diff --git a/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/foamFormatConvert.C b/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/foamFormatConvert.C
index 02a892e6b1e0e921071b4db46f4088c74ad93993..bda610ef1d7f5895e1fcc4985bd6d6890cf36f04 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/foamFormatConvert.C
+++ b/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/foamFormatConvert.C
@@ -315,7 +315,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
         (
             "cells",
             meshDir,
-            runTime
+            runTime,
+            false   // do not check typeName since varies between binary/ascii
         );
         writeMeshObject<labelIOList>("owner", meshDir, runTime);
         writeMeshObject<labelIOList>("neighbour", meshDir, runTime);
@@ -323,7 +324,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
         (
             "faces",
             meshDir,
-            runTime
+            runTime,
+            false   // do not check typeName since varies between binary/ascii
         );
         writeMeshObject<pointIOField>("points", meshDir, runTime);
         // Write boundary in ascii. This is only needed for fileHandler to
diff --git a/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/writeMeshObject.H b/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/writeMeshObject.H
index d6c1350a2a174ffba95a6328c320e50dd69da384..cff97e54540a941dd40f39cf6b4dbb12bb8d923e 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/writeMeshObject.H
+++ b/applications/utilities/miscellaneous/foamFormatConvert/writeMeshObject.H
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ inline bool writeMeshObject
     const word& name,
     const fileName& meshDir,
     Time& runTime,
-    bool disableHeaderChecking = false
+    const bool strictTypeChecking = true,
+    const bool disableHeaderChecking = false
 )
 {
     IOobject io
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ inline bool writeMeshObject
 
     bool writeOk = false;
 
-    if (io.typeHeaderOk<CheckType>(true, true, false))
+    if (io.typeHeaderOk<CheckType>(strictTypeChecking, true, false))
     {
         Info<< "        Reading " << io.headerClassName()
             << " : " << name << endl;