diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index cee0375..b802b2e 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -295,3 +295,8 @@ add_subdirectory(exposed)
 if(ENABLE_TESTS)
     add_subdirectory(test)
 endif()
+if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "Release" OR CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "RelWithDebInfo")
+    add_subdirectory(bench)
+else()
+    message(STATUS "Benchmarking disabled in debug builds.")
+endif()
diff --git a/bench/CMakeLists.txt b/bench/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9531820
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# benchmark runner
+
+foreach(pkg_config_lib CAIRO)
+    include_directories(${${pkg_config_lib}_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    link_directories(${${pkg_config_lib}_LIBRARY_DIRS})
+endforeach()
+
+add_executable(solvespace_benchmark
+    harness.cpp)
+
+target_link_libraries(solvespace_benchmark
+    solvespace_headless)
diff --git a/bench/harness.cpp b/bench/harness.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdae469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/harness.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Our harness for running benchmarks.
+//
+// Copyright 2016 whitequark
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#include "solvespace.h"
+#if defined(WIN32)
+#include <windows.h>
+#else
+#include <unistd.h>
+#endif
+
+namespace SolveSpace {
+    // These are defined in headless.cpp, and aren't exposed in solvespace.h.
+    extern std::string resourceDir;
+}
+
+static std::string ResourceRoot() {
+    static std::string rootDir;
+    if(!rootDir.empty()) return rootDir;
+
+    // No especially good way to do this, so let's assume somewhere up from
+    // the current directory there's our repository, with CMakeLists.txt, and
+    // pivot from there.
+#if defined(WIN32)
+    wchar_t currentDirW[MAX_PATH];
+    GetCurrentDirectoryW(MAX_PATH, currentDirW);
+    rootDir = Narrow(currentDirW);
+#else
+    rootDir = ".";
+#endif
+
+    // We're never more than four levels deep.
+    for(size_t i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+        std::string listsPath = rootDir;
+        listsPath += PATH_SEP;
+        listsPath += "CMakeLists.txt";
+        FILE *f = ssfopen(listsPath, "r");
+        if(f) {
+            fclose(f);
+            rootDir += PATH_SEP;
+            rootDir += "res";
+            return rootDir;
+        }
+
+        if(rootDir[0] == '.') {
+            rootDir += PATH_SEP;
+            rootDir += "..";
+        } else {
+            rootDir.erase(rootDir.rfind(PATH_SEP));
+        }
+    }
+
+    ssassert(false, "Couldn't locate repository root");
+}
+
+static bool RunBenchmark(std::function<void()> setupFn,
+                         std::function<bool()> benchFn,
+                         std::function<void()> teardownFn,
+                         size_t minIter = 5, double minTime = 5.0) {
+    // Warmup
+    setupFn();
+    if(!benchFn()) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Benchmark failed\n");
+        return false;
+    }
+    teardownFn();
+
+    // Benchmark
+    size_t iter = 0;
+    double time = 0.0;
+    while(iter < minIter || time < minTime) {
+        setupFn();
+        auto testStartTime = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+        benchFn();
+        auto testEndTime = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+        teardownFn();
+
+        std::chrono::duration<double> testTime = testEndTime - testStartTime;
+        time += testTime.count();
+        iter += 1;
+    }
+
+    // Report
+    fprintf(stdout, "Iterations: %zd\n", iter);
+    fprintf(stdout, "Time:       %.3f s\n", time);
+    fprintf(stdout, "Per iter.:  %.3f s\n", time / (double)iter);
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv) {
+#if defined(_MSC_VER)
+    _set_abort_behavior(0, _WRITE_ABORT_MSG);
+#endif
+#if defined(WIN32)
+    InitHeaps();
+#endif
+
+    resourceDir = ResourceRoot();
+
+    std::string mode, filename;
+    if(argc == 3) {
+        mode = argv[1];
+        filename = argv[2];
+    } else {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s [mode] [filename]\n", argv[0]);
+        fprintf(stderr, "Mode can be one of: load.\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    bool result = false;
+    if(mode == "load") {
+        result = RunBenchmark(
+            [] {
+                SS.Init();
+            },
+            [&] {
+                if(!SS.LoadFromFile(filename))
+                    return false;
+                if(!SS.ReloadAllImported(/*canCancel=*/false))
+                    return false;
+                SS.AfterNewFile();
+                return true;
+            },
+            [] {
+                SK.Clear();
+                SS.Clear();
+            });
+    } else {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Unknown mode \"%s\"\n", mode.c_str());
+    }
+
+    return (result == true ? 0 : 1);
+}