diff --git a/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/DetectorElementBase.hpp b/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/DetectorElementBase.hpp
index 06002ec980e..484e8849ba3 100644
--- a/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/DetectorElementBase.hpp
+++ b/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/DetectorElementBase.hpp
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
+#include "Acts/Definitions/Algebra.hpp"
+#include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryContext.hpp"
+
+#include <memory>
+#include <vector>
+
 /// This is the plugin mechanism to exchange the entire DetectorElementBase
 ///
 /// By defining ACTS_DETECTOR_ELEMENT_BASE_REPLACEMENT pre-compile time the
@@ -18,5 +24,32 @@
 #ifdef ACTS_DETECTOR_ELEMENT_BASE_REPLACEMENT
 #include ACTS_DETECTOR_ELEMENT_BASE_REPLACEMENT
 #else
-#include "detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
+
+namespace Acts {
+
+class Surface;
+
+class DetectorElementBase {
+ public:
+  DetectorElementBase() = default;
+  virtual ~DetectorElementBase() = default;
+
+  /// Return the transform for the Element proxy mechanism
+  ///
+  /// @param gctx The current geometry context object, e.g. alignment
+  virtual const Transform3& transform(const GeometryContext& gctx) const = 0;
+
+  /// Return surface representation - const return pattern
+  virtual const Surface& surface() const = 0;
+
+  /// Non-const return pattern
+  virtual Surface& surface() = 0;
+
+  /// Returns the thickness of the module
+  /// @return double that indicates the thickness of the module
+  virtual double thickness() const = 0;
+};
+
+}  // namespace Acts
+
 #endif
diff --git a/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp b/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp
deleted file mode 100644
index 14d2e0a11fb..00000000000
--- a/Core/include/Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,49 +0,0 @@
-// This file is part of the Acts project.
-//
-// Copyright (C) 2016-2020 CERN for the benefit of the Acts project
-//
-// This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-// License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-// file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-
-#pragma once
-
-#include "Acts/Definitions/Algebra.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryContext.hpp"
-
-#include <memory>
-#include <vector>
-
-namespace Acts {
-
-class Surface;
-
-/// @class DetectorElementBase
-///
-/// This is the default base class for all tracking detector elements
-/// with read-out relevant information. It provides the minimal interface
-/// for the Acts proxy mechanism for surfaces, i.e. surfaces in the
-/// Tracking geometry representing actual detection devices
-///
-class DetectorElementBase {
- public:
-  DetectorElementBase() = default;
-  virtual ~DetectorElementBase() = default;
-
-  /// Return the transform for the Element proxy mechanism
-  ///
-  /// @param gctx The current geometry context object, e.g. alignment
-  virtual const Transform3& transform(const GeometryContext& gctx) const = 0;
-
-  /// Return surface representation - const return pattern
-  virtual const Surface& surface() const = 0;
-
-  /// Non-const return pattern
-  virtual Surface& surface() = 0;
-
-  /// Returns the thickness of the module
-  /// @return double that indicates the thickness of the module
-  virtual double thickness() const = 0;
-};
-
-}  // end of namespace Acts
diff --git a/Core/src/Geometry/ProtoLayer.cpp b/Core/src/Geometry/ProtoLayer.cpp
index 90d824528b7..8deb8f3dee1 100644
--- a/Core/src/Geometry/ProtoLayer.cpp
+++ b/Core/src/Geometry/ProtoLayer.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 #include "Acts/Definitions/Algebra.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/Polyhedron.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Utilities/Helpers.hpp"
 
