diff --git a/src/bgfx.cpp b/src/bgfx.cpp
index 15ddd5c0a..5886e8424 100644
--- a/src/bgfx.cpp
+++ b/src/bgfx.cpp
@@ -1456,11 +1456,6 @@ namespace bgfx
 				, m_declRef.m_vertexDeclMap.getNumElements()
 				);
 
-		for (uint16_t ii = 0, num = m_vertexDeclHandle.getNumHandles(); ii < num; ++ii)
-		{
-			VertexDeclHandle handle = { m_vertexDeclHandle.getHandleAt(ii) };
-			m_declRef.release(handle);
-		}
 		m_declRef.shutdown(m_vertexDeclHandle);
 
 #if BGFX_CONFIG_MULTITHREADED
diff --git a/src/bgfx_p.h b/src/bgfx_p.h
index 841ca6f72..5818ca3f0 100644
--- a/src/bgfx_p.h
+++ b/src/bgfx_p.h
@@ -1961,9 +1961,12 @@ namespace bgfx
 		template <uint16_t MaxHandlesT>
 		void shutdown(bx::HandleAllocT<MaxHandlesT>& _handleAlloc)
 		{
-			for (VertexDeclMap::Iterator it = m_vertexDeclMap.first(); m_vertexDeclMap.next(it); )
+			for (uint16_t ii = 0, num = _handleAlloc.getNumHandles(); ii < num; ++ii)
 			{
-				_handleAlloc.free(it.handle);
+				VertexDeclHandle handle = { _handleAlloc.getHandleAt(ii) };
+				handle = release(handle);
+				BX_CHECK(isValid(handle), "Failed to release vertex decl handle %d!", handle.idx);
+				_handleAlloc.free(handle.idx);
 			}
 
 			m_vertexDeclMap.reset();