diff --git a/geojson.c b/geojson.c
index d285f304..3f15c15e 100644
--- a/geojson.c
+++ b/geojson.c
@@ -381,7 +381,6 @@ void read_json(FILE *f, char *fname, char *layername, int maxzoom, int minzoom,
 
 			unsigned bbox[] = { UINT_MAX, UINT_MAX, 0, 0 };
 
-			serialize_int(metafile, mb_geometry[t], &fpos, fname, jp);
 			parse_geometry(t, coordinates, bbox, &fpos, metafile, VT_MOVETO, fname, jp);
 			serialize_int(metafile, VT_END, &fpos, fname, jp);
 
@@ -467,6 +466,7 @@ void read_json(FILE *f, char *fname, char *layername, int maxzoom, int minzoom,
 								ix.index = encode(x << (32 - z), y << (32 - z));
 							}
 							ix.fpos = start;
+							ix.type = mb_geometry[t];
 							ix.maxzoom = z;
 							fwrite_check(&ix, sizeof(struct index), 1, indexfile, fname, jp);
 						}
diff --git a/tile.cc b/tile.cc
index 0fc98f7a..1ed706fb 100644
--- a/tile.cc
+++ b/tile.cc
@@ -376,10 +376,7 @@ long long write_tile(struct index *start, struct index *end, char *metabase, uns
 			}
 			dup.insert(std::pair<long long, int>(i->fpos, 1));
 
-			int t;
-			char *meta = metabase + i->fpos;
-			deserialize_int(&meta, &t);
-
+			int t = i->type;
 			if (t == VT_POINT) {
 				seq++;
 
@@ -390,6 +387,7 @@ long long write_tile(struct index *start, struct index *end, char *metabase, uns
 				}
 			}
 
+			char *meta = metabase + i->fpos;
 			drawvec geom = decode_geometry(&meta, z, tx, ty, line_detail);
 
 			bool reduced = false;
diff --git a/tile.h b/tile.h
index 06127652..9b29f8b0 100644
--- a/tile.h
+++ b/tile.h
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ struct pool_val *deserialize_string(char **f, struct pool *p, int type);
 
 struct index {
 	unsigned long long index;
-	long long fpos : 56;
+	long long fpos : 48;
 	int maxzoom : 8;
+	int type : 8;
 };
 
 long long write_tile(struct index *start, struct index *end, char *metabase, unsigned *file_bbox, int z, unsigned x, unsigned y, int detail, int basezoom, struct pool *file_keys, char *layername, sqlite3 *outdb, double droprate, int buffer);