diff --git a/src/functionObjects/forces/forceCoeffs/forceCoeffs.C b/src/functionObjects/forces/forceCoeffs/forceCoeffs.C
index 635edfd6f4..27a95872ac 100644
--- a/src/functionObjects/forces/forceCoeffs/forceCoeffs.C
+++ b/src/functionObjects/forces/forceCoeffs/forceCoeffs.C
@@ -163,6 +163,9 @@ bool Foam::functionObjects::forceCoeffs::read(const dictionary& dict)
     // Free stream velocity magnitude
     dict.lookup("magUInf") >> magUInf_;
 
+    // Reference (free stream) density
+    dict.lookup("rhoInf") >> rhoRef_;
+
     // Reference length and area scales
     dict.lookup("lRef") >> lRef_;
     dict.lookup("Aref") >> Aref_;
diff --git a/src/functionObjects/forces/forces/forces.C b/src/functionObjects/forces/forces/forces.C
index ec0f0810e5..9ade518a92 100644
--- a/src/functionObjects/forces/forces/forces.C
+++ b/src/functionObjects/forces/forces/forces.C
@@ -638,7 +638,7 @@ bool Foam::functionObjects::forces::read(const dictionary& dict)
         // Reference density needed for incompressible calculations
         if (rhoName_ == "rhoInf")
         {
-            rhoRef_ = readScalar(dict.lookup("rhoInf"));
+            dict.lookup("rhoInf") >> rhoRef_;
         }
 
         // Reference pressure, 0 by default