diff --git a/src/blockdata/block.rs b/src/blockdata/block.rs
index af2a7b78..bcd705c1 100644
--- a/src/blockdata/block.rs
+++ b/src/blockdata/block.rs
@@ -422,3 +422,51 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(header.bits, BlockHeader::compact_target_from_u256(&header.target()));
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(all(test, feature = "unstable"))]
+mod benches {
+    use super::Block;
+    use EmptyWrite;
+    use consensus::{deserialize, Encodable};
+    use hashes::hex::FromHex;
+    use test::{black_box, Bencher};
+
+    const SOME_BLOCK: &'static str = "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+
+    #[bench]
+    pub fn bench_block_serialize(bh: &mut Bencher) {
+        let raw_block = Vec::from_hex(SOME_BLOCK).unwrap();
+
+        let block: Block = deserialize(&raw_block).unwrap();
+
+        let mut data = Vec::with_capacity(raw_block.len());
+
+        bh.iter(|| {
+            let result = block.consensus_encode(&mut data);
+            black_box(&result);
+            data.clear();
+        });
+    }
+
+    #[bench]
+    pub fn bench_block_serialize_logic(bh: &mut Bencher) {
+        let raw_block = Vec::from_hex(SOME_BLOCK).unwrap();
+
+        let block: Block = deserialize(&raw_block).unwrap();
+
+        bh.iter(|| {
+            let size = block.consensus_encode(&mut EmptyWrite);
+            black_box(&size);
+        });
+    }
+
+    #[bench]
+    pub fn bench_block_deserialize(bh: &mut Bencher) {
+        let raw_block = Vec::from_hex(SOME_BLOCK).unwrap();
+
+        bh.iter(|| {
+            let block: Block = deserialize(&raw_block).unwrap();
+            black_box(&block);
+        });
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 4804f697..3999e13f 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -99,3 +99,33 @@ pub use util::amount::SignedAmount;
 pub use util::key::PrivateKey;
 pub use util::key::PublicKey;
 pub use util::merkleblock::MerkleBlock;
+
+#[cfg(all(test, feature = "unstable"))] use tests::EmptyWrite;
+
+#[cfg(all(test, feature = "unstable"))]
+mod tests {
+    use hashes::core::fmt::Arguments;
+    use std::io::{IoSlice, Result, Write};
+
+    #[derive(Default, Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+    pub struct EmptyWrite;
+
+    impl Write for EmptyWrite {
+        fn write(&mut self, buf: &[u8]) -> Result<usize> {
+            Ok(buf.len())
+        }
+        fn write_vectored(&mut self, bufs: &[IoSlice]) -> Result<usize> {
+            Ok(bufs.iter().map(|s| s.len()).sum())
+        }
+        fn flush(&mut self) -> Result<()> {
+            Ok(())
+        }
+
+        fn write_all(&mut self, _: &[u8]) -> Result<()> {
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        fn write_fmt(&mut self, _: Arguments) -> Result<()> {
+            Ok(())
+        }
+    }
+}