diff --git a/libsmartcols/src/buffer.c b/libsmartcols/src/buffer.c
index 20953a5dc..d376e8fb8 100644
--- a/libsmartcols/src/buffer.c
+++ b/libsmartcols/src/buffer.c
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ char *buffer_get_safe_data(struct libscols_table *tb,
 			goto nothing;
 	}
 
-	if (tb->no_encode) {
-		*cells = mbs_safe_width(data);
+	if (scols_table_is_noencoding(tb)) {
+		*cells = mbs_width(data);
 		strcpy(buf->encdata, data);
 		res = buf->encdata;
 	} else {
diff --git a/libsmartcols/src/calculate.c b/libsmartcols/src/calculate.c
index 360c7e0c1..b6137fd23 100644
--- a/libsmartcols/src/calculate.c
+++ b/libsmartcols/src/calculate.c
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ static int count_cell_width(struct libscols_table *tb,
 		len = 0;
 	else if (scols_column_is_customwrap(cl))
 		len = cl->wrap_chunksize(cl, data, cl->wrapfunc_data);
+	else if (scols_table_is_noencoding(tb))
+		len = mbs_width(data);
 	else
 		len = mbs_safe_width(data);
 
@@ -101,13 +103,18 @@ static int count_column_width(struct libscols_table *tb,
 
 	cl->width = 0;
 	if (!cl->width_min) {
+		const char *data;
+
 		if (cl->width_hint < 1 && scols_table_is_maxout(tb) && tb->is_term) {
 			cl->width_min = (size_t) (cl->width_hint * tb->termwidth);
 			if (cl->width_min && !is_last_column(cl))
 				cl->width_min--;
 		}
-		if (scols_cell_get_data(&cl->header)) {
-			size_t len = mbs_safe_width(scols_cell_get_data(&cl->header));
+
+		data = scols_cell_get_data(&cl->header);
+		if (data) {
+			size_t len = scols_table_is_noencoding(tb) ?
+					mbs_width(data) : mbs_safe_width(data);
 			cl->width_min = max(cl->width_min, len);
 		} else
 			no_header = 1;
@@ -189,7 +196,9 @@ int __scols_calculate(struct libscols_table *tb, struct libscols_buffer *buf)
 	DBG(TAB, ul_debugobj(tb, "-----calculate-(termwidth=%zu)-----", tb->termwidth));
 	tb->is_dummy_print = 1;
 
-	colsepsz = mbs_safe_width(colsep(tb));
+	colsepsz = scols_table_is_noencoding(tb) ?
+			mbs_width(colsep(tb)) :
+			mbs_safe_width(colsep(tb));
 
 	if (has_groups(tb))
 		group_ncolumns = 1;
diff --git a/libsmartcols/src/column.c b/libsmartcols/src/column.c
index 4b42938f6..f95264b36 100644
--- a/libsmartcols/src/column.c
+++ b/libsmartcols/src/column.c
@@ -338,11 +338,15 @@ size_t scols_wrapnl_chunksize(const struct libscols_column *cl __attribute__((un
 
 		p = strchr(data, '\n');
 		if (p) {
-			sz = mbs_safe_nwidth(data, p - data, NULL);
+			sz = cl->table && scols_table_is_noencoding(cl->table) ?
+					mbs_nwidth(data, p - data) :
+					mbs_safe_nwidth(data, p - data, NULL);
 			p++;
-		} else
-			sz = mbs_safe_width(data);
-
+		} else {
+			sz = cl->table && scols_table_is_noencoding(cl->table) ?
+					mbs_width(data) :
+					mbs_safe_width(data);
+		}
 		sum = max(sum, sz);
 		data = p;
 	}
diff --git a/libsmartcols/src/print.c b/libsmartcols/src/print.c
index c92154219..117253360 100644
--- a/libsmartcols/src/print.c
+++ b/libsmartcols/src/print.c
@@ -233,7 +233,9 @@ static void print_empty_cell(struct libscols_table *tb,
 			/* only print symbols->vert if followed by child */
 			if (!list_empty(&ln->ln_branch)) {
 				fputs(vertical_symbol(tb), tb->out);
-				len_pad = mbs_safe_width(vertical_symbol(tb));
+				len_pad = scols_table_is_noencoding(tb) ?
+						mbs_width(vertical_symbol(tb)) :
+						mbs_safe_width(vertical_symbol(tb));
 			}
 		} else {
 			/* use the same draw function as though we were intending to draw an L-shape */
@@ -393,7 +395,9 @@ static int print_pending_data(
 	    && (nextchunk = cl->wrap_nextchunk(cl, data, cl->wrapfunc_data))) {
 		bytes = nextchunk - data;
 
-		len = mbs_safe_nwidth(data, bytes, NULL);
+		len = scols_table_is_noencoding(tb) ?
+				mbs_nwidth(data, bytes) :
+				mbs_safe_nwidth(data, bytes, NULL);
 	} else
 		bytes = mbs_truncate(data, &len);
 
@@ -511,7 +515,10 @@ static int print_data(struct libscols_table *tb,
 	    && (nextchunk = cl->wrap_nextchunk(cl, data, cl->wrapfunc_data))) {
 		set_pending_data(cl, nextchunk, bytes - (nextchunk - data));
 		bytes = nextchunk - data;
-		len = mbs_safe_nwidth(data, bytes, NULL);
+
+		len = scols_table_is_noencoding(tb) ?
+				mbs_nwidth(data, bytes) :
+				mbs_safe_nwidth(data, bytes, NULL);
 	}
 
 	if (is_last