diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/ConversionSettings.h b/src/ifcgeom/ConversionSettings.h
index a3bbf5739b..5a622daa98 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/ConversionSettings.h
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/ConversionSettings.h
@@ -351,6 +351,13 @@ namespace ifcopenshell {
 				static constexpr bool defaultvalue = false;
 			};
 
+			struct SurfaceColour : public SettingBase<SurfaceColour, bool> {
+                static constexpr const char* const name = "surface-colour";
+                static constexpr const char* const description =
+                    "Prioritizes the surface color instead of using diffuse.";
+                static constexpr bool defaultvalue = false;
+            };
+
 			enum PiecewiseStepMethod  {
 				MAXSTEPSIZE,
 				MINSTEPS };
@@ -486,7 +493,7 @@ namespace ifcopenshell {
 		};
 
 		class IFC_GEOM_API Settings : public SettingsContainer<
-                                          std::tuple<MesherLinearDeflection, MesherAngularDeflection, ReorientShells, LengthUnit, PlaneUnit, Precision, OutputDimensionality, LayersetFirst, DisableBooleanResult, NoWireIntersectionCheck, NoWireIntersectionTolerance, PrecisionFactor, DebugBooleanOperations, BooleanAttempt2d, WeldVertices, UseWorldCoords, UseMaterialNames, ConvertBackUnits, ContextIds, ContextTypes, ContextIdentifiers, IteratorOutput, DisableOpeningSubtractions, ApplyDefaultMaterials, DontEmitNormals, GenerateUvs, ApplyLayerSets, UseElementHierarchy, ValidateQuantities, EdgeArrows, BuildingLocalPlacement, SiteLocalPlacement, ForceSpaceTransparency, CircleSegments, KeepBoundingBoxes, PiecewiseStepType, PiecewiseStepParam, NoParallelMapping, ModelOffset, ModelRotation, TriangulationType>
+                                          std::tuple<MesherLinearDeflection, MesherAngularDeflection, ReorientShells, LengthUnit, PlaneUnit, Precision, OutputDimensionality, LayersetFirst, DisableBooleanResult, NoWireIntersectionCheck, NoWireIntersectionTolerance, PrecisionFactor, DebugBooleanOperations, BooleanAttempt2d, SurfaceColour, WeldVertices, UseWorldCoords, UseMaterialNames, ConvertBackUnits, ContextIds, ContextTypes, ContextIdentifiers, IteratorOutput, DisableOpeningSubtractions, ApplyDefaultMaterials, DontEmitNormals, GenerateUvs, ApplyLayerSets, UseElementHierarchy, ValidateQuantities, EdgeArrows, BuildingLocalPlacement, SiteLocalPlacement, ForceSpaceTransparency, CircleSegments, KeepBoundingBoxes, PiecewiseStepType, PiecewiseStepParam, NoParallelMapping, ModelOffset, ModelRotation, TriangulationType>
 		>
 		{};
 }
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomRepresentation.cpp b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomRepresentation.cpp
index 1da38a69de..c888efba2a 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomRepresentation.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomRepresentation.cpp
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ IfcGeom::Representation::Serialization::Serialization(const BRep& brep)
 		int sid = -1;
 
 		if (it->hasStyle()) {
-			const auto& clr = it->Style().diffuse.ccomponents();
+            const auto& clr = it->Style().get_color().ccomponents();
 			surface_styles_.push_back(clr(0));
 			surface_styles_.push_back(clr(1));
 			surface_styles_.push_back(clr(2));
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/SurfaceStyle.cpp b/src/ifcgeom/SurfaceStyle.cpp
index 3d862b4825..69310f3929 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/SurfaceStyle.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/SurfaceStyle.cpp
@@ -89,6 +89,10 @@ void IfcGeom::set_default_style_file(const std::string& json_file) {
 		boost::optional<pt::ptree&> diffuse = material.get_child_optional("diffuse");
 		default_materials[name]->diffuse = read_colour_component(diffuse);
 
+		// @todo Is it necessary to get the surface too?
+        // boost::optional<pt::ptree&> surface = material.get_child_optional("surface");
+        // default_materials[name]->surface = read_colour_component(surface);
+
 		boost::optional<pt::ptree&> specular = material.get_child_optional("specular");
 		default_materials[name]->specular = read_colour_component(specular);
 
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/mapping/mapping.cpp b/src/ifcgeom/mapping/mapping.cpp
index 202d85e2f4..7c0235cfa3 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/mapping/mapping.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/mapping/mapping.cpp
@@ -565,11 +565,14 @@ taxonomy::ptr mapping::map_impl(const IfcSchema::IfcStyledItem* inst) {
         return surface_style;
     }
 
