diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index b76996fce..f6efec68b 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-[submodule "ext/cppformat"]
-	path = ext/cppformat
-	url = https://github.com/cppformat/cppformat.git
+[submodule "ext/fmt"]
+	path = ext/fmt
+	url = https://github.com/fmtlib/fmt.git
 [submodule "ext/googletest"]
 	path = ext/googletest
 	url = https://github.com/google/googletest.git
diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 084e349f1..d5fc864b3 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -732,20 +732,20 @@ def config_error(message):
 if not conf.CheckCXXHeader('cmath', '<>'):
     config_error('The C++ compiler is not correctly configured.')
 
-# Check for cppformat and checkout submodule if needed
-if not os.path.exists('ext/cppformat/format.h'):
+# Check for fmt library and checkout submodule if needed
+if not os.path.exists('ext/fmt/fmt/format.h'):
     if not os.path.exists('.git'):
-        config_error('Cppformat is missing. Install source in ext/cppformat.')
+        config_error('fmt is missing. Install source in ext/fmt.')
 
     try:
         code = subprocess.call(['git','submodule','update','--init',
-                                '--recursive','ext/cppformat'])
+                                '--recursive','ext/fmt'])
     except Exception:
         code = -1
     if code:
-        config_error('Cppformat submodule checkout failed.\n'
+        config_error('fmt submodule checkout failed.\n'
                      'Try manually checking out the submodule with:\n\n'
-                     '    git submodule update --init --recursive ext/cppformat\n')
+                     '    git submodule update --init --recursive ext/fmt\n')
 
 # Check for googletest and checkout submodule if needed
 if env['system_googletest'] in ('y', 'default'):
diff --git a/ext/SConscript b/ext/SConscript
index 1ca3ab333..1354fa501 100644
--- a/ext/SConscript
+++ b/ext/SConscript
@@ -41,16 +41,16 @@ def prep_gtest(env):
                     CPPDEFINES={'GTEST_HAS_PTHREAD': 0})
     return localenv
 
-def prep_cppformat(env):
+def prep_fmt(env):
     localenv = prep_default(env)
     build(localenv.Command("#include/cantera/ext/format.h",
-                           "#ext/cppformat/format.h",
+                           "#ext/fmt/fmt/format.h",
                            Copy('$TARGET', '$SOURCE')))
     return localenv
 
 # each element of libs is: (subdir, (file extensions), prepfunction)
 libs = [('libexecstream', ['cpp'], prep_default),
-        ('cppformat', ['cc'], prep_cppformat)]
+        ('fmt/fmt', ['cc'], prep_fmt)]
 
 if env['build_with_f2c']:
     libs.append(('f2c_math', ['cpp','c'], prep_f2c))
diff --git a/ext/cppformat b/ext/cppformat
deleted file mode 160000
index 0b097da31..000000000
--- a/ext/cppformat
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 0b097da31eae1642dd8132f2996e74f7fe354e46
diff --git a/ext/fmt b/ext/fmt
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..404219826
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/fmt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 404219826238b50c8a56e97aa5f513a97ec6b86b
diff --git a/include/cantera/base/global.h b/include/cantera/base/global.h
index 4734e7713..207a48aac 100644
--- a/include/cantera/base/global.h
+++ b/include/cantera/base/global.h
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ inline void debuglog(const std::string& msg, int loglevel)
 }
 
 //! @copydoc Application::Messages::writelog(const std::string&)
-//! This function passes its arguments to the cppformat 'format' function to
+//! This function passes its arguments to the fmt library 'format' function to
 //! generate a formatted string from a Python-style (curly braces) format
 //! string.
 template <typename... Args>