diff --git a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core.h b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core.h
index 6d8005af67f5..2a5ec99643df 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core.h
+++ b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core.h
@@ -1047,7 +1047,9 @@ netdev_features_t qeth_features_check(struct sk_buff *skb,
 				      struct net_device *dev,
 				      netdev_features_t features);
 int qeth_vm_request_mac(struct qeth_card *card);
-int qeth_push_hdr(struct sk_buff *skb, struct qeth_hdr **hdr, unsigned int len);
+int qeth_add_hw_header(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
+		       struct qeth_hdr **hdr, unsigned int len,
+		       unsigned int *elements);
 
 /* exports for OSN */
 int qeth_osn_assist(struct net_device *, void *, int);
diff --git a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core_main.c b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core_main.c
index 84f1e1e33f3f..e7b34624df1e 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core_main.c
+++ b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_core_main.c
@@ -3831,6 +3831,17 @@ int qeth_get_elements_for_frags(struct sk_buff *skb)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(qeth_get_elements_for_frags);
 
+static unsigned int qeth_count_elements(struct sk_buff *skb, int data_offset)
+{
+	unsigned int elements = qeth_get_elements_for_frags(skb);
+	addr_t end = (addr_t)skb->data + skb_headlen(skb);
+	addr_t start = (addr_t)skb->data + data_offset;
+
+	if (start != end)
+		elements += qeth_get_elements_for_range(start, end);
+	return elements;
+}
+
 /**
  * qeth_get_elements_no() -	find number of SBALEs for skb data, inc. frags.
  * @card:			qeth card structure, to check max. elems.
@@ -3846,12 +3857,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(qeth_get_elements_for_frags);
 int qeth_get_elements_no(struct qeth_card *card,
 		     struct sk_buff *skb, int extra_elems, int data_offset)
 {
-	addr_t end = (addr_t)skb->data + skb_headlen(skb);
-	int elements = qeth_get_elements_for_frags(skb);
-	addr_t start = (addr_t)skb->data + data_offset;
-
-	if (start != end)
-		elements += qeth_get_elements_for_range(start, end);
+	int elements = qeth_count_elements(skb, data_offset);
 
 	if ((elements + extra_elems) > QETH_MAX_BUFFER_ELEMENTS(card)) {
 		QETH_DBF_MESSAGE(2, "Invalid size of IP packet "
@@ -3885,22 +3891,72 @@ int qeth_hdr_chk_and_bounce(struct sk_buff *skb, struct qeth_hdr **hdr, int len)
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(qeth_hdr_chk_and_bounce);
 
 /**
- * qeth_push_hdr() - push a qeth_hdr onto an skb.
- * @skb: skb that the qeth_hdr should be pushed onto.
+ * qeth_add_hw_header() - add a HW header to an skb.
+ * @skb: skb that the HW header should be added to.
  * @hdr: double pointer to a qeth_hdr. When returning with >= 0,
  *	 it contains a valid pointer to a qeth_hdr.
- * @len: length of the hdr that needs to be pushed on.
+ * @len: length of the HW header.
  *
  * Returns the pushed length. If the header can't be pushed on
  * (eg. because it would cross a page boundary), it is allocated from
  * the cache instead and 0 is returned.
+ * The number of needed buffer elements is returned in @elements.
  * Error to create the hdr is indicated by returning with < 0.
  */
-int qeth_push_hdr(struct sk_buff *skb, struct qeth_hdr **hdr, unsigned int len)
+int qeth_add_hw_header(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
+		       struct qeth_hdr **hdr, unsigned int len,
+		       unsigned int *elements)
 {
-	if (skb_headroom(skb) >= len &&
-	    qeth_get_elements_for_range((addr_t)skb->data - len,
-					(addr_t)skb->data) == 1) {
+	const unsigned int max_elements = QETH_MAX_BUFFER_ELEMENTS(card);
+	unsigned int __elements;
+	addr_t start, end;
+	bool push_ok;
+	int rc;
+
+check_layout:
+	start = (addr_t)skb->data - len;
+	end = (addr_t)skb->data;
+
+	if (qeth_get_elements_for_range(start, end + 1) == 1) {
+		/* Push HW header into same page as first protocol header. */
+		push_ok = true;
+		__elements = qeth_count_elements(skb, 0);
+	} else {
+		__elements = 1 + qeth_count_elements(skb, 0);
+		if (qeth_get_elements_for_range(start, end) == 1)
+			/* Push HW header into a new page. */
+			push_ok = true;
+		else
+			/* Use header cache. */
+			push_ok = false;
+	}
+
+	/* Compress skb to fit into one IO buffer: */
+	if (__elements > max_elements) {
+		if (!skb_is_nonlinear(skb)) {
+			/* Drop it, no easy way of shrinking it further. */
+			QETH_DBF_MESSAGE(2, "Dropped an oversized skb (Max Elements=%u / Actual=%u / Length=%u).\n",
+					 max_elements, __elements, skb->len);
+			return -E2BIG;
+		}
+
+		rc = skb_linearize(skb);
+		if (card->options.performance_stats) {
+			if (rc)
+				card->perf_stats.tx_linfail++;
+			else
+				card->perf_stats.tx_lin++;
+		}
+		if (rc)
+			return rc;
+
+		/* Linearization changed the layout, re-evaluate: */
+		goto check_layout;
+	}
+
+	*elements = __elements;
+	/* Add the header: */
+	if (push_ok) {
 		*hdr = skb_push(skb, len);
 		return len;
 	}
@@ -3910,7 +3966,7 @@ int qeth_push_hdr(struct sk_buff *skb, struct qeth_hdr **hdr, unsigned int len)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	return 0;
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(qeth_push_hdr);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(qeth_add_hw_header);
 