-    static taxonomy::colour white = taxonomy::colour(1., 1., 1.);
-    double rgb[3];
-    if (process_colour(shading->SurfaceColour(), rgb)) {
-        surface_style->diffuse.components() << rgb[0], rgb[1], rgb[2];
-    }
+	surface_style->use_surface_color = settings_.get<settings::SurfaceColour>().get();
+
+	static taxonomy::colour white = taxonomy::colour(1., 1., 1.);
+	double rgb[3];
+	if (process_colour(shading->SurfaceColour(), rgb)) {
+		surface_style->surface.components() << rgb[0], rgb[1], rgb[2];
+        surface_style->diffuse = surface_style->surface;
+	}
 
     if (auto rendering_style = shading->as<IfcSchema::IfcSurfaceStyleRendering>()) {
         if (rendering_style->DiffuseColour() && process_colour(rendering_style->DiffuseColour(), rgb)) {
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/taxonomy.h b/src/ifcgeom/taxonomy.h
index 13164daebf..2c119c9e4c 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/taxonomy.h
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/taxonomy.h
@@ -305,8 +305,10 @@ typedef item const* ptr;
 
 				std::string name;
 				colour diffuse;
+				colour surface;
 				colour specular;
 				double specularity, transparency;
+				bool use_surface_color;
 
 				void print(std::ostream& o, int indent = 0) const;
 
@@ -314,15 +316,22 @@ typedef item const* ptr;
 				virtual kinds kind() const { return STYLE; }
 
 				virtual size_t calc_hash() const {
-					auto v = std::make_tuple(static_cast<size_t>(STYLE), name, diffuse.hash(), specular.hash(), specularity, transparency);
+					auto v = std::make_tuple(static_cast<size_t>(STYLE), name, diffuse.hash(), surface.hash(), specular.hash(), specularity, transparency);
 					return boost::hash<decltype(v)>{}(v);
 				}
 
 				// @todo equality implementation based on values?
 				bool operator==(const style& other) const { return instance == other.instance; }
 
-				style() : specularity(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()), transparency(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()) {}
-				style(const std::string& name) : name(name), specularity(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()), transparency(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()) {}
+				style() : specularity(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()), transparency(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()), use_surface_color(false) {}
+				style(const std::string& name) : name(name), specularity(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()), transparency(std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()), use_surface_color(false) {}
+
+				const colour& get_color() const {
+                    if (use_surface_color && surface) {
+                        return surface;
+                    }
+                    return diffuse;
+				}
 
 				bool has_specularity() const {
 					return !std::isnan(specularity);
diff --git a/src/ifcgeomserver/IfcGeomServer.cpp b/src/ifcgeomserver/IfcGeomServer.cpp
index 15cd7e546b..fdb349a0fb 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeomserver/IfcGeomServer.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeomserver/IfcGeomServer.cpp
@@ -354,8 +354,8 @@ protected:
 			std::vector<boost::optional<std::array<float, 4> > > diffuse_color_array;
 			for (auto it = geom->geometry().materials().begin(); it != geom->geometry().materials().end(); ++it) {
 				const auto& mat = **it;
-				if (mat.diffuse) {
-					const auto& color = mat.diffuse.ccomponents();
+				if (mat.get_color()) {
+                    const auto& color = mat.get_color().ccomponents();
 					diffuse_color_array.push_back(std::array<float, 4>{
 						static_cast<float>(color(0)),
 						static_cast<float>(color(1)),
diff --git a/src/serializers/GltfSerializer.cpp b/src/serializers/GltfSerializer.cpp
index 4dbfd003e1..84da31dc86 100644
--- a/src/serializers/GltfSerializer.cpp
+++ b/src/serializers/GltfSerializer.cpp
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ int GltfSerializer::writeMaterial(const ifcopenshell::geometry::taxonomy::style:
 
 	std::array<double, 4> base;
 	base.fill(1.0);
-	if (style->diffuse) {
+	if (style->get_color()) {
 		for (int i = 0; i < 3; ++i) {
-			base[i] = style->diffuse.ccomponents()(i);
+			base[i] = style->get_color().ccomponents()(i);
 		}
 	}
 	if (style->transparency == style->transparency) {
diff --git a/src/serializers/WavefrontObjSerializer.cpp b/src/serializers/WavefrontObjSerializer.cpp
index 0414659b98..300fceeb88 100644
--- a/src/serializers/WavefrontObjSerializer.cpp
+++ b/src/serializers/WavefrontObjSerializer.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ void WaveFrontOBJSerializer::writeMaterial(const ifcopenshell::geometry::taxonom
     mtl_stream.stream << "newmtl " << material_name << "\n";
 
 	{
-		auto& diffuse = style.diffuse.ccomponents();
+        auto& diffuse = style.get_color().ccomponents();
 		mtl_stream.stream << "Kd " << diffuse(0) << " " << diffuse(1) << " " << diffuse(2) << "\n";
 	}
 	if (style.specular) {