diff --git a/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.ml b/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.ml
index 88fb1a22f..b7e1f124a 100644
--- a/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.ml
+++ b/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.ml
@@ -544,29 +544,6 @@ let to_bytes t v =
   write_rec_buffer t v bytes ;
   MBytes_buffer.to_mbytes bytes
 
-let to_bytes_list ?(copy_blocks=false) block_sz t v =
-  assert (block_sz > 0);
-  let bytes = to_bytes t v in   (* call to generic function to_bytes *)
-  let length = MBytes.length bytes in
-  if length <= block_sz then
-    [bytes] (* if the result fits in the given block_sz *)
-  else
-    let may_copy = if copy_blocks then MBytes.copy else fun t -> t in
-    let nb_full = length / block_sz in (* nb of blocks of size block_sz *)
-    let sz_full = nb_full * block_sz in (* size of the full part *)
-    let acc = (* eventually init acc with a non-full block *)
-      if sz_full = length then []
-      else [may_copy (MBytes.sub bytes sz_full (length - sz_full))]
-    in
-    let rec split_full_blocks curr_upper_limit acc =
-      let start = curr_upper_limit - block_sz in
-      assert (start >= 0);
-      (* copy the block [ start, curr_upper_limit [ of size block_sz *)
-      let acc = (may_copy (MBytes.sub bytes start block_sz)) :: acc in
-      if start = 0 then acc else split_full_blocks start acc
-    in
-    split_full_blocks sz_full acc
-
 (** Reader *)
 
 module Reader = struct
diff --git a/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.mli b/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.mli
index 21b36cf9a..ab4c0cb68 100644
--- a/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.mli
+++ b/src/lib_data_encoding/binary.mli
@@ -16,6 +16,5 @@ val write : 'a Encoding.t -> 'a -> MBytes.t -> int -> int option
 val to_bytes : 'a Encoding.t -> 'a -> MBytes.t
 val of_bytes : 'a Encoding.t -> MBytes.t -> 'a option
 val of_bytes_exn : 'a Encoding.t -> MBytes.t -> 'a
-val to_bytes_list : ?copy_blocks:bool -> int  -> 'a Encoding.t -> 'a -> MBytes.t list
 val fixed_length : 'a Encoding.t -> int option
 val fixed_length_exn : 'a Encoding.t -> int
diff --git a/src/lib_data_encoding/data_encoding.mli b/src/lib_data_encoding/data_encoding.mli
index b93e00eff..d77cc53a8 100644
--- a/src/lib_data_encoding/data_encoding.mli
+++ b/src/lib_data_encoding/data_encoding.mli
@@ -534,16 +534,6 @@ module Binary: sig
   val of_bytes : 'a Encoding.t -> MBytes.t -> 'a option
   val of_bytes_exn : 'a Encoding.t -> MBytes.t -> 'a
 
-  (** [to_bytes_list ?copy_blocks blocks_size encod data] encode the
-      given data as a list of successive blocks of length
-      'blocks_size' at most.
-
-      NB. If 'copy_blocks' is false (default), the blocks of the list
-      can be garbage-collected only when all the blocks are
-      unreachable (because of the 'optimized' implementation of
-      MBytes.sub used internally *)
-  val to_bytes_list : ?copy_blocks:bool -> int  -> 'a Encoding.t -> 'a -> MBytes.t list
-
   (** This type is used when decoding binary data incrementally.
       - In case of 'Success', the decoded data, the size of used data
        to decode the result, and the remaining data are returned
diff --git a/src/lib_data_encoding/test/test_stream_data_encoding.ml b/src/lib_data_encoding/test/test_stream_data_encoding.ml
index 2ec076e5f..45a9c7de4 100644
--- a/src/lib_data_encoding/test/test_stream_data_encoding.ml
+++ b/src/lib_data_encoding/test/test_stream_data_encoding.ml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ let test_read_simple_bin_ko_invalid_data
   let len_data = MBytes.length (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
   if classify encoding != `Variable && len_data > 0 then
     for sz = 1 to len_data do
-      let l = (Binary.to_bytes_list sz encoding value) in
+      let l = MBytes.cut sz (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
       List.iter (fun b ->
           for i = 0 to MBytes.length b - 1 do
             (* alter data *)
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ let test_read_simple_bin_ko_await encoding value =
   let len_data = MBytes.length (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
   if classify encoding != `Variable && len_data > 0 then
     for sz = 1 to len_data do
-      let l = Binary.to_bytes_list sz encoding value in
+      let l = MBytes.cut sz (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
       match List.rev l with
       | [] -> Assert.fail_msg "%s" (unexpected __LOC__)
       | _ :: r ->
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ let test_read_simple_bin_ok ?msg ?(equal=Assert.equal) encoding value =
                    Assert.fail_msg "%s" (unexpected __LOC__)
            end;
            _done
-        )[] (Binary.to_bytes_list sz encoding value)
+        )[] (MBytes.cut sz (Binary.to_bytes encoding value))
     )
   done
 
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ let test_check_simple_bin_ko_invalid_data
   let len_data = MBytes.length (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
   if classify encoding != `Variable && len_data > 0 then
     for sz = 1 to len_data do
-      let l = (Binary.to_bytes_list sz encoding value) in
+      let l = MBytes.cut sz (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
       List.iter (fun b ->
           for i = 0 to MBytes.length b - 1 do
             (* alter data *)
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ let test_check_simple_bin_ko_await encoding value =
   let len_data = MBytes.length (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
   if classify encoding != `Variable && len_data > 0 then
     for sz = 1 to len_data do
-      let l = Binary.to_bytes_list sz encoding value in
+      let l = MBytes.cut sz (Binary.to_bytes encoding value) in
       match List.rev l with
       | [] -> Assert.fail_msg "%s" (unexpected __LOC__)
       | _ :: r ->
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ let test_check_simple_bin_ok encoding value =
                    Assert.fail_msg "%s" (unexpected __LOC__)
            end;
            _done
-        )[] (Binary.to_bytes_list sz encoding value)
+        )[] (MBytes.cut sz (Binary.to_bytes encoding value))
     )
   done
 
