diff --git a/core/rawdb/database.go b/core/rawdb/database.go
index 3a191aaae5..a32959c6d3 100644
--- a/core/rawdb/database.go
+++ b/core/rawdb/database.go
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb/leveldb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb/memorydb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/log"
 	"github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter"
@@ -631,7 +630,7 @@ func SafeDeleteRange(db ethdb.KeyValueStore, start, end []byte, hashScheme bool,
 			switch err := db.DeleteRange(start, end); err {
 			case nil:
 				return nil
-			case leveldb.ErrTooManyKeys:
+			case ethdb.ErrTooManyKeys:
 				if stopCallback(true) {
 					return ErrDeleteRangeInterrupted
 				}
diff --git a/ethdb/database.go b/ethdb/database.go
index b1577512f3..f2d458b85f 100644
--- a/ethdb/database.go
+++ b/ethdb/database.go
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@
 // Package ethdb defines the interfaces for an Ethereum data store.
 package ethdb
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+)
 
 // KeyValueReader wraps the Has and Get method of a backing data store.
 type KeyValueReader interface {
@@ -37,10 +40,14 @@ type KeyValueWriter interface {
 	Delete(key []byte) error
 }
 
+var ErrTooManyKeys = errors.New("too many keys in deleted range")
+
 // KeyValueRangeDeleter wraps the DeleteRange method of a backing data store.
 type KeyValueRangeDeleter interface {
 	// DeleteRange deletes all of the keys (and values) in the range [start,end)
 	// (inclusive on start, exclusive on end).
+	// Some implementations of DeleteRange may return ErrTooManyKeys after
+	// partially deleting entries in the given range.
 	DeleteRange(start, end []byte) error
 }
 
diff --git a/ethdb/leveldb/leveldb.go b/ethdb/leveldb/leveldb.go
index 7f47523b82..ef02e91822 100644
--- a/ethdb/leveldb/leveldb.go
+++ b/ethdb/leveldb/leveldb.go
@@ -207,8 +207,6 @@ func (db *Database) Delete(key []byte) error {
 	return db.db.Delete(key, nil)
 }
 
-var ErrTooManyKeys = errors.New("too many keys in deleted range")
-
 // DeleteRange deletes all of the keys (and values) in the range [start,end)
 // (inclusive on start, exclusive on end).
 // Note that this is a fallback implementation as leveldb does not natively
@@ -228,7 +226,7 @@ func (db *Database) DeleteRange(start, end []byte) error {
 			if err := batch.Write(); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-			return ErrTooManyKeys
+			return ethdb.ErrTooManyKeys
 		}
 		if err := batch.Delete(it.Key()); err != nil {
 			return err