diff --git a/pytential/qbx/geometry.py b/pytential/qbx/geometry.py
index 71160948543fcdc225be382d2ed2ffcf5ef7aec3..e9e7fd928ec702f5ad9167590e82322c4f55996d 100644
--- a/pytential/qbx/geometry.py
+++ b/pytential/qbx/geometry.py
@@ -781,8 +781,9 @@ class QBXFMMGeometryData(object):
             nqbx_centers = self.ncenters
             flags[:nqbx_centers] = 0
 
-            from boxtree.tree import filter_target_lists_in_tree_order
-            result = filter_target_lists_in_tree_order(queue, self.tree(), flags)
+            tree = self.tree()
+            plfilt = self.code_getter.particle_list_filter()
+            result = plfilt.filter_target_lists_in_tree_order(queue, tree, flags)
 
             logger.info("find non-qbx box target lists: done")
 
diff --git a/pytential/qbx/utils.py b/pytential/qbx/utils.py
index d03e8365fa188d55a04a78c41b56279af883a318..ecb939de841d7b567b735d52ff26b327a72d50b1 100644
--- a/pytential/qbx/utils.py
+++ b/pytential/qbx/utils.py
@@ -154,6 +154,11 @@ class TreeCodeContainer(object):
         from boxtree.area_query import PeerListFinder
         return PeerListFinder(self.cl_context)
 
+    @memoize_method
+    def particle_list_filter(self):
+        from boxtree.tree import ParticleListFilter
+        return ParticleListFilter(self.cl_context)
+
 # }}}
 
 
@@ -170,6 +175,9 @@ class TreeCodeContainerMixin(object):
     def peer_list_finder(self):
         return self.tree_code_container.peer_list_finder()
 
+    def particle_list_filter(self):
+        return self.tree_code_container.particle_list_filter()
+
 # }}}
 
 
@@ -180,9 +188,10 @@ class TreeWranglerBase(object):
     def build_tree(self, lpot_source, targets_list=(),
                    use_stage2_discr=False):
         tb = self.code_container.build_tree()
+        plfilt = self.code_container.particle_list_filter()
         from pytential.qbx.utils import build_tree_with_qbx_metadata
         return build_tree_with_qbx_metadata(
-                self.queue, tb, lpot_source, targets_list=targets_list,
+                self.queue, tb, plfilt, lpot_source, targets_list=targets_list,
                 use_stage2_discr=use_stage2_discr)
 
     def find_peer_lists(self, tree):
@@ -448,7 +457,7 @@ MAX_REFINE_WEIGHT = 64
 
 
 def build_tree_with_qbx_metadata(
-        queue, tree_builder, lpot_source, targets_list=(),
+        queue, tree_builder, particle_list_filter, lpot_source, targets_list=(),
         use_stage2_discr=False):
     """Return a :class:`TreeWithQBXMetadata` built from the given layer
     potential source. This contains particles of four different types:
@@ -542,9 +551,9 @@ def build_tree_with_qbx_metadata(
         flags[particle_slice].fill(1)
         flags.finish()
 
-        from boxtree.tree import filter_target_lists_in_user_order
         box_to_class = (
-            filter_target_lists_in_user_order(queue, tree, flags)
+            particle_list_filter
+            .filter_target_lists_in_user_order(queue, tree, flags)
             .with_queue(queue))
 
         if fixup: