diff --git a/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement.go b/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement.go
index ec4ecf254..9a821db2a 100644
--- a/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement.go
+++ b/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement.go
@@ -43,8 +43,26 @@ func NewReplicaPlacementFromString(t string) (*ReplicaPlacement, error) {
 	return rp, nil
 }
 
+// replicaPlacementsByByte is one 6KB pointer-free array covering every encoding
+// a byte can hold. The master decodes one per volume in every volume server
+// heartbeat and keeps it for the volume's lifetime, so handing out a shared
+// element keeps that path off fmt and off the heap entirely.
+//
+// Elements are immutable. Callers must not write through the returned pointer.
+var replicaPlacementsByByte [256]ReplicaPlacement
+
+func init() {
+	for b := range replicaPlacementsByByte {
+		replicaPlacementsByByte[b] = ReplicaPlacement{
+			DiffDataCenterCount: b / 100,
+			DiffRackCount:       b / 10 % 10,
+			SameRackCount:       b % 10,
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func NewReplicaPlacementFromByte(b byte) (*ReplicaPlacement, error) {
-	return NewReplicaPlacementFromString(fmt.Sprintf("%03d", b))
+	return &replicaPlacementsByByte[b], nil
 }
 
 func (rp *ReplicaPlacement) HasReplication() bool {
diff --git a/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement_test.go b/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement_test.go
index 203e3e860..6e19f5794 100644
--- a/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement_test.go
+++ b/weed/storage/super_block/replica_placement_test.go
@@ -1,9 +1,29 @@
 package super_block
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 )
 
+func TestReplicaPlacementFromByteMatchesString(t *testing.T) {
+	for b := 0; b < 256; b++ {
+		want, err := NewReplicaPlacementFromString(fmt.Sprintf("%03d", b))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("byte %d: %v", b, err)
+		}
+		got, err := NewReplicaPlacementFromByte(byte(b))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("byte %d: %v", b, err)
+		}
+		if !got.Equals(want) {
+			t.Errorf("byte %d: got %+v, want %+v", b, got, want)
+		}
+		if got.Byte() != byte(b) {
+			t.Errorf("byte %d: round trip gave %d", b, got.Byte())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestReplicaPlacementSerialDeserial(t *testing.T) {
 	rp, _ := NewReplicaPlacementFromString("001")
 	newRp, _ := NewReplicaPlacementFromByte(rp.Byte())