diff --git a/src/backend/access/heap/heapam_handler.c b/src/backend/access/heap/heapam_handler.c
index 8d8161fd971..56b2abda5fb 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/heap/heapam_handler.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/heap/heapam_handler.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "access/rewriteheap.h"
 #include "access/tableam.h"
 #include "access/tsmapi.h"
+#include "access/tuptoaster.h"
 #include "access/xact.h"
 #include "catalog/catalog.h"
 #include "catalog/index.h"
@@ -2009,6 +2010,57 @@ heapam_relation_size(Relation rel, ForkNumber forkNumber)
 	return nblocks * BLCKSZ;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Check to see whether the table needs a TOAST table.  It does only if
+ * (1) there are any toastable attributes, and (2) the maximum length
+ * of a tuple could exceed TOAST_TUPLE_THRESHOLD.  (We don't want to
+ * create a toast table for something like "f1 varchar(20)".)
+ */
+static bool
+heapam_relation_needs_toast_table(Relation rel)
+{
+	int32		data_length = 0;
+	bool		maxlength_unknown = false;
+	bool		has_toastable_attrs = false;
+	TupleDesc	tupdesc = rel->rd_att;
+	int32		tuple_length;
+	int			i;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < tupdesc->natts; i++)
+	{
+		Form_pg_attribute att = TupleDescAttr(tupdesc, i);
+
+		if (att->attisdropped)
+			continue;
+		data_length = att_align_nominal(data_length, att->attalign);
+		if (att->attlen > 0)
+		{
+			/* Fixed-length types are never toastable */
+			data_length += att->attlen;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			int32		maxlen = type_maximum_size(att->atttypid,
+												   att->atttypmod);
+
+			if (maxlen < 0)
+				maxlength_unknown = true;
+			else
+				data_length += maxlen;
+			if (att->attstorage != 'p')
+				has_toastable_attrs = true;
+		}
+	}
+	if (!has_toastable_attrs)
+		return false;			/* nothing to toast? */
+	if (maxlength_unknown)
+		return true;			/* any unlimited-length attrs? */
+	tuple_length = MAXALIGN(SizeofHeapTupleHeader +
+							BITMAPLEN(tupdesc->natts)) +
+		MAXALIGN(data_length);
+	return (tuple_length > TOAST_TUPLE_THRESHOLD);
+}
+
 
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  * Planner related callbacks for the heap AM
@@ -2592,6 +2644,7 @@ static const TableAmRoutine heapam_methods = {
 	.index_validate_scan = heapam_index_validate_scan,
 
 	.relation_size = heapam_relation_size,
+	.relation_needs_toast_table = heapam_relation_needs_toast_table,
 
 	.relation_estimate_size = heapam_estimate_rel_size,
 
diff --git a/src/backend/catalog/toasting.c b/src/backend/catalog/toasting.c
index 2276d3c5d36..cf20ddb4e92 100644
--- a/src/backend/catalog/toasting.c
+++ b/src/backend/catalog/toasting.c
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 #include "postgres.h"
 
 #include "access/heapam.h"
-#include "access/tuptoaster.h"
 #include "access/xact.h"
 #include "catalog/binary_upgrade.h"
 #include "catalog/catalog.h"
@@ -386,21 +385,11 @@ create_toast_table(Relation rel, Oid toastOid, Oid toastIndexOid,
 }
 
 /*
- * Check to see whether the table needs a TOAST table.  It does only if
- * (1) there are any toastable attributes, and (2) the maximum length
- * of a tuple could exceed TOAST_TUPLE_THRESHOLD.  (We don't want to
- * create a toast table for something like "f1 varchar(20)".)
+ * Check to see whether the table needs a TOAST table.
  */
 static bool
 needs_toast_table(Relation rel)
 {
-	int32		data_length = 0;
-	bool		maxlength_unknown = false;
-	bool		has_toastable_attrs = false;
-	TupleDesc	tupdesc;
-	int32		tuple_length;
-	int			i;
-
 	/*
 	 * No need to create a TOAST table for partitioned tables.
 	 */
@@ -423,39 +412,6 @@ needs_toast_table(Relation rel)
 	if (IsCatalogRelation(rel) && !IsBootstrapProcessingMode())
 		return false;
 
-	tupdesc = rel->rd_att;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < tupdesc->natts; i++)
-	{
-		Form_pg_attribute att = TupleDescAttr(tupdesc, i);
-
-		if (att->attisdropped)
-			continue;
-		data_length = att_align_nominal(data_length, att->attalign);
-		if (att->attlen > 0)
-		{
-			/* Fixed-length types are never toastable */
-			data_length += att->attlen;
-		}
-		else
-		{
-			int32		maxlen = type_maximum_size(att->atttypid,
-												   att->atttypmod);
-
-			if (maxlen < 0)
-				maxlength_unknown = true;
-			else
-				data_length += maxlen;
-			if (att->attstorage != 'p')
-				has_toastable_attrs = true;
-		}
-	}
-	if (!has_toastable_attrs)
-		return false;			/* nothing to toast? */
-	if (maxlength_unknown)
-		return true;			/* any unlimited-length attrs? */
-	tuple_length = MAXALIGN(SizeofHeapTupleHeader +
-							BITMAPLEN(tupdesc->natts)) +
-		MAXALIGN(data_length);
-	return (tuple_length > TOAST_TUPLE_THRESHOLD);
+	/* Otherwise, let the AM decide. */
+	return table_relation_needs_toast_table(rel);
 }
diff --git a/src/include/access/tableam.h b/src/include/access/tableam.h
index 06eae2337a3..53b58c51da2 100644
--- a/src/include/access/tableam.h
+++ b/src/include/access/tableam.h
@@ -573,6 +573,16 @@ typedef struct TableAmRoutine
 	uint64		(*relation_size) (Relation rel, ForkNumber forkNumber);
 
 
+	/*
+	 * This callback should return true if the relation requires a TOAST table
+	 * and false if it does not.  It may wish to examine the relation's
+	 * tuple descriptor before making a decision, but if it uses some other
+	 * method of storing large values (or if it does not support them) it can
+	 * simply return false.
+	 */
+	bool	    (*relation_needs_toast_table) (Relation rel);
+
+
 	/* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	 * Planner related functions.
 	 * ------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1585,6 +1595,16 @@ table_relation_size(Relation rel, ForkNumber forkNumber)
 	return rel->rd_tableam->relation_size(rel, forkNumber);
 }
 
+/*
+ * table_needs_toast_table - does this relation need a toast table?
+ */
+static inline bool
+table_relation_needs_toast_table(Relation rel)
+{
+	return rel->rd_tableam->relation_needs_toast_table(rel);
+}
+
+
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  * Planner related functionality
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------