diff --git a/core/unpack/unpacker.go b/core/unpack/unpacker.go
index 35dc4dc47..d1a1e47c0 100644
--- a/core/unpack/unpacker.go
+++ b/core/unpack/unpacker.go
@@ -273,8 +273,6 @@ func (u *Unpacker) unpack(
 		a  = unpack.Applier
 		cs = u.content
 
-		chain []digest.Digest
-
 		fetchOffset int
 		fetchC      []chan struct{}
 		fetchErr    chan error
@@ -285,10 +283,17 @@ func (u *Unpacker) unpack(
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
 	defer cancel()
 
+	// pre-calculate chain ids for each layer
+	chainIDs := make([]digest.Digest, len(diffIDs))
+	copy(chainIDs, diffIDs)
+	chainIDs = identity.ChainIDs(chainIDs)
+
 	doUnpackFn := func(i int, desc ocispec.Descriptor) error {
-		parent := identity.ChainID(chain)
-		chain = append(chain, diffIDs[i])
-		chainID := identity.ChainID(chain).String()
+		var parent string
+		if i > 0 {
+			parent = chainIDs[i-1].String()
+		}
+		chainID := chainIDs[i].String()
 
 		unlock, err := u.lockSnChainID(ctx, chainID, unpack.SnapshotterKey)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -312,7 +317,7 @@ func (u *Unpacker) unpack(
 		for try := 1; try <= 3; try++ {
 			// Prepare snapshot with from parent, label as root
 			key = fmt.Sprintf(snapshots.UnpackKeyFormat, uniquePart(), chainID)
-			mounts, err = sn.Prepare(ctx, key, parent.String(), opts...)
+			mounts, err = sn.Prepare(ctx, key, parent, opts...)
 			if err != nil {
 				if errdefs.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
 					if _, err := sn.Stat(ctx, chainID); err != nil {
@@ -424,7 +429,10 @@ func (u *Unpacker) unpack(
 		}).Debug("layer unpacked")
 	}
 
-	chainID := identity.ChainID(chain).String()
+	var chainID string
+	if len(chainIDs) > 0 {
+		chainID = chainIDs[len(chainIDs)-1].String()
+	}
 	cinfo := content.Info{
 		Digest: config.Digest,
 		Labels: map[string]string{
diff --git a/core/unpack/unpacker_test.go b/core/unpack/unpacker_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..32581dbd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/unpack/unpacker_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+/*
+   Copyright The containerd Authors.
+
+   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+   you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+   You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+   limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package unpack
+
+import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
+	"github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/identity"
+)
+
+func generateRandomDiffIDs(t testing.TB, num int) []digest.Digest {
+	const size = 10
+	diffIDs := make([]digest.Digest, 0, num)
+	for i := 0; i < num; i++ {
+		b := make([]byte, size)
+		_, err := rand.Read(b)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("failed to generate random bytes: %v", err)
+		}
+		diffIDs = append(diffIDs, digest.FromBytes(b))
+	}
+	return diffIDs
+}
+
+func BenchmarkUnpackWithChainID(b *testing.B) {
+	// This simulates the old way of repeatedly calculating per-layer chainID
+	// as we unpack every layers, by calling `identity.ChainID`.
+	unpackWithChainID := func(diffIDs []digest.Digest) {
+		var chain []digest.Digest
+		for i := 0; i < len(diffIDs); i++ {
+			_ = identity.ChainID(chain) // parent layer chainID
+			chain = append(chain, diffIDs[i])
+			_ = identity.ChainID(chain).String() // current layer chainID
+		}
+		_ = identity.ChainID(chain).String()
+	}
+
+	numLayers := []int{5, 10, 25, 50}
+	for _, sz := range numLayers {
+		b.Run(fmt.Sprintf("num of layers: %d", sz), func(b *testing.B) {
+			diffIDs := generateRandomDiffIDs(b, sz)
+			for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+				unpackWithChainID(diffIDs)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkUnpackWithChainIDs(b *testing.B) {
+	// This simulates the new way of pre-calculating all chainIDs for every layer
+	// by calling `identity.ChainIDs` once.
+	unpackWithChainIDs := func(diffIDs []digest.Digest) {
+		chainIDs := make([]digest.Digest, len(diffIDs))
+		copy(chainIDs, diffIDs)
+		chainIDs = identity.ChainIDs(chainIDs)
+		for i := 0; i < len(diffIDs); i++ {
+			if i > 0 {
+				_ = chainIDs[i-1].String() // parent layer chainID
+			}
+			_ = chainIDs[i].String() // current layer chainID
+		}
+		if len(chainIDs) > 0 {
+			_ = chainIDs[len(chainIDs)-1].String()
+		}
+	}
+
+	numLayers := []int{5, 10, 25, 50}
+	for _, sz := range numLayers {
+		b.Run(fmt.Sprintf("num of layers: %d", sz), func(b *testing.B) {
+			diffIDs := generateRandomDiffIDs(b, sz)
+			for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+				unpackWithChainIDs(diffIDs)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}