diff --git a/benchs/bench_assimp/main.cpp b/benchs/bench_assimp/main.cpp
index 50e6fff..a349ad7 100644
--- a/benchs/bench_assimp/main.cpp
+++ b/benchs/bench_assimp/main.cpp
@@ -145,8 +145,6 @@ static void gmio_assimp_end_solid(void* cookie)
 
 static void bench_gmio_stl_read(const char* filepath)
 {
-    gmio_buffer_t buffer = gmio_buffer_malloc(256 * 1024);
-
     aiScene* scene = new aiScene;
     gmio_stl_mesh_creator_t mesh_creator = { 0 };
     mesh_creator.cookie = scene;
@@ -155,11 +153,9 @@ static void bench_gmio_stl_read(const char* filepath)
     mesh_creator.add_triangle_func = gmio_assimp_add_triangle;
     mesh_creator.end_solid_func = gmio_assimp_end_solid;
 
-    int error = gmio_stl_read_file(filepath, &buffer, &mesh_creator);
+    int error = gmio_stl_read_file(filepath, &mesh_creator);
     if (error != GMIO_ERROR_OK)
         printf("GeomIO error: 0x%X\n", error);
-
-    gmio_buffer_deallocate(&buffer);
 }
 
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
diff --git a/benchs/bench_gmio/main.c b/benchs/bench_gmio/main.c
index 7f1f72f..6ecf9dc 100644
--- a/benchs/bench_gmio/main.c
+++ b/benchs/bench_gmio/main.c
@@ -19,19 +19,15 @@ static void dummy_process_triangle(void* cookie,
 
 static void bench_gmio_stl_read(const char* filepath)
 {
-    gmio_buffer_t buffer = gmio_buffer_malloc(512 * 1024);
     my_igeom_t cookie = { 0 };
     gmio_stl_mesh_creator_t mesh_creator = { 0 };
     int error = GMIO_ERROR_OK;
 
     mesh_creator.cookie = &cookie;
     mesh_creator.add_triangle_func = dummy_process_triangle;
-
-    error = gmio_stl_read_file(filepath, &buffer, &mesh_creator);
+    error = gmio_stl_read_file(filepath, &mesh_creator);
     if (error != GMIO_ERROR_OK)
         printf("GeomIO error: 0x%X\n", error);
-
-    gmio_buffer_deallocate(&buffer);
 }
 
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
diff --git a/benchs/bench_occ/main.cpp b/benchs/bench_occ/main.cpp
index 14e9cba..624b5ca 100644
--- a/benchs/bench_occ/main.cpp
+++ b/benchs/bench_occ/main.cpp
@@ -15,13 +15,11 @@ static void bench_occ_RWStl_ReadFile(const char* filepath)
 
 static void bench_gmio_stl_read(const char* filepath)
 {
-    gmio_buffer_t buffer = gmio_buffer_malloc(256 * 1024);
     Handle_StlMesh_Mesh mesh = new StlMesh_Mesh;
     gmio_stl_mesh_creator_t mesh_creator = gmio_stl_occmesh_creator(mesh);
-    int error = gmio_stl_read_file(filepath, &buffer, &mesh_creator);
+    int error = gmio_stl_read_file(filepath, &mesh_creator);
     if (error != GMIO_ERROR_OK)
         printf("GeomIO error: 0x%X\n", error);
-    gmio_buffer_deallocate(&buffer);
 }
 
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
diff --git a/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.c b/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.c
index 1bba65e..ba95391 100644
--- a/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.c
+++ b/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.c
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 
 int gmio_stl_read_file(
         const char* filepath,
-        gmio_buffer_t* buffer,
         gmio_stl_mesh_creator_t* creator)
 {
     int error = GMIO_ERROR_OK;
@@ -33,13 +32,12 @@ int gmio_stl_read_file(
     file = fopen(filepath, "rb");
     if (file != NULL) {
         gmio_transfer_t trsf = { 0 };
-
         trsf.stream = gmio_stream_stdio(file);
-        if (buffer != NULL)
-            trsf.buffer = *buffer;
+        trsf.buffer = gmio_buffer_default();
 
         error = gmio_stl_read(&trsf, creator);
         fclose(file);
+        gmio_buffer_deallocate(&trsf.buffer);
     }
     else {
         error = GMIO_ERROR_UNKNOWN;
diff --git a/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.h b/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.h
index 2821c84..7876a4c 100644
--- a/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.h
+++ b/src/gmio_stl/stl_io.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #define GMIO_STL_IO_H
 
 #include "stl_global.h"
+#include "stl_format.h"
 #include "stl_mesh.h"
 #include "stl_mesh_creator.h"
 #include "../gmio_core/buffer.h"
@@ -34,14 +35,17 @@ GMIO_C_LINKAGE_BEGIN
  *  \param filepath Path to the STL file. A stream is opened with fopen() so
  *         the string has to be encoded using the system's charset (locale-8bit)
  *  \param creator Defines the callbacks for the mesh creation
- *  \param buffer The memory block used by stream operations
+ *
+ *  Internally, it uses:
+ *    \li the builtin stream wrapper around FILE* (see gmio_stream_stdio())
+ *    \li the global default function to construct a temporary gmio_buffer
+ *        object (see gmio_buffer_default())
  *
  *  \return Error code (see error.h and stl_error.h)
  */
 GMIO_LIBSTL_EXPORT
 int gmio_stl_read_file(
         const char* filepath,
-        gmio_buffer_t* buffer,
         gmio_stl_mesh_creator_t* creator);
 
 /*! Reads STL data from stream, format is automatically guessed