private.h"
 #include "slist.h"
 
-
 inline void* iscsi_malloc(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, size_t size) {
 	void * ptr = malloc(size);
 	if (ptr != NULL) iscsi->mallocs++;
@@ -69,6 +68,36 @@ inline char* iscsi_strdup(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, const char* str) {
 	return str2;
 }
 
+inline void* iscsi_szmalloc(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, size_t size) {
+	void *ptr;
+	if (size > iscsi->smalloc_size) return NULL;
+	if (iscsi->smalloc_free > 0) {
+		ptr = iscsi->smalloc_ptrs[--iscsi->smalloc_free];
+		memset(ptr, 0, iscsi->smalloc_size);
+		iscsi->smallocs++;
+	} else {
+		ptr = iscsi_zmalloc(iscsi, iscsi->smalloc_size);
+	}
+	return ptr;
+}
+
+inline void iscsi_sfree(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, void* ptr) {
+	if (ptr == NULL) return;
+	if (iscsi->smalloc_free == SMALL_ALLOC_MAX_FREE) {
+		/* SMALL_ALLOC_MAX_FREE should be adjusted that this happens rarely */
+		ISCSI_LOG(iscsi,6,"smalloc free == SMALLOC_MAX_FREE");
+		int i;
+		/* remove oldest half of free pointers and copy
+		 * upper half to lower half */
+		iscsi->smalloc_free>>=1;
+		for (i=0; i<iscsi->smalloc_free; i++) {
+			iscsi_free(iscsi, iscsi->smalloc_ptrs[i]);
+			iscsi->smalloc_ptrs[i] = iscsi->smalloc_ptrs[i+iscsi->smalloc_free];
+		}
+	}
+	iscsi->smalloc_ptrs[iscsi->smalloc_free++] = ptr;
+}
+
 struct iscsi_context *
 iscsi_create_context(const char *initiator_name)
 {
@@ -144,6 +173,16 @@ iscsi_create_context(const char *initiator_name)
 		iscsi_set_bind_interfaces(iscsi,getenv("LIBISCSI_BIND_INTERFACES"));
 	}
 
+	/* iscsi->smalloc_size is the size for small allocations. this should be
+	   max(ISCSI_HEADER_SIZE, sizeof(struct iscsi_pdu), sizeof(struct iscsi_in_pdu))
+	   rounded up to the next power of 2. */
+	iscsi->smalloc_size = 1;
+	size_t required = ISCSI_RAW_HEADER_SIZE + ISCSI_DIGEST_SIZE;
+	if (sizeof(struct iscsi_pdu) > required) required = sizeof(struct iscsi_pdu);
+	if (sizeof(struct iscsi_in_pdu) > required) required = sizeof(struct iscsi_in_pdu);
+	while (iscsi->smalloc_size < required) iscsi->smalloc_size <<= 1;
+	ISCSI_LOG(iscsi,5,"small allocation size is %d byte", iscsi->smalloc_size);
+
 	return iscsi;
 }
 
@@ -236,6 +275,7 @@ int
 iscsi_destroy_context(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 {
 	struct iscsi_pdu *pdu;
+	int i;
 
 	if (iscsi == NULL) {
 		return 0;
@@ -283,10 +323,14 @@ iscsi_destroy_context(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 
 	iscsi->connect_data = NULL;
 
+	for (i=0;i<iscsi->smalloc_free;i++) {
+		iscsi_free(iscsi, iscsi->smalloc_ptrs[i]);
+	}
+
 	if (iscsi->mallocs != iscsi->frees) {
-		ISCSI_LOG(iscsi,1,"%d memory blocks lost at iscsi_destroy_context() after %d malloc(s), %d realloc(s) and %d free(s)",iscsi->mallocs-iscsi->frees,iscsi->mallocs,iscsi->reallocs,iscsi->frees);
+		ISCSI_LOG(iscsi,1,"%d memory blocks lost at iscsi_destroy_context() after %d malloc(s), %d realloc(s), %d free(s) and %d reused small allocations",iscsi->mallocs-iscsi->frees,iscsi->mallocs,iscsi->reallocs,iscsi->frees,iscsi->smallocs);
 	} else {
-		ISCSI_LOG(iscsi,5,"memory is clean at iscsi_destroy_context() after %d mallocs, %d realloc(s) and %d frees",iscsi->mallocs,iscsi->reallocs,iscsi->frees);
+		ISCSI_LOG(iscsi,5,"memory is clean at iscsi_destroy_context() after %d mallocs, %d realloc(s), %d free(s) and %d reused small allocations",iscsi->mallocs,iscsi->reallocs,iscsi->frees,iscsi->smallocs);
 	}
 	
