diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.c b/tools/perf/util/header.c
index 276870221ce0..560871736764 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.c
@@ -1213,38 +1213,54 @@ static void cpu_cache_level__fprintf(FILE *out, struct cpu_cache_level *c)
 	fprintf(out, "L%d %-15s %8s [%s]\n", c->level, c->type, c->size, c->map);
 }
 
-#define MAX_CACHE_LVL 4
+/*
+ * Build caches levels for a particular CPU from the data in
+ * /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu<cpu>/cache/
+ * The cache level data is stored in caches[] from index at
+ * *cntp.
+ */
+int build_caches_for_cpu(u32 cpu, struct cpu_cache_level caches[], u32 *cntp)
+{
+	u16 level;
+
+	for (level = 0; level < MAX_CACHE_LVL; level++) {
+		struct cpu_cache_level c;
+		int err;
+		u32 i;
+
+		err = cpu_cache_level__read(&c, cpu, level);
+		if (err < 0)
+			return err;
+
+		if (err == 1)
+			break;
+
+		for (i = 0; i < *cntp; i++) {
+			if (cpu_cache_level__cmp(&c, &caches[i]))
+				break;
+		}
+
+		if (i == *cntp) {
+			caches[*cntp] = c;
+			*cntp = *cntp + 1;
+		} else
+			cpu_cache_level__free(&c);
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
 
 static int build_caches(struct cpu_cache_level caches[], u32 *cntp)
 {
-	u32 i, cnt = 0;
-	u32 nr, cpu;
-	u16 level;
+	u32 nr, cpu, cnt = 0;
 
 	nr = cpu__max_cpu().cpu;
 
 	for (cpu = 0; cpu < nr; cpu++) {
-		for (level = 0; level < MAX_CACHE_LVL; level++) {
-			struct cpu_cache_level c;
-			int err;
+		int ret = build_caches_for_cpu(cpu, caches, &cnt);
 
-			err = cpu_cache_level__read(&c, cpu, level);
-			if (err < 0)
-				return err;
-
-			if (err == 1)
-				break;
-
-			for (i = 0; i < cnt; i++) {
-				if (cpu_cache_level__cmp(&c, &caches[i]))
-					break;
-			}
-
-			if (i == cnt)
-				caches[cnt++] = c;
-			else
-				cpu_cache_level__free(&c);
-		}
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
 	}
 	*cntp = cnt;
 	return 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.h b/tools/perf/util/header.h
index 59eeb4a32ac5..7c16a250e738 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.h
@@ -179,7 +179,11 @@ int do_write(struct feat_fd *fd, const void *buf, size_t size);
 int write_padded(struct feat_fd *fd, const void *bf,
 		 size_t count, size_t count_aligned);
 
+#define MAX_CACHE_LVL 4
+
 int is_cpu_online(unsigned int cpu);
+int build_caches_for_cpu(u32 cpu, struct cpu_cache_level caches[], u32 *cntp);
+
 /*
  * arch specific callback
  */