diff --git a/lib/blockchain/chain.js b/lib/blockchain/chain.js
index cc55c97a..8551caaa 100644
--- a/lib/blockchain/chain.js
+++ b/lib/blockchain/chain.js
@@ -347,12 +347,26 @@ class Chain extends AsyncEmitter {
       if (this.options.spv)
         return this.state;
 
+      // Check merkle root.
+      if (flags & common.flags.VERIFY_BODY) {
+        assert(typeof block.createMerkleRoot === 'function');
+
+        const root = block.createMerkleRoot('hex');
+
+        if (!root || block.merkleRoot !== root) {
+          throw new VerifyError(block,
+            'invalid',
+            'bad-txnmrklroot',
+            100);
+        }
+
+        flags &= ~common.flags.VERIFY_BODY;
+      }
+
       // Once segwit is active, we will still
       // need to check for block mutability.
       if (!block.hasWitness() && !block.getCommitmentHash())
         return new DeploymentState();
-
-      flags &= ~common.flags.VERIFY_BODY;
     }
 
     // Non-contextual checks.
diff --git a/lib/primitives/block.js b/lib/primitives/block.js
index 2749a77e..f620df72 100644
--- a/lib/primitives/block.js
+++ b/lib/primitives/block.js
@@ -416,17 +416,6 @@ class Block extends AbstractBlock {
    */
 
   checkBody() {
-    // Check merkle root.
-    const root = this.createMerkleRoot('hex');
-
-    // If the merkle is mutated,
-    // we have duplicate txs.
-    if (!root)
-      return [false, 'bad-txns-duplicate', 100];
-
-    if (this.merkleRoot !== root)
-      return [false, 'bad-txnmrklroot', 100];
-
     // Check base size.
     if (this.txs.length === 0
         || this.txs.length > consensus.MAX_BLOCK_SIZE
@@ -438,6 +427,17 @@ class Block extends AbstractBlock {
     if (this.txs.length === 0 || !this.txs[0].isCoinbase())
       return [false, 'bad-cb-missing', 100];
 
+    // Check merkle root.
+    const root = this.createMerkleRoot('hex');
+
+    // If the merkle is mutated,
+    // we have duplicate txs.
+    if (!root)
+      return [false, 'bad-txns-duplicate', 100];
+
+    if (this.merkleRoot !== root)
+      return [false, 'bad-txnmrklroot', 100];
+
     // Test all transactions.
     const scale = consensus.WITNESS_SCALE_FACTOR;