diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/deadcode.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/deadcode.go
index 2591b6f..5aad748 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/deadcode.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/deadcode.go
@@ -10,32 +10,16 @@
 	"cmd/internal/sys"
 	"cmd/link/internal/loader"
 	"cmd/link/internal/sym"
-	"container/heap"
 	"fmt"
 	"unicode"
 )
 
 var _ = fmt.Print
 
-type workQueue []loader.Sym
-
-// Implement container/heap.Interface.
-func (q *workQueue) Len() int           { return len(*q) }
-func (q *workQueue) Less(i, j int) bool { return (*q)[i] < (*q)[j] }
-func (q *workQueue) Swap(i, j int)      { (*q)[i], (*q)[j] = (*q)[j], (*q)[i] }
-func (q *workQueue) Push(i interface{}) { *q = append(*q, i.(loader.Sym)) }
-func (q *workQueue) Pop() interface{}   { i := (*q)[len(*q)-1]; *q = (*q)[:len(*q)-1]; return i }
-
-// Functions for deadcode pass to use.
-// Deadcode pass should call push/pop, not Push/Pop.
-func (q *workQueue) push(i loader.Sym) { heap.Push(q, i) }
-func (q *workQueue) pop() loader.Sym   { return heap.Pop(q).(loader.Sym) }
-func (q *workQueue) empty() bool       { return len(*q) == 0 }
-
 type deadcodePass struct {
 	ctxt *Link
 	ldr  *loader.Loader
-	wq   workQueue
+	wq   heap // work queue, using min-heap for beter locality
 
 	ifaceMethod     map[methodsig]bool // methods declared in reached interfaces
 	markableMethods []methodref        // methods of reached types
@@ -48,7 +32,6 @@
 	if objabi.Fieldtrack_enabled != 0 {
 		d.ldr.Reachparent = make([]loader.Sym, d.ldr.NSym())
 	}
-	heap.Init(&d.wq)
 
 	if d.ctxt.BuildMode == BuildModeShared {
 		// Mark all symbols defined in this library as reachable when
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea2d772
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap.go
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+// Copyright 2020 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package ld
+
+import "cmd/link/internal/loader"
+
+// Min-heap implementation, for the deadcode pass.
+// Specialized for loader.Sym elements.
+
+type heap []loader.Sym
+
+func (h *heap) push(s loader.Sym) {
+	*h = append(*h, s)
+	// sift up
+	n := len(*h) - 1
+	for n > 0 {
+		p := (n - 1) / 2 // parent
+		if (*h)[p] <= (*h)[n] {
+			break
+		}
+		(*h)[n], (*h)[p] = (*h)[p], (*h)[n]
+		n = p
+	}
+}
+
+func (h *heap) pop() loader.Sym {
+	r := (*h)[0]
+	n := len(*h) - 1
+	(*h)[0] = (*h)[n]
+	*h = (*h)[:n]
+
+	// sift down
+	i := 0
+	for {
+		c := 2*i + 1 // left child
+		if c >= n {
+			break
+		}
+		if c1 := c + 1; c1 < n && (*h)[c1] < (*h)[c] {
+			c = c1 // right child
+		}
+		if (*h)[i] <= (*h)[c] {
+			break
+		}
+		(*h)[i], (*h)[c] = (*h)[c], (*h)[i]
+		i = c
+	}
+
+	return r
+}
+
+func (h *heap) empty() bool { return len(*h) == 0 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap_test.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08c9030
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+// Copyright 2020 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package ld
+
+import (
+	"cmd/link/internal/loader"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestHeap(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := [][]loader.Sym{
+		{10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100},
+		{100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10},
+		{30, 50, 80, 20, 60, 70, 10, 100, 90, 40},
+	}
+	for _, s := range tests {
+		h := heap{}
+		for _, i := range s {
+			h.push(i)
+			if !verify(&h, 0) {
+				t.Errorf("heap invariant violated: %v", h)
+			}
+		}
+		for j := 0; j < len(s); j++ {
+			x := h.pop()
+			if !verify(&h, 0) {
+				t.Errorf("heap invariant violated: %v", h)
+			}
+			// pop should return elements in ascending order.
+			if want := loader.Sym((j + 1) * 10); x != want {
+				t.Errorf("pop returns wrong element: want %d, got %d", want, x)
+			}
+		}
+		if !h.empty() {
+			t.Errorf("heap is not empty after all pops")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Also check that mixed pushes and pops work correctly.
+	for _, s := range tests {
+		h := heap{}
+		for i := 0; i < len(s)/2; i++ {
+			// two pushes, one pop
+			h.push(s[2*i])
+			if !verify(&h, 0) {
+				t.Errorf("heap invariant violated: %v", h)
+			}
+			h.push(s[2*i+1])
+			if !verify(&h, 0) {
+				t.Errorf("heap invariant violated: %v", h)
+			}
+			h.pop()
+			if !verify(&h, 0) {
+				t.Errorf("heap invariant violated: %v", h)
+			}
+		}
+		for !h.empty() { // pop remaining elements
+			h.pop()
+			if !verify(&h, 0) {
+				t.Errorf("heap invariant violated: %v", h)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// recursively verify heap-ness, starting at element i.
+func verify(h *heap, i int) bool {
+	n := len(*h)
+	c1 := 2*i + 1 // left child
+	c2 := 2*i + 2 // right child
+	if c1 < n {
+		if (*h)[c1] < (*h)[i] {
+			return false
+		}
+		if !verify(h, c1) {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	if c2 < n {
+		if (*h)[c2] < (*h)[i] {
+			return false
+		}
+		if !verify(h, c2) {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}