diff --git a/src/libcollections/fmt.rs b/src/libcollections/fmt.rs
index 883417e9f4ec7..bd74848a01d83 100644
--- a/src/libcollections/fmt.rs
+++ b/src/libcollections/fmt.rs
@@ -539,7 +539,8 @@ use string;
 /// [format!]: ../macro.format.html
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
 pub fn format(args: Arguments) -> string::String {
-    let mut output = string::String::new();
+    let capacity = args.estimated_capacity();
+    let mut output = string::String::with_capacity(capacity);
     let _ = output.write_fmt(args);
     output
 }
diff --git a/src/libcore/fmt/mod.rs b/src/libcore/fmt/mod.rs
index 2ba7d6e8bd1ac..a989f914db616 100644
--- a/src/libcore/fmt/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libcore/fmt/mod.rs
@@ -265,6 +265,32 @@ impl<'a> Arguments<'a> {
             args: args
         }
     }
+
+    /// Estimates the length of the formatted text.
+    ///
+    /// This is intended to be used for setting initial `String` capacity
+    /// when using `format!`. Note: this is neither the lower nor upper bound.
+    #[doc(hidden)] #[inline]
+    #[unstable(feature = "fmt_internals", reason = "internal to format_args!",
+               issue = "0")]
+    pub fn estimated_capacity(&self) -> usize {
+        let pieces_length: usize = self.pieces.iter()
+            .map(|x| x.len()).sum();
+
+        if self.args.is_empty() {
+            pieces_length
+        } else if self.pieces[0] == "" && pieces_length < 16 {
+            // If the format string starts with an argument,
+            // don't preallocate anything, unless length
+            // of pieces is significant.
+            0
+        } else {
+            // There are some arguments, so any additional push
+            // will reallocate the string. To avoid that,
+            // we're "pre-doubling" the capacity here.
+            pieces_length.checked_mul(2).unwrap_or(0)
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// This structure represents a safely precompiled version of a format string
diff --git a/src/libcoretest/fmt/mod.rs b/src/libcoretest/fmt/mod.rs
index ed33596e1c264..5d204c7d523d6 100644
--- a/src/libcoretest/fmt/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libcoretest/fmt/mod.rs
@@ -28,3 +28,13 @@ fn test_pointer_formats_data_pointer() {
     assert_eq!(format!("{:p}", s), format!("{:p}", s.as_ptr()));
     assert_eq!(format!("{:p}", b), format!("{:p}", b.as_ptr()));
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn test_estimated_capacity() {
+    assert_eq!(format_args!("").estimated_capacity(), 0);
+    assert_eq!(format_args!("{}", "").estimated_capacity(), 0);
+    assert_eq!(format_args!("Hello").estimated_capacity(), 5);
+    assert_eq!(format_args!("Hello, {}!", "").estimated_capacity(), 16);
+    assert_eq!(format_args!("{}, hello!", "World").estimated_capacity(), 0);
+    assert_eq!(format_args!("{}. 16-bytes piece", "World").estimated_capacity(), 32);
+}
diff --git a/src/libcoretest/lib.rs b/src/libcoretest/lib.rs
index 87f3afd6889d3..e06b757691e5a 100644
--- a/src/libcoretest/lib.rs
+++ b/src/libcoretest/lib.rs
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 #![feature(ordering_chaining)]
 #![feature(ptr_unaligned)]
 #![feature(move_cell)]
+#![feature(fmt_internals)]
 
 extern crate core;
 extern crate test;