diff --git a/lib/ImageWorker.js b/lib/ImageWorker.js
index 743e1c9..53869de 100644
--- a/lib/ImageWorker.js
+++ b/lib/ImageWorker.js
@@ -3,15 +3,10 @@
 import React, { Component } from 'react';
 
 const webWorkerScript = `
+  const handleResponse = response => response.blob();
   self.addEventListener('message', event => {
     const url = event.data;
-    fetch(url, {
-        method: 'GET',
-        mode: 'no-cors',
-        cache: 'default'
-    }).then(response => {
-        return response.blob();
-    }).then(_ => postMessage(url));
+    fetch(url, { mode: 'no-cors' }).then(handleResponse).then(() => postMessage(url));
   })
 `;
 
@@ -34,11 +29,44 @@ const wrappedComponent = WrappedComponent => props => {
   return <WrappedComponent {...props} />;
 };
 
+/** Have we initiated the worker pool already? */
+let workerPoolCreated = false;
+const workerPool = [];
+
+function createWorkerPool() {
+  const blobURL = URL.createObjectURL(
+    new Blob([webWorkerScript], { type: 'application/javascript' })
+  );
+  for (let i = 0; i < window.navigator.hardwareConcurrency || 4; ++i) {
+    workerPool.push({
+      worker: new Worker(blobURL),
+      inUse: false,
+      i
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+/** Returns the next available worker. */
+function getNextWorker() {
+  for (let i = 0; i < workerPool.length; ++i) {
+    const worker = workerPool[i];
+    if (!worker.inUse) {
+      worker.inUse = true;
+      return worker;
+    }
+  }
+  // no free found, so we just return the first one
+  return workerPool[0];
+}
+
+/** Marks worker `index` as available. */
+function setFree(index: number) {
+  workerPool[index].inUse = false;
+}
+
+
 class ImageWorker extends Component<ImageWorkerProps, ImageWorkerState> {
   image: HTMLImageElement;
-  worker = new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(
-    new Blob([webWorkerScript], { type: 'application/javascript' })
-  ))
 
   state = {
     isLoading: true,
@@ -46,21 +74,26 @@ class ImageWorker extends Component<ImageWorkerProps, ImageWorkerState> {
   }
   constructor(props: ImageWorkerProps) {
     super(props);
-    this.worker.onmessage = (event: Object) => {
+    this.image = null;
+
+    if (!workerPoolCreated) {
+      workerPoolCreated = true;
+      createWorkerPool();
+    }
+
+    const workerObj = getNextWorker();
+    workerObj.worker.onmessage = (event: Object) => {
       this.loadImage(event.data);
+      setFree(workerObj.i);
     };
-  }
-
-  componentDidMount() {
-    this.worker.postMessage(this.props.src);
+    workerObj.worker.postMessage(props.src);
   }
 
   componentWillUnmount() {
-    if (this.image) {
+    if (this.image !== null) {
       this.image.onload = null;
       this.image.onerror = null;
     }
-    this.worker.terminate();
   }
 
   renderPlaceholder() {
@@ -70,9 +103,8 @@ class ImageWorker extends Component<ImageWorkerProps, ImageWorkerState> {
       return <PlaceholderComponent />;
     } else if (typeof placeholder === 'string') {
       return <img src={placeholder} style={{ ...style }} alt='placeholder' />;
-    } else {
-      return null;
     }
+    return null;
   }
 
   loadImage = (url: string) => {