 	memset(iscsi, 0, sizeof(struct iscsi_context));
diff --git a/lib/pdu.c b/lib/pdu.c
index f53490a..e682abd 100644
--- a/lib/pdu.c
+++ b/lib/pdu.c
@@ -84,15 +84,14 @@ iscsi_allocate_pdu_with_itt_flags(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, enum iscsi_opcode
 {
 	struct iscsi_pdu *pdu;
 
-	pdu = iscsi_zmalloc(iscsi, sizeof(struct iscsi_pdu));
+	pdu = iscsi_szmalloc(iscsi, sizeof(struct iscsi_pdu));
 	if (pdu == NULL) {
 		iscsi_set_error(iscsi, "failed to allocate pdu");
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	pdu->outdata.size = ISCSI_HEADER_SIZE;
-       	pdu->outdata.data = iscsi_malloc(iscsi, pdu->outdata.size);
-	memset(pdu->outdata.data, 0, ISCSI_HEADER_SIZE);
+	pdu->outdata.data = iscsi_szmalloc(iscsi, pdu->outdata.size);
 
 	if (pdu->outdata.data == NULL) {
 		iscsi_set_error(iscsi, "failed to allocate pdu header");
@@ -134,13 +133,21 @@ iscsi_free_pdu(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_pdu *pdu)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	iscsi_free(iscsi, pdu->outdata.data);
+	if (pdu->outdata.size <= iscsi->smalloc_size) {
+		iscsi_sfree(iscsi, pdu->outdata.data);
+	} else {
+		iscsi_free(iscsi, pdu->outdata.data);
+	}
 	pdu->outdata.data = NULL;
 
-	iscsi_free(iscsi, pdu->indata.data);
+	if (pdu->indata.size <= iscsi->smalloc_size) {
+		iscsi_sfree(iscsi, pdu->indata.data);
+	} else {
+		iscsi_free(iscsi, pdu->indata.data);
+	}
 	pdu->indata.data = NULL;
 
-	iscsi_free(iscsi, pdu);
+	iscsi_sfree(iscsi, pdu);
 }
 
 
@@ -164,9 +171,15 @@ iscsi_add_data(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_data *data,
 	}
 
 	if (data->size == 0) {
-		data->data = iscsi_malloc(iscsi, aligned);
+		if (aligned <= iscsi->smalloc_size) {
+			data->data = iscsi_szmalloc(iscsi, aligned);
+		} else {
+			data->data = iscsi_malloc(iscsi, aligned);
+		}
 	} else {
-		data->data = iscsi_realloc(iscsi, data->data, aligned);
+		if (aligned > iscsi->smalloc_size) {
+			data->data = iscsi_realloc(iscsi, data->data, aligned);
+		}
 	}
 	if (data->data == NULL) {
 		iscsi_set_error(iscsi, "failed to allocate buffer for %d "
diff --git a/lib/socket.c b/lib/socket.c
index 1605065..8944623 100644
--- a/lib/socket.c
+++ b/lib/socket.c
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ iscsi_read_from_socket(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 	ssize_t data_size, count;
 
 	if (iscsi->incoming == NULL) {
-		iscsi->incoming = iscsi_zmalloc(iscsi, sizeof(struct iscsi_in_pdu));
+		iscsi->incoming = iscsi_szmalloc(iscsi, sizeof(struct iscsi_in_pdu));
 		if (iscsi->incoming == NULL) {
 			iscsi_set_error(iscsi, "Out-of-memory: failed to malloc iscsi_in_pdu");
 			return -1;
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ iscsi_free_iscsi_in_pdu(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_in_pdu *in)
 {
 	iscsi_free(iscsi, in->data);
 	in->data=NULL;
-	iscsi_free(iscsi, in);
+	iscsi_sfree(iscsi, in);
 	in=NULL;
 }