diff --git a/tools/qfcc/include/type.h b/tools/qfcc/include/type.h
index 97ed6e6c0..702e37c80 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/include/type.h
+++ b/tools/qfcc/include/type.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #ifndef __type_h
 #define __type_h
 
+#include "QF/darray.h"
 #include "QF/progs/pr_type.h"
 
 #include "specifier.h"
@@ -93,7 +94,6 @@ typedef struct type_s {
 	int         allocated;
 	struct protocollist_s *protos;
 	const char *encoding;	///< Objective-QC encoding
-	struct def_s *type_def;	///< offset of qfo encodoing
 } type_t;
 
 #define EV_TYPE(type) extern type_t type_##type;
@@ -248,7 +248,12 @@ void chain_initial_types (void);
 
 void clear_typedefs (void);
 
-extern type_t *ev_types[];
+typedef struct def_s def_t;
+
+typedef struct defset_s DARRAY_TYPE (def_t *) defset_t;
+extern defset_t type_encodings; ///< qfo encodoing
+
+extern const type_t *ev_types[];
 extern int type_cast_map[];
 #define TYPE_CAST_CODE(from, to, width) (((width) << 6) | ((from) << 3) | (to))
 
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/evaluate_type.c b/tools/qfcc/source/evaluate_type.c
index aaecf2500..131769672 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/evaluate_type.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/evaluate_type.c
@@ -140,7 +140,8 @@ tf_gentype_func (progs_t *pr, void *data)
 		error (ctx->expr, "refernce to unresolved type");
 		Sys_longjmp (ctx->jmpbuf);
 	}
-	R_POINTER (pr) = type->type_def->offset;
+	auto type_def = type_encodings.a[type->id];
+	R_POINTER (pr) = type_def->offset;
 }
 
 #define BASE(b, base) (((base) & 3) << OP_##b##_SHIFT)
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/expr_type.c b/tools/qfcc/source/expr_type.c
index 609342d22..263b2d76a 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/expr_type.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/expr_type.c
@@ -876,7 +876,8 @@ compute_type (const expr_t *arg, comp_ctx_t *ctx)
 			internal_error (arg, "no type in reference");
 		}
 		auto val = compute_tmp (ctx);
-		D_INT (val) = arg->typ.type->type_def->offset;
+		auto type_def = type_encodings.a[arg->typ.type->id];
+		D_INT (val) = type_def->offset;
 		return val;
 	}
 	int         op = arg->typ.op;
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/glsl-parse.y b/tools/qfcc/source/glsl-parse.y
index 1e38fe55d..1071c59fb 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/glsl-parse.y
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/glsl-parse.y
@@ -892,10 +892,10 @@ type_specifier
 	;
 
 array_specifier
-	: array_size				{ $$ = (type_t *) array_type (nullptr, $1); }
+	: array_size				{ $$ = array_type (nullptr, $1); }
 	| array_specifier array_size
 		{
-			$$ = (type_t *) append_type ($1, array_type (nullptr, $2));
+			$$ = append_type ($1, array_type (nullptr, $2));
 		}
 	;
 
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
index 6d91bc7b0..783a8783f 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ qfo_encode_defs (qfo_t *qfo, def_t *defs, qfo_def_t **qfo_defs,
 		d->qfo_def = q - qfo->defs;
 		// defs in the type data space do not have types
 		if (d->type)
-			q->type = d->type->type_def->offset;
+			q->type = type_encodings.a[d->type->id]->offset;
 		q->name = ReuseString (d->name);
 		q->offset = d->offset;
 		q->relocs = *qfo_relocs - qfo->relocs;
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ qfo_encode_functions (qfo_t *qfo, qfo_def_t **defs, qfo_reloc_t **relocs,
 
 	for (f = functions, q = qfo->funcs; f; f = f->next, q++) {
 		q->name = f->s_name;
-		q->type = f->def->type->type_def->offset;
+		q->type = type_encodings.a[f->def->type->id]->offset;
 		q->file = f->s_file;
 		q->line = f->def->loc.line;
 		q->code = f->code;
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_type.c b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_type.c
index b4d7239e9..d02f25810 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_type.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_type.c
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ qfo_encode_struct (const type_t *type, defspace_t *space)
 	ENC_STR (strct->tag, type->name);
 	strct->num_fields = num_fields;
 
-	((type_t *)type)->type_def = def;	// avoid infinite recursion
+	type_encodings.a[type->id] = def;	// avoid infinite recursion
 
 	field_types = alloca (num_fields * sizeof (def_t *));
 	for (i = 0, sym = type->symtab->symbols; sym; sym = sym->next) {
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ qfo_encode_struct (const type_t *type, defspace_t *space)
 		if (type->meta != ty_enum) {
 			field_types[i] = qfo_encode_type (sym->type, space);
 		} else {
-			field_types[i] = type_default->type_def;
+			field_types[i] = type_encodings.a[type_default->id];
 		}
 		i++;
 	}
@@ -333,17 +333,16 @@ qfo_encode_type (const type_t *type, defspace_t *space)
 		[ty_bool]    = qfo_encode_basic,
 	};
 