 static void __qeth_fill_buffer(struct sk_buff *skb,
 			       struct qeth_qdio_out_buffer *buf,
diff --git a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l2_main.c b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l2_main.c
index a785c5ff73cd..905f3bb3a87c 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l2_main.c
+++ b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l2_main.c
@@ -672,39 +672,21 @@ static int qeth_l2_xmit_osa(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
 			    int ipv)
 {
 	int push_len = sizeof(struct qeth_hdr);
-	unsigned int hdr_elements = 0;
 	struct qeth_hdr *hdr = NULL;
 	unsigned int hd_len = 0;
 	unsigned int elements;
 	bool is_sg;
 	int rc;
 
-	/* fix hardware limitation: as long as we do not have sbal
-	 * chaining we can not send long frag lists
-	 */
-	if (!qeth_get_elements_no(card, skb, 0, 0)) {
-		rc = skb_linearize(skb);
-
-		if (card->options.performance_stats) {
-			if (rc)
-				card->perf_stats.tx_linfail++;
-			else
-				card->perf_stats.tx_lin++;
-		}
-		if (rc)
-			return rc;
-	}
-
 	rc = skb_cow_head(skb, push_len);
 	if (rc)
 		return rc;
-	push_len = qeth_push_hdr(skb, &hdr, push_len);
+	push_len = qeth_add_hw_header(card, skb, &hdr, push_len, &elements);
 	if (push_len < 0)
 		return push_len;
 	if (!push_len) {
 		/* hdr was allocated from cache */
 		hd_len = sizeof(*hdr);
-		hdr_elements = 1;
 	}
 	qeth_l2_fill_header(hdr, skb, cast_type, skb->len - push_len);
 	if (skb->ip_summed == CHECKSUM_PARTIAL) {
@@ -713,18 +695,11 @@ static int qeth_l2_xmit_osa(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
 			card->perf_stats.tx_csum++;
 	}
 
-	elements = qeth_get_elements_no(card, skb, hdr_elements, 0);
-	if (!elements) {
-		rc = -E2BIG;
-		goto out;
-	}
-	elements += hdr_elements;
-
 	is_sg = skb_is_nonlinear(skb);
 	/* TODO: remove the skb_orphan() once TX completion is fast enough */
 	skb_orphan(skb);
 	rc = qeth_do_send_packet(card, queue, skb, hdr, 0, hd_len, elements);
-out:
+
 	if (!rc) {
 		if (card->options.performance_stats) {
 			card->perf_stats.buf_elements_sent += elements;
diff --git a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l3_main.c b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l3_main.c
index c12aeb7d8f26..f7bcc4853c45 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l3_main.c
+++ b/drivers/s390/net/qeth_l3_main.c
@@ -2166,28 +2166,13 @@ static int qeth_l3_xmit_offload(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
 				int cast_type)
 {
 	const unsigned int hw_hdr_len = sizeof(struct qeth_hdr);
+	unsigned int frame_len, elements;
 	unsigned char eth_hdr[ETH_HLEN];
-	unsigned int hdr_elements = 0;
 	struct qeth_hdr *hdr = NULL;
-	int elements, push_len, rc;
 	unsigned int hd_len = 0;
-	unsigned int frame_len;
+	int push_len, rc;
 	bool is_sg;
 
-	/* compress skb to fit into one IO buffer: */
-	if (!qeth_get_elements_no(card, skb, 0, 0)) {
-		rc = skb_linearize(skb);
-
-		if (card->options.performance_stats) {
-			if (rc)
-				card->perf_stats.tx_linfail++;
-			else
-				card->perf_stats.tx_lin++;
-		}
-		if (rc)
-			return rc;
-	}
-
 	/* re-use the L2 header area for the HW header: */
 	rc = skb_cow_head(skb, hw_hdr_len - ETH_HLEN);
 	if (rc)
@@ -2196,22 +2181,14 @@ static int qeth_l3_xmit_offload(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
 	skb_pull(skb, ETH_HLEN);
 	frame_len = skb->len;
 
-	push_len = qeth_push_hdr(skb, &hdr, hw_hdr_len);
+	push_len = qeth_add_hw_header(card, skb, &hdr, hw_hdr_len, &elements);
 	if (push_len < 0)
 		return push_len;
 	if (!push_len) {
 		/* hdr was added discontiguous from skb->data */
 		hd_len = hw_hdr_len;
-		hdr_elements = 1;
 	}
 
-	elements = qeth_get_elements_no(card, skb, hdr_elements, 0);
-	if (!elements) {
-		rc = -E2BIG;
-		goto out;
-	}
-	elements += hdr_elements;
-
 	if (skb->protocol == htons(ETH_P_AF_IUCV))
 		qeth_l3_fill_af_iucv_hdr(hdr, skb, frame_len);
 	else
@@ -2226,7 +2203,7 @@ static int qeth_l3_xmit_offload(struct qeth_card *card, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		rc = qeth_do_send_packet(card, queue, skb, hdr, 0, hd_len,
 					 elements);
 	}
-out:
+
 	if (!rc) {
 		if (card->options.performance_stats) {
 			card->perf_stats.buf_elements_sent += elements;