diff --git a/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/report-renderer.js b/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/report-renderer.js
index c6011e3e23f9..1892a8ccb1e9 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/report-renderer.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/report-renderer.js
@@ -40,30 +40,17 @@ class ReportRenderer {
   }
 
   /**
-   * @param {LH.ReportResult} report
+   * @param {LH.ReportResult} result
    * @param {Element} container Parent element to render the report into.
    */
-  renderReport(report, container) {
-    // If any mutations happen to the report within the renderers, we want the original object untouched
-    const clone = /** @type {LH.ReportResult} */ (JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(report)));
+  renderReport(result, container) {
     // Mutate the UIStrings if necessary (while saving originals)
     const originalUIStrings = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(Util.UIStrings));
-    // If LHR is older (≤3.0.3), it has no locale setting. Set default.
-    if (!clone.configSettings.locale) {
-      clone.configSettings.locale = 'en-US';
-    }
-    Util.setNumberDateLocale(clone.configSettings.locale);
-    if (clone.i18n && clone.i18n.rendererFormattedStrings) {
-      ReportRenderer.updateAllUIStrings(clone.i18n.rendererFormattedStrings);
-    }
 
-    // TODO(phulce): we all agree this is technical debt we should fix
-    if (typeof clone.categories !== 'object') throw new Error('No categories provided.');
-    clone.reportCategories = Object.values(clone.categories);
-    ReportRenderer.smooshAuditResultsIntoCategories(clone.audits, clone.reportCategories);
+    const report = Util.prepareReportResult(result);
 
     container.textContent = ''; // Remove previous report.
-    container.appendChild(this._renderReport(clone));
+    container.appendChild(this._renderReport(report));
 
     // put the UIStrings back into original state
     ReportRenderer.updateAllUIStrings(originalUIStrings);
@@ -230,20 +217,6 @@ class ReportRenderer {
     return reportFragment;
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Place the AuditResult into the auditDfn (which has just weight & group)
-   * @param {Object<string, LH.Audit.Result>} audits
-   * @param {Array<LH.ReportResult.Category>} reportCategories
-   */
-  static smooshAuditResultsIntoCategories(audits, reportCategories) {
-    for (const category of reportCategories) {
-      category.auditRefs.forEach(auditMeta => {
-        const result = audits[auditMeta.id];
-        auditMeta.result = result;
-      });
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * @param {LH.I18NRendererStrings} rendererFormattedStrings
    */
diff --git a/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/util.js b/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/util.js
index e34c24ebc8d8..68fd2df836b4 100644
--- a/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/util.js
+++ b/lighthouse-core/report/html/renderer/util.js
@@ -38,6 +38,55 @@ class Util {
     return `%10d${NBSP}ms`;
   }
 
+  /**
+   *
+   * @param {LH.Result} result
+   * @return {LH.ReportResult}
+   */
+  static prepareReportResult(result) {
+    // If any mutations happen to the report within the renderers, we want the original object untouched
+    const clone = /** @type {LH.ReportResult} */ (JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(result)));
+
+    // If LHR is older (≤3.0.3), it has no locale setting. Set default.
+    if (!clone.configSettings.locale) {
+      clone.configSettings.locale = 'en-US';
+    }
+    Util.setNumberDateLocale(clone.configSettings.locale);
+    if (clone.i18n && clone.i18n.rendererFormattedStrings) {
+      Util.rendererFormattedStrings = clone.i18n.rendererFormattedStrings;
+    }
+
+    // TODO(phulce): we all agree this is technical debt we should fix
+    if (typeof clone.categories !== 'object') throw new Error('No categories provided.');
+    clone.reportCategories = Object.values(clone.categories);
+    Util.smooshAuditResultsIntoCategories(clone.audits, clone.reportCategories);
+    return clone;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Place the AuditResult into the auditDfn (which has just weight & group)
+   * @param {Object<string, LH.Audit.Result>} audits
+   * @param {Array<LH.ReportResult.Category>} reportCategories
+   */
+  static smooshAuditResultsIntoCategories(audits, reportCategories) {
+    for (const category of reportCategories) {
+      category.auditRefs.forEach(auditMeta => {
+        const result = audits[auditMeta.id];
+        auditMeta.result = result;
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @param {LH.I18NRendererStrings} rendererFormattedStrings
+   */
+  static updateAllUIStrings(rendererFormattedStrings) {
+    // TODO(i18n): don't mutate these here but on the LHR and pass that around everywhere
+    for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(rendererFormattedStrings)) {
+      Util.UIStrings[key] = value;
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * @param {string|Array<string|number>=} displayValue
    * @return {string}