diff --git a/docs/customization.rst b/docs/customization.rst
index 98a9080d..2bc98401 100644
--- a/docs/customization.rst
+++ b/docs/customization.rst
@@ -745,8 +745,7 @@ Configuration Options
 .. confval:: sphinx_immaterial_font_fetch_max_workers
 
     The number of workers executed in parallel when fetching a cache of the specified
-    :themeconf:`font`. If not specified or set to :python:`0`, then the system's CPU
-    count is used by default.
+    :themeconf:`font`. If not specified, this defaults to using 33 maximum *possible* threads.
 
 .. _version_dropdown:
 
diff --git a/sphinx_immaterial/google_fonts.py b/sphinx_immaterial/google_fonts.py
index 5d47e3f1..c20e8203 100644
--- a/sphinx_immaterial/google_fonts.py
+++ b/sphinx_immaterial/google_fonts.py
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ def add_google_fonts(app: sphinx.application.Sphinx, fonts: List[str]):
     cache_dir = os.path.join(get_cache_dir(app), "google_fonts")
     static_dir = os.path.join(app.outdir, "_static")
     max_workers = cast(
-        int, app.config.config_values.get(_MAX_CONCURRENT_FETCHES_KEY, 0)
+        int, app.config.config_values.get(_MAX_CONCURRENT_FETCHES_KEY)
     )
     if not max_workers:
         max_workers = os.cpu_count() or 1
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ def _builder_inited(app: sphinx.application.Sphinx):
 def setup(app: sphinx.application.Sphinx):
     app.setup_extension("sphinx_immaterial.external_resource_cache")
     app.connect("builder-inited", _builder_inited)
-    app.add_config_value(_MAX_CONCURRENT_FETCHES_KEY, default=0, rebuild="", types=int)
+    app.add_config_value(_MAX_CONCURRENT_FETCHES_KEY, default=33, rebuild="", types=int)
 
     return {
         "parallel_read_safe": True,