diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemReader.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemReader.java
index 1d1cf8463..047fa5bab 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemReader.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/FlatFileItemReader.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
  * about the problematic line and its line number.
  * 
  * @author Robert Kasanicky
+ * @author Mahmoud Ben Hassine
  */
 public class FlatFileItemReader<T> extends AbstractItemCountingItemStreamItemReader<T> implements
 		ResourceAwareItemReaderItemStream<T>, InitializingBean {
@@ -50,6 +51,8 @@ public class FlatFileItemReader<T> extends AbstractItemCountingItemStreamItemRea
 	// default encoding for input files
 	public static final String DEFAULT_CHARSET = Charset.defaultCharset().name();
 
+	public static final String[] DEFAULT_COMMENT_PREFIXES = new String[] { "#" };
+
 	private RecordSeparatorPolicy recordSeparatorPolicy = new SimpleRecordSeparatorPolicy();
 
 	private Resource resource;
@@ -58,7 +61,7 @@ public class FlatFileItemReader<T> extends AbstractItemCountingItemStreamItemRea
 
 	private int lineCount = 0;
 
-	private String[] comments = new String[] { "#" };
+	private String[] comments = DEFAULT_COMMENT_PREFIXES;
 
 	private boolean noInput = false;
 
@@ -134,7 +137,7 @@ public class FlatFileItemReader<T> extends AbstractItemCountingItemStreamItemRea
 
 	/**
 	 * Setter for comment prefixes. Can be used to ignore header lines as well by using e.g. the first couple of column
-	 * names as a prefix.
+	 * names as a prefix. Defaults to {@link #DEFAULT_COMMENT_PREFIXES}.
 	 * 
 	 * @param comments an array of comment line prefixes.
 	 */
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilder.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilder.java
index a9feb798b..dd742d162 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilder.java
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ public class FlatFileItemReaderBuilder<T> {
 
 	private Resource resource;
 
-	private List<String> comments = new ArrayList<>();
+	private List<String> comments =
+			new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(FlatFileItemReader.DEFAULT_COMMENT_PREFIXES));
 
 	private int linesToSkip = 0;
 
@@ -171,6 +172,7 @@ public class FlatFileItemReaderBuilder<T> {
 
 	/**
 	 * Add a string to the list of Strings that indicate commented lines.
+	 * Defaults to {@link FlatFileItemReader#DEFAULT_COMMENT_PREFIXES}.
 	 *
 	 * @param comment the string to define a commented line.
 	 * @return The current instance of the builder.
@@ -182,15 +184,16 @@ public class FlatFileItemReaderBuilder<T> {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * An array of Strings that indicate lines that are comments (and therefore skipped by
-	 * the reader.
+	 * Set an array of Strings that indicate lines that are comments (and therefore skipped by
+	 * the reader). This method overrides the default comment prefixes which are
+	 * {@link FlatFileItemReader#DEFAULT_COMMENT_PREFIXES}.
 	 *
 	 * @param comments an array of strings to identify comments.
 	 * @return The current instance of the builder.
 	 * @see FlatFileItemReader#setComments(String[])
 	 */
 	public FlatFileItemReaderBuilder<T> comments(String... comments) {
-		this.comments.addAll(Arrays.asList(comments));
+		this.comments = Arrays.asList(comments);
 		return this;
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilderTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilderTests.java
index 75f63631e..13acbb516 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/builder/FlatFileItemReaderBuilderTests.java
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ public class FlatFileItemReaderBuilderTests {
 	public void testDefaultComments() throws Exception {
 		FlatFileItemReader<Foo> reader = new FlatFileItemReaderBuilder<Foo>()
 				.name("fooReader")
-				.resource(getResource("1,2,3\n4,5,6"))
+				.resource(getResource("1,2,3\n4,5,6\n#this is a default comment"))
 				.delimited()
 				.names("first", "second", "third")
 				.targetType(Foo.class)