diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 51f9d79a6..8af2f4195 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ set(PYTHON_MODULE_EXTENSION ${PYTHON_MODULE_EXTENSION} CACHE INTERNAL "")
 
 set(PYBIND11_HEADERS
   include/pybind11/attr.h
+  include/pybind11/buffer_info.h
   include/pybind11/cast.h
   include/pybind11/chrono.h
   include/pybind11/class_support.h
diff --git a/include/pybind11/buffer_info.h b/include/pybind11/buffer_info.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8bdfc0737
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/pybind11/buffer_info.h
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/*
+    pybind11/buffer_info.h: Python buffer object interface
+
+    Copyright (c) 2016 Wenzel Jakob <wenzel.jakob@epfl.ch>
+
+    All rights reserved. Use of this source code is governed by a
+    BSD-style license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+*/
+
+#pragma once 
+
+#include "common.h"
+
+NAMESPACE_BEGIN(pybind11)
+
+/// Information record describing a Python buffer object
+struct buffer_info {
+    void *ptr = nullptr;         // Pointer to the underlying storage
+    size_t itemsize = 0;         // Size of individual items in bytes
+    size_t size = 0;             // Total number of entries
+    std::string format;          // For homogeneous buffers, this should be set to format_descriptor<T>::format()
+    size_t ndim = 0;             // Number of dimensions
+    std::vector<size_t> shape;   // Shape of the tensor (1 entry per dimension)
+    std::vector<size_t> strides; // Number of entries between adjacent entries (for each per dimension)
+
+    buffer_info() { }
+
+    buffer_info(void *ptr, size_t itemsize, const std::string &format, size_t ndim,
+                const std::vector<size_t> &shape, const std::vector<size_t> &strides)
+        : ptr(ptr), itemsize(itemsize), size(1), format(format),
+          ndim(ndim), shape(shape), strides(strides) {
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < ndim; ++i)
+            size *= shape[i];
+    }
+
+    buffer_info(void *ptr, size_t itemsize, const std::string &format, size_t size)
+    : buffer_info(ptr, itemsize, format, 1, std::vector<size_t> { size },
+                  std::vector<size_t> { itemsize }) { }
+
+    explicit buffer_info(Py_buffer *view, bool ownview = true)
+        : ptr(view->buf), itemsize((size_t) view->itemsize), size(1), format(view->format),
+          ndim((size_t) view->ndim), shape((size_t) view->ndim), strides((size_t) view->ndim), view(view), ownview(ownview) {
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < (size_t) view->ndim; ++i) {
+            shape[i] = (size_t) view->shape[i];
+            strides[i] = (size_t) view->strides[i];
+            size *= shape[i];
+        }
+    }
+
+    buffer_info(const buffer_info &) = delete;
+    buffer_info& operator=(const buffer_info &) = delete;
+
+    buffer_info(buffer_info &&other) {
+        (*this) = std::move(other);
+    }
+
+    buffer_info& operator=(buffer_info &&rhs) {
+        ptr = rhs.ptr;
+        itemsize = rhs.itemsize;
+        size = rhs.size;
+        format = std::move(rhs.format);
+        ndim = rhs.ndim;
+        shape = std::move(rhs.shape);
+        strides = std::move(rhs.strides);
+        std::swap(view, rhs.view);
+        std::swap(ownview, rhs.ownview);
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+    ~buffer_info() {
+        if (view && ownview) { PyBuffer_Release(view); delete view; }
+    }
+
+private:
+    Py_buffer *view = nullptr;
+    bool ownview = false;
+};
+
+NAMESPACE_BEGIN(detail)
+
+template <typename T, typename SFINAE = void> struct compare_buffer_info {
+    static bool compare(const buffer_info& b) {
+        return b.format == format_descriptor<T>::format() && b.itemsize == sizeof(T);
+    }
+};
+
+template <typename T> struct compare_buffer_info<T, detail::enable_if_t<std::is_integral<T>::value>> {
+    static bool compare(const buffer_info& b) {
+        return b.itemsize == sizeof(T) && (b.format == format_descriptor<T>::value ||
+            ((sizeof(T) == sizeof(long)) && b.format == (std::is_unsigned<T>::value ? "L" : "l")) ||
+            ((sizeof(T) == sizeof(size_t)) && b.format == (std::is_unsigned<T>::value ? "N" : "n")));
+    }
+};
+
+NAMESPACE_END(detail)
+NAMESPACE_END(pybind11)
diff --git a/include/pybind11/common.h b/include/pybind11/common.h
index 70743eaca..941842b21 100644
--- a/include/pybind11/common.h
+++ b/include/pybind11/common.h
@@ -286,69 +286,6 @@ enum class return_value_policy : uint8_t {
     reference_internal
 };
 
