diff --git a/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.c b/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.c
index 87580444..27b26576 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.c
+++ b/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.c
@@ -27,55 +27,6 @@
 
 //------------------------------ sparse operations -------------------------------------------------
 
-// dot-product, first vector is sparse
-//  flg_unc1: is vec1 memory layout uncompressed
-mjtNum mju_dotSparse(const mjtNum* vec1, const mjtNum* vec2, int nnz1, const int* ind1,
-                     int flg_unc1) {
-#ifdef mjUSEAVX
-  return mju_dotSparse_avx(vec1, vec2, nnz1, ind1, flg_unc1);
-#else
-  int i = 0;
-  mjtNum res = 0;
-  int n_4 = nnz1 - 4;
-  mjtNum res0 = 0;
-  mjtNum res1 = 0;
-  mjtNum res2 = 0;
-  mjtNum res3 = 0;
-
-
-  if (flg_unc1) {
-    for (; i <= n_4; i+=4) {
-      res0 += vec1[ind1[i+0]] * vec2[ind1[i+0]];
-      res1 += vec1[ind1[i+1]] * vec2[ind1[i+1]];
-      res2 += vec1[ind1[i+2]] * vec2[ind1[i+2]];
-      res3 += vec1[ind1[i+3]] * vec2[ind1[i+3]];
-    }
-  } else {
-    for (; i <= n_4; i+=4) {
-      res0 += vec1[i+0] * vec2[ind1[i+0]];
-      res1 += vec1[i+1] * vec2[ind1[i+1]];
-      res2 += vec1[i+2] * vec2[ind1[i+2]];
-      res3 += vec1[i+3] * vec2[ind1[i+3]];
-    }
-  }
-  res = (res0 + res2) + (res1 + res3);
-
-  // scalar part
-  if (flg_unc1) {
-    for (; i < nnz1; i++) {
-      res += vec1[ind1[i]] * vec2[ind1[i]];
-    }
-  } else {
-    for (; i < nnz1; i++) {
-      res += vec1[i] * vec2[ind1[i]];
-    }
-  }
-
-  return res;
-#endif  // mjUSEAVX
-}
-
-
 
 // dot-productX3, first vector is sparse; supernode of size 3
 void mju_dotSparseX3(mjtNum* res0, mjtNum* res1, mjtNum* res2,
diff --git a/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.h b/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.h
index d1dc2d5d..319af57b 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.h
+++ b/src/engine/engine_util_sparse.h
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@ extern "C" {
 
 //------------------------------ sparse operations -------------------------------------------------
 
-// dot-product, vec1 is sparse, can be uncompressed
-MJAPI mjtNum mju_dotSparse(const mjtNum* vec1, const mjtNum* vec2, int nnz1, const int* ind1,
-                           int flg_unc1);
-
 // dot-product, both vectors are sparse, vec2 can be uncompressed
 MJAPI mjtNum mju_dotSparse2(const mjtNum* vec1, const mjtNum* vec2, int nnz1, const int* ind1,
                             int nnz2, const int* ind2, int flg_unc2);
@@ -114,6 +110,58 @@ MJAPI void mju_sqrMatTDUncompressedInit(int* res_rowadr, int nc);
 MJAPI int mju_cholFactorNNZ(int* L_rownnz, const int* rownnz, const int* rowadr, const int* colind,
                             int n, mjData* d);
 
+// ------------------------------ inlined functions ------------------------------------------------
+
+// dot-product, first vector is sparse
+//  flg_unc1: is vec1 memory layout uncompressed
+static inline
+mjtNum mju_dotSparse(const mjtNum* vec1, const mjtNum* vec2, int nnz1, const int* ind1,
+                     int flg_unc1) {
+#ifdef mjUSEAVX
+  return mju_dotSparse_avx(vec1, vec2, nnz1, ind1, flg_unc1);
+#else
+  int i = 0;
+  mjtNum res = 0;
+  int n_4 = nnz1 - 4;
+  mjtNum res0 = 0;
+  mjtNum res1 = 0;
+  mjtNum res2 = 0;
+  mjtNum res3 = 0;
+
+
+  if (flg_unc1) {
+    for (; i <= n_4; i+=4) {
+      res0 += vec1[ind1[i+0]] * vec2[ind1[i+0]];
+      res1 += vec1[ind1[i+1]] * vec2[ind1[i+1]];
+      res2 += vec1[ind1[i+2]] * vec2[ind1[i+2]];
+      res3 += vec1[ind1[i+3]] * vec2[ind1[i+3]];
+    }
+  } else {
+    for (; i <= n_4; i+=4) {
+      res0 += vec1[i+0] * vec2[ind1[i+0]];
+      res1 += vec1[i+1] * vec2[ind1[i+1]];
+      res2 += vec1[i+2] * vec2[ind1[i+2]];
+      res3 += vec1[i+3] * vec2[ind1[i+3]];
+    }
+  }
+  res = (res0 + res2) + (res1 + res3);
+
+  // scalar part
+  if (flg_unc1) {
+    for (; i < nnz1; i++) {
+      res += vec1[ind1[i]] * vec2[ind1[i]];
+    }
+  } else {
+    for (; i < nnz1; i++) {
+      res += vec1[i] * vec2[ind1[i]];
+    }
+  }
+
+  return res;
+#endif  // mjUSEAVX
+}
+
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif