diff --git a/database/interface_test.go b/database/interface_test.go
index c07f73805..ef89dfacd 100644
--- a/database/interface_test.go
+++ b/database/interface_test.go
@@ -549,13 +549,8 @@ func testInterface(t *testing.T, dbType string) {
 		// Get the appropriate block and hash and update the test
 		// context accordingly.
 		block := blocks[height]
-		blockHash, err := block.Sha()
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("block.Sha: %v", err)
-			return
-		}
 		context.blockHeight = height
-		context.blockHash = blockHash
+		context.blockHash = block.Sha()
 		context.block = block
 
 		// The block must insert without any errors and return the
@@ -590,13 +585,8 @@ func testInterface(t *testing.T, dbType string) {
 		// Get the appropriate block and hash and update the
 		// test context accordingly.
 		block := blocks[height]
-		blockHash, err := block.Sha()
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("block.Sha: %v", err)
-			return
-		}
 		context.blockHeight = height
-		context.blockHash = blockHash
+		context.blockHash = block.Sha()
 		context.block = block
 
 		testIntegrity(&context)
diff --git a/database/ldb/dup_test.go b/database/ldb/dup_test.go
index caf0ddad1..39b2cd87c 100644
--- a/database/ldb/dup_test.go
+++ b/database/ldb/dup_test.go
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ out:
 			t.Errorf("height doe not match latest block height %v %v %v", blkid, height, err)
 		}
 
-		blkSha, _ := block.Sha()
+		blkSha := block.Sha()
 		if *newSha != *blkSha {
 			t.Errorf("Newest block sha does not match freshly inserted one %v %v %v ", newSha, blkSha, err)
 		}
diff --git a/database/ldb/insertremove_test.go b/database/ldb/insertremove_test.go
index 1c53cc2f9..9640d45ae 100644
--- a/database/ldb/insertremove_test.go
+++ b/database/ldb/insertremove_test.go
@@ -150,9 +150,8 @@ endtest:
 			continue
 		}
 		dropblock := blocks[height-1]
-		dropsha, _ := dropblock.Sha()
 
-		err = db.DropAfterBlockBySha(dropsha)
+		err = db.DropAfterBlockBySha(dropblock.Sha())
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("failed to drop block %v err %v", height, err)
 			break endtest
diff --git a/database/ldb/operational_test.go b/database/ldb/operational_test.go
index d86b7c5d0..1219b32e5 100644
--- a/database/ldb/operational_test.go
+++ b/database/ldb/operational_test.go
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ out:
 			t.Errorf("height does not match latest block height %v %v %v", blkid, height, err)
 		}
 
-		blkSha, _ := block.Sha()
+		blkSha := block.Sha()
 		if *newSha != *blkSha {
 			t.Errorf("Newest block sha does not match freshly inserted one %v %v %v ", newSha, blkSha, err)
 		}
@@ -345,11 +345,7 @@ func testBackout(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}()
 
-	sha, err := testDb.blocks[99].Sha()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("failed to get block 99 sha err %v", err)
-		return
-	}
+	sha := testDb.blocks[99].Sha()
 	if _, err := testDb.db.ExistsSha(sha); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("ExistsSha: unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -359,11 +355,7 @@ func testBackout(t *testing.T) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	sha, err = testDb.blocks[119].Sha()
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("failed to get block 110 sha err %v", err)
-		return
-	}
+	sha = testDb.blocks[119].Sha()
 	if _, err := testDb.db.ExistsSha(sha); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("ExistsSha: unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -472,11 +464,7 @@ func testFetchHeightRange(t *testing.T, db database.Db, blocks []*btcutil.Block)
 	nBlocks := int64(len(blocks))
 
 	for i := range blocks {
-		blockSha, err := blocks[i].Sha()
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("FetchHeightRange: unexpected failure computing block sah %v", err)
-		}
-		shanames[i] = blockSha
+		shanames[i] = blocks[i].Sha()
 	}
 
 	for startheight := int64(0); startheight < nBlocks; startheight += testincrement {
@@ -557,7 +545,7 @@ func TestLimitAndSkipFetchTxsForAddr(t *testing.T) {
 		copy(hash160[:], scriptAddr[:])
 		index[hash160] = append(index[hash160], &txLoc[i])
 	}
-	blkSha, _ := testBlock.Sha()
+	blkSha := testBlock.Sha()
 	err = testDb.db.UpdateAddrIndexForBlock(blkSha, newheight, index)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("UpdateAddrIndexForBlock: failed to index"+
diff --git a/database/reorg_test.go b/database/reorg_test.go
index 344a358c0..5ba8fbb58 100644
--- a/database/reorg_test.go
+++ b/database/reorg_test.go
@@ -34,13 +34,10 @@ func testReorganization(t *testing.T, dbType string) {
 	}
 
 	for i := int64(0); i <= 2; i++ {
-		blkHash, err := blocks[i].Sha()
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Error getting SHA for block %d: %v", i, err)
-		}
 		_, err = db.InsertBlock(blocks[i])
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Error inserting block %d (%v): %v", i, blkHash, err)
+			t.Fatalf("Error inserting block %d (%v): %v", i,
+				blocks[i].Sha(), err)
 		}
 		var txIDs []string
 		for _, tx := range blocks[i].Transactions() {
@@ -49,10 +46,7 @@ func testReorganization(t *testing.T, dbType string) {
 	}
 
 	for i := int64(1); i >= 0; i-- {
-		blkHash, err := blocks[i].Sha()
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("Error getting SHA for block %d: %v", i, err)
-		}
+		blkHash := blocks[i].Sha()
 		err = db.DropAfterBlockBySha(blkHash)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Error removing block %d for reorganization: %v", i, err)
@@ -70,7 +64,7 @@ func testReorganization(t *testing.T, dbType string) {
 	}
 
 	for i := int64(3); i < int64(len(blocks)); i++ {
-		blkHash, err := blocks[i].Sha()
+		blkHash := blocks[i].Sha()
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Error getting SHA for block %dA: %v", i-2, err)
 		}