diff --git a/src/config/ssr-config.interface.ts b/src/config/ssr-config.interface.ts
index ae4ee76a72..37b8b4a0d2 100644
--- a/src/config/ssr-config.interface.ts
+++ b/src/config/ssr-config.interface.ts
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ export interface SSRConfig extends Config {
   enablePerformanceProfiler: boolean;
 
   /**
-   * Reduce render blocking requests by inlining critical CSS.
-   * Defaults to true.
+   * When set to true, reduce render blocking requests by inlining critical CSS.
+   * Determining which styles are critical can be an expensive operation;
+   * this option can be disabled to boost server performance at the expense of loading smoothness.
+   * For improved SSR performance, DSpace defaults this to false (disabled).
    */
   inlineCriticalCss: boolean;
 }
diff --git a/src/environments/environment.production.ts b/src/environments/environment.production.ts
index 6db1bcfdf3..90b219cdbd 100644
--- a/src/environments/environment.production.ts
+++ b/src/environments/environment.production.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ import { BuildConfig } from '../config/build-config.interface';
 export const environment: Partial<BuildConfig> = {
   production: true,
 
-  // Angular SSR settings
+  // Angular SSR (Server Side Rendering) settings
   ssr: {
     enabled: true,
     enablePerformanceProfiler: false,
-    inlineCriticalCss: true,
+    inlineCriticalCss: false,
   },
 };
diff --git a/src/environments/environment.test.ts b/src/environments/environment.test.ts
index 1495a7bb48..cd02e35fb1 100644
--- a/src/environments/environment.test.ts
+++ b/src/environments/environment.test.ts
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ import { NotificationAnimationsType } from '../app/shared/notifications/models/n
 export const environment: BuildConfig = {
   production: false,
 
-  // Angular SSR settings
+  // Angular SSR (Server Side Rendering) settings
   ssr: {
     enabled: true,
     enablePerformanceProfiler: false,
-    inlineCriticalCss: true,
+    inlineCriticalCss: false,
   },
 
   // Angular express server settings.
diff --git a/src/environments/environment.ts b/src/environments/environment.ts
index 69cbc47a06..0292c19200 100644
--- a/src/environments/environment.ts
+++ b/src/environments/environment.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ import { BuildConfig } from '../config/build-config.interface';
 export const environment: Partial<BuildConfig> = {
   production: false,
 
-  // Angular SSR settings
+  // Angular SSR (Server Side Rendering) settings
   ssr: {
     enabled: false,
     enablePerformanceProfiler: false,
-    inlineCriticalCss: true,
+    inlineCriticalCss: false,
   },
 };