-/// Information record describing a Python buffer object
-struct buffer_info {
-    void *ptr = nullptr;         // Pointer to the underlying storage
-    size_t itemsize = 0;         // Size of individual items in bytes
-    size_t size = 0;             // Total number of entries
-    std::string format;          // For homogeneous buffers, this should be set to format_descriptor<T>::format()
-    size_t ndim = 0;             // Number of dimensions
-    std::vector<size_t> shape;   // Shape of the tensor (1 entry per dimension)
-    std::vector<size_t> strides; // Number of entries between adjacent entries (for each per dimension)
-
-    buffer_info() { }
-
-    buffer_info(void *ptr, size_t itemsize, const std::string &format, size_t ndim,
-                const std::vector<size_t> &shape, const std::vector<size_t> &strides)
-        : ptr(ptr), itemsize(itemsize), size(1), format(format),
-          ndim(ndim), shape(shape), strides(strides) {
-        for (size_t i = 0; i < ndim; ++i)
-            size *= shape[i];
-    }
-
-    buffer_info(void *ptr, size_t itemsize, const std::string &format, size_t size)
-    : buffer_info(ptr, itemsize, format, 1, std::vector<size_t> { size },
-                  std::vector<size_t> { itemsize }) { }
-
-    explicit buffer_info(Py_buffer *view, bool ownview = true)
-        : ptr(view->buf), itemsize((size_t) view->itemsize), size(1), format(view->format),
-          ndim((size_t) view->ndim), shape((size_t) view->ndim), strides((size_t) view->ndim), view(view), ownview(ownview) {
-        for (size_t i = 0; i < (size_t) view->ndim; ++i) {
-            shape[i] = (size_t) view->shape[i];
-            strides[i] = (size_t) view->strides[i];
-            size *= shape[i];
-        }
-    }
-
-    buffer_info(const buffer_info &) = delete;
-    buffer_info& operator=(const buffer_info &) = delete;
-
-    buffer_info(buffer_info &&other) {
-        (*this) = std::move(other);
-    }
-
-    buffer_info& operator=(buffer_info &&rhs) {
-        ptr = rhs.ptr;
-        itemsize = rhs.itemsize;
-        size = rhs.size;
-        format = std::move(rhs.format);
-        ndim = rhs.ndim;
-        shape = std::move(rhs.shape);
-        strides = std::move(rhs.strides);
-        std::swap(view, rhs.view);
-        std::swap(ownview, rhs.ownview);
-        return *this;
-    }
-
-    ~buffer_info() {
-        if (view && ownview) { PyBuffer_Release(view); delete view; }
-    }
-
-private:
-    Py_buffer *view = nullptr;
-    bool ownview = false;
-};
-
 NAMESPACE_BEGIN(detail)
 
 inline static constexpr int log2(size_t n, int k = 0) { return (n <= 1) ? k : log2(n >> 1, k + 1); }
@@ -669,24 +606,6 @@ template <typename T> struct format_descriptor<T, detail::enable_if_t<detail::is
 template <typename T> constexpr const char format_descriptor<
     T, detail::enable_if_t<detail::is_fmt_numeric<T>::value>>::value[2];
 
-NAMESPACE_BEGIN(detail)
-
-template <typename T, typename SFINAE = void> struct compare_buffer_info {
-    static bool compare(const buffer_info& b) {
-        return b.format == format_descriptor<T>::format() && b.itemsize == sizeof(T);
-    }
-};
-
-template <typename T> struct compare_buffer_info<T, detail::enable_if_t<std::is_integral<T>::value>> {
-    static bool compare(const buffer_info& b) {
-        return b.itemsize == sizeof(T) && (b.format == format_descriptor<T>::value ||
-            ((sizeof(T) == sizeof(long)) && b.format == (std::is_unsigned<T>::value ? "L" : "l")) ||
-            ((sizeof(T) == sizeof(size_t)) && b.format == (std::is_unsigned<T>::value ? "N" : "n")));
-    }
-};
-
-NAMESPACE_END(detail)
-
 /// RAII wrapper that temporarily clears any Python error state
 struct error_scope {
     PyObject *type, *value, *trace;
diff --git a/include/pybind11/pytypes.h b/include/pybind11/pytypes.h
index 805b04fcd..b7317df96 100644
--- a/include/pybind11/pytypes.h
+++ b/include/pybind11/pytypes.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include "common.h"
+#include "buffer_info.h"
 #include <utility>
 #include <type_traits>