diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoder.java
index c4eebf681b..4b1723bd45 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoder.java
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ public class CookieDecoder {
                 } else if (CookieHeaderNames.EXPIRES.equalsIgnoreCase(name)) {
                     try {
                         long maxAgeMillis =
-                            new HttpHeaderDateFormat().parse(value).getTime() -
+                            HttpHeaderDateFormat.get().parse(value).getTime() -
                             System.currentTimeMillis();
 
                         maxAge = (int) (maxAgeMillis / 1000) +
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoder.java
index cb5b5e6c8a..68ba6c91d9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoder.java
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ public class CookieEncoder {
             if (cookie.getMaxAge() != Integer.MIN_VALUE) {
                 if (cookie.getVersion() == 0) {
                     addUnquoted(sb, CookieHeaderNames.EXPIRES,
-                            new HttpHeaderDateFormat().format(
+                            HttpHeaderDateFormat.get().format(
                                     new Date(System.currentTimeMillis() +
                                              cookie.getMaxAge() * 1000L)));
                 } else {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormat.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormat.java
index 326932bf54..33910b18f7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormat.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormat.java
@@ -37,11 +37,23 @@ final class HttpHeaderDateFormat extends SimpleDateFormat {
     private final SimpleDateFormat format1 = new HttpHeaderDateFormatObsolete1();
     private final SimpleDateFormat format2 = new HttpHeaderDateFormatObsolete2();
 
+    private static final ThreadLocal<HttpHeaderDateFormat> FORMAT_THREAD_LOCAL =
+            new ThreadLocal<HttpHeaderDateFormat>() {
+        @Override
+        protected HttpHeaderDateFormat initialValue() {
+            return new HttpHeaderDateFormat();
+        }
+    };
+
+    public static HttpHeaderDateFormat get() {
+        return FORMAT_THREAD_LOCAL.get();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Standard date format<p>
      * Sun, 06 Nov 1994 08:49:37 GMT -> E, d MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss z
      */
-    HttpHeaderDateFormat() {
+    private HttpHeaderDateFormat() {
         super("E, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss z", Locale.ENGLISH);
         setTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone("GMT"));
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoderTest.java b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoderTest.java
index 2179254995..515c290448 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieDecoderTest.java
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ public class CookieDecoderTest {
     @Test
     public void testDecodingSingleCookieV0() {
         String cookieString = "myCookie=myValue;expires=XXX;path=/apathsomewhere;domain=.adomainsomewhere;secure;";
-        cookieString = cookieString.replace("XXX", new HttpHeaderDateFormat().format(new Date(System.currentTimeMillis() + 50000)));
+        cookieString = cookieString.replace("XXX", HttpHeaderDateFormat.get().format(new Date(System.currentTimeMillis() + 50000)));
 
         CookieDecoder cookieDecoder = new CookieDecoder();
         Set<Cookie> cookies = cookieDecoder.decode(cookieString);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoderTest.java b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoderTest.java
index f919e1f834..d706c7e5b5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/CookieEncoderTest.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ public class CookieEncoderTest {
     @Test
     public void testEncodingSingleCookieV0() {
         String result = "myCookie=myValue; Expires=XXX; Path=/apathsomewhere; Domain=.adomainsomewhere; Secure";
-        DateFormat df = new HttpHeaderDateFormat();
+        DateFormat df = HttpHeaderDateFormat.get();
         Cookie cookie = new DefaultCookie("myCookie", "myValue");
         CookieEncoder encoder = new CookieEncoder(true);
         encoder.addCookie(cookie);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormatTest.java b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormatTest.java
index 67c453a905..3c3edd381d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormatTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpHeaderDateFormatTest.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class HttpHeaderDateFormatTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testParse() throws ParseException {
-        HttpHeaderDateFormat format = new HttpHeaderDateFormat();
+        HttpHeaderDateFormat format = HttpHeaderDateFormat.get();
 
         final Date parsedDateWithSingleDigitDay = format.parse("Sun, 6 Nov 1994 08:49:37 GMT");
         Assert.assertNotNull(parsedDateWithSingleDigitDay);
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class HttpHeaderDateFormatTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testFormat() {
-        HttpHeaderDateFormat format = new HttpHeaderDateFormat();
+        HttpHeaderDateFormat format = HttpHeaderDateFormat.get();
 
         final String formatted = format.format(DATE);
         Assert.assertNotNull(formatted);