diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/csv/CSVFormat.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/csv/CSVFormat.java
index 4e53bb83..96f4c1b0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/csv/CSVFormat.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/commons/csv/CSVFormat.java
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ import java.util.Set;
  *
  * @version $Id$
  */
-public class CSVFormat implements Serializable {
+public final class CSVFormat implements Serializable {
 
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;