A plurality of free list data structures are maintained in a multi-processor computing system that each correspond to one processor of the multi-processor computing system and that each comprise an ordered queue of processor-specific items. Thereafter, a number of processor-specific items allocated to each free list data structure is calculated. Processor-specific items allocated to a first of the free list data structures are moved to a second of the free list data structures when the number of calculated processor-specific items in the first free data structure exceeds a first threshold. In addition, processor-specific items allocated to the second of the free list data structures are moved to the first of the free list data structures when the number of calculated processor-specific items in the first free data structure is below a second threshold. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.