diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSet.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSet.java
index 6487cb31d..1a5088621 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSet.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSet.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package org.springframework.batch.item.file.transform;
 
 import java.math.BigDecimal;
 import java.text.DateFormat;
+import java.text.DecimalFormat;
 import java.text.NumberFormat;
 import java.text.ParseException;
 import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ public class DefaultFieldSet implements FieldSet {
 	}
 
 	private NumberFormat numberFormat = NumberFormat.getInstance(Locale.US);
+	private String grouping = ",";
+	private String decimal = ".";
 
 	/**
 	 * The fields wrapped by this '<code>FieldSet</code>' instance.
@@ -63,6 +66,10 @@ public class DefaultFieldSet implements FieldSet {
 	 */
 	public void setNumberFormat(NumberFormat numberFormat) {
 		this.numberFormat = numberFormat;
+		if (numberFormat instanceof DecimalFormat) {
+			grouping = ""+((DecimalFormat)numberFormat).getDecimalFormatSymbols().getGroupingSeparator();
+			decimal = ""+((DecimalFormat)numberFormat).getDecimalFormatSymbols().getDecimalSeparator();
+		}
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -76,6 +83,7 @@ public class DefaultFieldSet implements FieldSet {
 
 	public DefaultFieldSet(String[] tokens) {
 		this.tokens = tokens == null ? null : (String[]) tokens.clone();
+		setNumberFormat(NumberFormat.getInstance(Locale.US));
 	}
 
 	public DefaultFieldSet(String[] tokens, String[] names) {
@@ -87,6 +95,7 @@ public class DefaultFieldSet implements FieldSet {
 		}
 		this.tokens = (String[]) tokens.clone();
 		this.names = Arrays.asList(names);
+		setNumberFormat(NumberFormat.getInstance(Locale.US));
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -429,15 +438,24 @@ public class DefaultFieldSet implements FieldSet {
 	 */
 	public BigDecimal readBigDecimal(int index, BigDecimal defaultValue) {
 		String candidate = readAndTrim(index);
+		
+		if (!StringUtils.hasText(candidate)) {
+			return defaultValue;
+		}
 
 		try {
-			return (StringUtils.hasText(candidate)) ? new BigDecimal(candidate) : defaultValue;
+			String result = removeSeparators(candidate);
+			return new BigDecimal(result);
 		}
 		catch (NumberFormatException e) {
 			throw new NumberFormatException("Unparseable number: " + candidate);
 		}
 	}
 
+	private String removeSeparators(String candidate) {
+		return candidate.replace(grouping, "").replace(decimal, ".");
+	}
+
 	/*
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * 
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSetTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSetTests.java
index ba29fcd9b..0e6d10854 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSetTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/file/transform/DefaultFieldSetTests.java
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ public class DefaultFieldSetTests {
 	@Before
 	public void setUp() throws Exception {
 
-		tokens = new String[] { "TestString", "true", "C", "10", "-472", "354224", "543", "124.3", "424.3", "324",
+		tokens = new String[] { "TestString", "true", "C", "10", "-472", "354224", "543", "124.3", "424.3", "1,3245",
 				null, "2007-10-12", "12-10-2007", "" };
 		names = new String[] { "String", "Boolean", "Char", "Byte", "Short", "Integer", "Long", "Float", "Double",
 				"BigDecimal", "Null", "Date", "DatePattern", "BlankInput" };
@@ -146,9 +146,36 @@ public class DefaultFieldSetTests {
 	@Test
 	public void testReadBigDecimal() throws Exception {
 
-		BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal(324);
-		assertEquals(fieldSet.readBigDecimal(9), bd);
-		assertEquals(fieldSet.readBigDecimal("BigDecimal"), bd);
+		BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("424.3");
+		assertEquals(bd, fieldSet.readBigDecimal(8));
+		assertEquals(bd, fieldSet.readBigDecimal("Double"));
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testReadBigBigDecimal() throws Exception {
+
+		fieldSet = new DefaultFieldSet(new String[] {"12345678901234567890"});
+		BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("12345678901234567890");
+		assertEquals(bd, fieldSet.readBigDecimal(0));
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testReadBigDecimalWithFormat() throws Exception {
+
+		fieldSet.setNumberFormat(NumberFormat.getInstance(Locale.US));
+		BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("424.3");
+		assertEquals(bd, fieldSet.readBigDecimal(8));
+
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testReadBigDecimalWithEuroFormat() throws Exception {
+
+		fieldSet.setNumberFormat(NumberFormat.getInstance(Locale.GERMANY));
+		BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("1.3245");
+		assertEquals(bd, fieldSet.readBigDecimal(9));
 
 	}