diff --git a/include/ndn-cpp/encoding/block-helpers.hpp b/include/ndn-cpp/encoding/block-helpers.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3ae196
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/ndn-cpp/encoding/block-helpers.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/* -*- Mode:C++; c-file-style:"gnu"; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2013, Regents of the University of California
+ *
+ * BSD license, See the LICENSE file for more information
+ *
+ * Author: Alexander Afanasyev <alexander.afanasyev@ucla.edu>
+ */
+
+#ifndef NDN_BLOCK_HELPERS_HPP
+#define NDN_BLOCK_HELPERS_HPP
+
+#include "block.hpp"
+
+namespace ndn {
+
+inline Block
+nonNegativeIntegerBlock(uint32_t type, uint64_t value)
+{
+  OBufferStream os;
+  Tlv::writeVarNumber(os, type);
+  Tlv::writeVarNumber(os, Tlv::sizeOfNonNegativeInteger(value));
+  Tlv::writeNonNegativeInteger(os, value);
+  return Block(os.buf());
+}
+
+inline uint64_t
+readNonNegativeInteger(const Block &block)
+{
+  Buffer::const_iterator begin = block.value_begin();
+  return Tlv::readNonNegativeInteger(block.value_size(), begin, block.value_end());
+}
+
+inline Block
+booleanBlock(uint32_t type)
+{
+  OBufferStream os;
+  Tlv::writeVarNumber(os, type);
+  Tlv::writeVarNumber(os, 0);
+  return Block(os.buf());
+}
+
+inline Block
+dataBlock(uint32_t type, const char *data, size_t dataSize)
+{
+  OBufferStream os;
+  Tlv::writeVarNumber(os, type);
+  Tlv::writeVarNumber(os, dataSize);
+  os.write(data, dataSize);
+
+  return Block(os.buf());
+}
+
+inline Block
+dataBlock(uint32_t type, const unsigned char *data, size_t dataSize)
+{
+  return dataBlock(type, reinterpret_cast<const char*>(data), dataSize);
+}
+
+} // namespace ndn
+
+#endif // NDN_BLOCK_HELPERS_HPP