 #include <algorithm>
diff --git a/Core/src/Surfaces/Surface.cpp b/Core/src/Surfaces/Surface.cpp
index 2415b71dd4e..78719ad29c4 100644
--- a/Core/src/Surfaces/Surface.cpp
+++ b/Core/src/Surfaces/Surface.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 #include "Acts/Definitions/Common.hpp"
 #include "Acts/EventData/detail/TransformationBoundToFree.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/SurfaceBounds.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/detail/AlignmentHelper.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Utilities/VectorHelpers.hpp"
diff --git a/Examples/Algorithms/Digitization/src/PlanarSteppingAlgorithm.cpp b/Examples/Algorithms/Digitization/src/PlanarSteppingAlgorithm.cpp
index 4758a68cdbc..be5c5581038 100644
--- a/Examples/Algorithms/Digitization/src/PlanarSteppingAlgorithm.cpp
+++ b/Examples/Algorithms/Digitization/src/PlanarSteppingAlgorithm.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 #include "Acts/EventData/SourceLink.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryIdentifier.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/TrackingGeometry.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Plugins/Identification/IdentifiedDetectorElement.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/Surface.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/SurfaceArray.hpp"
diff --git a/Examples/Detectors/TelescopeDetector/include/ActsExamples/TelescopeDetector/TelescopeDetectorElement.hpp b/Examples/Detectors/TelescopeDetector/include/ActsExamples/TelescopeDetector/TelescopeDetectorElement.hpp
index 21b4b758c6d..95af46fb643 100644
--- a/Examples/Detectors/TelescopeDetector/include/ActsExamples/TelescopeDetector/TelescopeDetectorElement.hpp
+++ b/Examples/Detectors/TelescopeDetector/include/ActsExamples/TelescopeDetector/TelescopeDetectorElement.hpp
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include "Acts/Definitions/Algebra.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/DetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryContext.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/Surface.hpp"
 
 #include <memory>
diff --git a/Examples/Io/Csv/src/CsvTrackingGeometryWriter.cpp b/Examples/Io/Csv/src/CsvTrackingGeometryWriter.cpp
index ba776c216df..e7db055cf23 100644
--- a/Examples/Io/Csv/src/CsvTrackingGeometryWriter.cpp
+++ b/Examples/Io/Csv/src/CsvTrackingGeometryWriter.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 #include "Acts/Geometry/TrackingGeometry.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/TrackingVolume.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/VolumeBounds.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Plugins/Identification/IdentifiedDetectorElement.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/Surface.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/SurfaceArray.hpp"
diff --git a/Examples/Io/Root/src/RootPlanarClusterWriter.cpp b/Examples/Io/Root/src/RootPlanarClusterWriter.cpp
index b318442a3dc..3d1237446bd 100644
--- a/Examples/Io/Root/src/RootPlanarClusterWriter.cpp
+++ b/Examples/Io/Root/src/RootPlanarClusterWriter.cpp
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 #include "Acts/EventData/SourceLink.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryIdentifier.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/TrackingGeometry.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Plugins/Identification/IdentifiedDetectorElement.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/Surface.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Utilities/Result.hpp"
diff --git a/Plugins/Geant4/include/Acts/Plugins/Geant4/Geant4DetectorElement.hpp b/Plugins/Geant4/include/Acts/Plugins/Geant4/Geant4DetectorElement.hpp
index a89cdad18cc..8aae504cb5d 100644
--- a/Plugins/Geant4/include/Acts/Plugins/Geant4/Geant4DetectorElement.hpp
+++ b/Plugins/Geant4/include/Acts/Plugins/Geant4/Geant4DetectorElement.hpp
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include "Acts/Definitions/Algebra.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/DetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryContext.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/Surface.hpp"
 
 #include <memory>
diff --git a/Tests/CommonHelpers/Acts/Tests/CommonHelpers/CubicTrackingGeometry.hpp b/Tests/CommonHelpers/Acts/Tests/CommonHelpers/CubicTrackingGeometry.hpp
index bd8d350c116..aeecc8d5f44 100644
--- a/Tests/CommonHelpers/Acts/Tests/CommonHelpers/CubicTrackingGeometry.hpp
+++ b/Tests/CommonHelpers/Acts/Tests/CommonHelpers/CubicTrackingGeometry.hpp
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 #include "Acts/Geometry/PlaneLayer.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/TrackingGeometry.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/TrackingVolume.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Material/HomogeneousSurfaceMaterial.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/PlaneSurface.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/RectangleBounds.hpp"
diff --git a/Tests/UnitTests/Core/Geometry/AlignmentContextTests.cpp b/Tests/UnitTests/Core/Geometry/AlignmentContextTests.cpp
index c7ab086e376..a176b5a82cc 100644
--- a/Tests/UnitTests/Core/Geometry/AlignmentContextTests.cpp
+++ b/Tests/UnitTests/Core/Geometry/AlignmentContextTests.cpp
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include "Acts/Definitions/Algebra.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Definitions/Units.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Geometry/GeometryContext.hpp"
-#include "Acts/Geometry/detail/DefaultDetectorElementBase.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/PlaneSurface.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/RectangleBounds.hpp"
 #include "Acts/Surfaces/Surface.hpp"