@@ -354,10 +354,10 @@ let test_union _ =
   Assert.equal ~prn:prn_t ~msg:__LOC__ (B "2") (Json.destruct enc jsonB) ;
   Assert.equal ~prn:prn_t ~msg:__LOC__ (A 3) (Json.destruct enc jsonC) ;
   Assert.equal ~prn:prn_t ~msg:__LOC__ (D "4") (Json.destruct enc jsonD) ;
-  let binA = Binary.to_bytes_list 1 enc (A 1) in
-  let binB = Binary.to_bytes_list 1 enc (B "2") in
-  let binC = Binary.to_bytes_list 1 enc (C 3) in
-  let binD = Binary.to_bytes_list 1 enc (D "4") in
+  let binA = MBytes.cut 1 @@ Binary.to_bytes enc (A 1) in
+  let binB = MBytes.cut 1 @@ Binary.to_bytes enc (B "2") in
+  let binC = MBytes.cut 1 @@ Binary.to_bytes enc (C 3) in
+  let binD = MBytes.cut 1 @@ Binary.to_bytes enc (D "4") in
   Assert.test_fail ~msg:__LOC__ (fun () -> Binary.to_bytes enc E)
     (function
       | No_case_matched -> true
@@ -425,8 +425,8 @@ let test_splitted _ =
   in
   let jsonA = Json.construct enc "41" in
   let jsonB = Json.construct s_enc {field = 42} in
-  let binA = Binary.to_bytes_list 1 enc "43" in
-  let binB = Binary.to_bytes_list 1 s_enc {field = 44} in
+  let binA = MBytes.cut 1 @@ Binary.to_bytes enc "43" in
+  let binB = MBytes.cut 1 @@ Binary.to_bytes s_enc {field = 44} in
   Assert.equal ~msg:__LOC__ "41" (Json.destruct enc jsonA);
   Assert.equal ~msg:__LOC__ "42" (Json.destruct enc jsonB);
   Assert.equal ~msg:__LOC__ "43" (get_result ~msg:__LOC__ binA);
diff --git a/src/lib_p2p/p2p_socket.ml b/src/lib_p2p/p2p_socket.ml
index a03c11bd8..8f0b9e0be 100644
--- a/src/lib_p2p/p2p_socket.ml
+++ b/src/lib_p2p/p2p_socket.ml
@@ -335,7 +335,9 @@ module Writer = struct
     loop buf
 
   let encode_message st msg =
-    try ok (Data_encoding.Binary.to_bytes_list st.binary_chunks_size st.encoding msg)
+    try ok (MBytes.cut
+              st.binary_chunks_size
+              (Data_encoding.Binary.to_bytes st.encoding msg))
     with _ -> error P2p_errors.Encoding_error
 
   let rec worker_loop st =
diff --git a/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.ml b/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.ml
index 6e558bb3b..c0ac0b19d 100644
--- a/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.ml
+++ b/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.ml
@@ -12,11 +12,6 @@ include Bigstring
 include EndianBigstring.BigEndian
 module LE = EndianBigstring.LittleEndian
 
-include Compare.Make(struct
-    type nonrec t = t
-    let compare = Pervasives.compare
-  end)
-
 let make sz c =
   let buf = create sz in
   fill buf c ;
@@ -31,3 +26,29 @@ let of_hex hex =
 let pp_hex ppf s =
   let `Hex hex = to_hex s in
   Format.pp_print_string ppf hex
+
+let cut ?(copy=false) sz bytes =
+  let length = length bytes in
+  if length <= sz then
+    [bytes] (* if the result fits in the given sz *)
+  else
+    let may_copy = if copy then Bigstring.copy else fun t -> t in
+    let nb_full = length / sz in (* nb of blocks of size sz *)
+    let sz_full = nb_full * sz in (* size of the full part *)
+    let acc = (* eventually init acc with a non-full block *)
+      if sz_full = length then []
+      else [may_copy (sub bytes sz_full (length - sz_full))]
+    in
+    let rec split_full_blocks curr_upper_limit acc =
+      let start = curr_upper_limit - sz in
+      assert (start >= 0);
+      (* copy the block [ start, curr_upper_limit [ of size sz *)
+      let acc = (may_copy (sub bytes start sz)) :: acc in
+      if start = 0 then acc else split_full_blocks start acc
+    in
+    split_full_blocks sz_full acc
+
+include Compare.Make(struct
+    type nonrec t = t
+    let compare = Bigstring.compare
+  end)
diff --git a/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.mli b/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.mli
index b63ec008c..3d21362cc 100644
--- a/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.mli
+++ b/src/lib_stdlib/mBytes.mli
@@ -22,3 +22,12 @@ val make : int -> char -> t
 val of_hex : Hex.t -> t
 val to_hex : t -> Hex.t
 val pp_hex : Format.formatter -> t -> unit
+
+(** [cut ?copy size bytes] cut [bytes] the in a list of successive
+    chunks of length [size] at most.
+
+    If [copy] is false (default), the blocks of the list
+    can be garbage-collected only when all the blocks are
+    unreachable (because of the 'optimized' implementation of
+    [sub] used internally. *)
+val cut: ?copy:bool -> int  -> t -> t list