diff --git a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledByteBufAllocator.java b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledByteBufAllocator.java
index 4edf0dcd3d..6fe188ed8b 100644
--- a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledByteBufAllocator.java
+++ b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledByteBufAllocator.java
@@ -140,14 +140,14 @@ public final class UnpooledByteBufAllocator extends AbstractByteBufAllocator imp
         }
 
         @Override
-        byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
+        protected byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
             byte[] bytes = super.allocateArray(initialCapacity);
             ((UnpooledByteBufAllocator) alloc()).incrementHeap(bytes.length);
             return bytes;
         }
 
         @Override
-        void freeArray(byte[] array) {
+        protected void freeArray(byte[] array) {
             int length = array.length;
             super.freeArray(array);
             ((UnpooledByteBufAllocator) alloc()).decrementHeap(length);
@@ -160,14 +160,14 @@ public final class UnpooledByteBufAllocator extends AbstractByteBufAllocator imp
         }
 
         @Override
-        byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
+        protected byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
             byte[] bytes = super.allocateArray(initialCapacity);
             ((UnpooledByteBufAllocator) alloc()).incrementHeap(bytes.length);
             return bytes;
         }
 
         @Override
-        void freeArray(byte[] array) {
+        protected void freeArray(byte[] array) {
             int length = array.length;
             super.freeArray(array);
             ((UnpooledByteBufAllocator) alloc()).decrementHeap(length);
diff --git a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledHeapByteBuf.java b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledHeapByteBuf.java
index 26b1c5122b..0133845f82 100644
--- a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledHeapByteBuf.java
+++ b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledHeapByteBuf.java
@@ -84,11 +84,11 @@ public class UnpooledHeapByteBuf extends AbstractReferenceCountedByteBuf {
         setIndex(0, initialArray.length);
     }
 
-    byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
+    protected byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
         return new byte[initialCapacity];
     }
 
-    void freeArray(byte[] array) {
+    protected void freeArray(byte[] array) {
         // NOOP
     }
 
diff --git a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledUnsafeHeapByteBuf.java b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledUnsafeHeapByteBuf.java
index 51786f1567..0fbe856466 100644
--- a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledUnsafeHeapByteBuf.java
+++ b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledUnsafeHeapByteBuf.java
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class UnpooledUnsafeHeapByteBuf extends UnpooledHeapByteBuf {
     }
 
     @Override
-    byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
+    protected byte[] allocateArray(int initialCapacity) {
         return PlatformDependent.allocateUninitializedArray(initialCapacity);
     }