-	if (type->type_def && type->type_def->external) {
-		relocs = type->type_def->relocs;
-		((type_t *) type)->type_def = 0;
+	auto type_def = &type_encodings.a[type->id];
+	if (*type_def && (*type_def)->external) {
+		relocs = type_encodings.a[type->id]->relocs;
+		type_encodings.a[type->id] = nullptr;
 	}
-	if (type->type_def)
-		return type->type_def;
+	if (*type_def)
+		return *type_def;
 	if (type->meta >= sizeof (funcs) / (sizeof (funcs[0])))
 		internal_error (0, "bad type meta type");
-	if (!type->encoding)
-		((type_t *) type)->encoding = type_get_encoding (type);
-	((type_t *) type)->type_def = funcs[type->meta] (type, space);
-	reloc_attach_relocs (relocs, &type->type_def->relocs);
-	return type->type_def;
+	*type_def = funcs[type->meta] (type, space);
+	reloc_attach_relocs (relocs, &(*type_def)->relocs);
+	return *type_def;
 }
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/qfcc.c b/tools/qfcc/source/qfcc.c
index b8fecd139..3c92933b1 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/qfcc.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/qfcc.c
@@ -124,7 +124,6 @@ InitData (void)
 	for (type = pr.types; type; type = ntype) {
 		ntype = type->next;
 		free_type (type);
-		type->type_def = 0;
 	}
 
 	if (pr.code) {
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/struct.c b/tools/qfcc/source/struct.c
index ecef5f4c1..e509701b6 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/struct.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/struct.c
@@ -225,9 +225,11 @@ build_struct (int su, symbol_t *tag, symtab_t *symtab, const type_t *type,
 	if (alignment > sym->type->alignment) {
 		((type_t *) sym->type)->alignment = alignment;
 	}
-	if (!type && sym->type->type_def->external)	//FIXME should not be necessary
-		((type_t *) sym->type)->type_def = qfo_encode_type (sym->type,
-															pr.type_data);
+	//FIXME should not be necessary
+	if (!type && type_encodings.a[sym->type->id]->external) {
+		unsigned id = sym->type->id;
+		type_encodings.a[id] = qfo_encode_type (sym->type, pr.type_data);
+	}
 	return sym;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/type.c b/tools/qfcc/source/type.c
index 9441ba953..47f57756f 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/type.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/type.c
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ type_t      type_floatfield = {
 };
 
 #define EV_TYPE(type) &type_##type,
-type_t     *ev_types[ev_type_count] = {
+const type_t *ev_types[ev_type_count] = {
 #include "QF/progs/pr_type_names.h"
 	&type_invalid,
 };
@@ -222,9 +222,10 @@ int type_cast_map[ev_type_count] = {
 	//[ev_bool64] = 7,
 };
 
+defset_t type_encodings = DARRAY_STATIC_INIT (64);
+
 ALLOC_STATE (type_t, types);
 
-static unsigned type_id_number;
 static hashtab_t *type_tab;
 
 etype_t
@@ -265,13 +266,13 @@ chain_type (type_t *type)
 	if (type->id) {
 		internal_error (0, "type already has id");
 	}
-	type->id = ++type_id_number;
+	type->id = type_encodings.size;
+	DARRAY_APPEND (&type_encodings, nullptr);
 	type->next = pr.types;
 	pr.types = type;
 	if (!type->encoding)
 		type->encoding = type_get_encoding (type);
-	if (!type->type_def)
-		type->type_def = qfo_encode_type (type, pr.type_data);
+	type_encodings.a[type->id] = qfo_encode_type (type, pr.type_data);
 	Hash_Add (type_tab, type);
 }
 
@@ -677,7 +678,7 @@ matrix_type (const type_t *ele_type, int cols, int rows)
 		return nullptr;
 	}
 	if (rows == 1 && cols == 1) {
-		for (type_t **t = ev_types; t - ev_types < ev_type_count; t++) {
+		for (auto t = ev_types; t - ev_types < ev_type_count; t++) {
 			if ((*t)->type == ele_type->type && (*t)->width == 1) {
 				return *t;
 			}
@@ -687,7 +688,7 @@ matrix_type (const type_t *ele_type, int cols, int rows)
 		// no horizontal matrices
 		return nullptr;
 	}
-	for (type_t **mtype = matrix_types; *mtype; mtype++) {
+	for (auto mtype = matrix_types; *mtype; mtype++) {
 		if ((*mtype)->meta == ele_type->meta
 			&& (*mtype)->type == ele_type->type
 			&& (*mtype)->width == rows
@@ -1633,6 +1634,9 @@ type_aligned_size (const type_t *type)
 static void
 chain_basic_types (void)
 {
+	type_encodings.size = 0;
+	DARRAY_APPEND (&type_encodings, nullptr);
+
 	type_entity.symtab = pr.entity_fields;
 	if (options.code.progsversion == PROG_VERSION) {
 		type_quaternion.alignment = 4;