diff --git a/src/traces/sankey/defaults.js b/src/traces/sankey/defaults.js
index f4ffcad4cfa..5e33b9322a4 100644
--- a/src/traces/sankey/defaults.js
+++ b/src/traces/sankey/defaults.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 var Lib = require('../../lib');
 var attributes = require('./attributes');
-var colors = require('../../components/color/attributes').defaults;
 var Color = require('../../components/color');
 var tinycolor = require('tinycolor2');
 
@@ -25,6 +24,8 @@ module.exports = function supplyDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, defaultColor, layout
     coerce('node.line.color');
     coerce('node.line.width');
 
+    var colors = layout.colorway;
+
     var defaultNodePalette = function(i) {return colors[i % colors.length];};
 
     coerce('node.color', traceOut.node.label.map(function(d, i) {
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/sankey_energy_dark.png b/test/image/baselines/sankey_energy_dark.png
index 794016ca7b3..b2feea2325f 100644
Binary files a/test/image/baselines/sankey_energy_dark.png and b/test/image/baselines/sankey_energy_dark.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/sankey_energy_dark.json b/test/image/mocks/sankey_energy_dark.json
index 1952da02079..6446001693d 100644
--- a/test/image/mocks/sankey_energy_dark.json
+++ b/test/image/mocks/sankey_energy_dark.json
@@ -71,56 +71,7 @@
                     "UK land based bioenergy",
                     "Wave",
                     "Wind"
-                ],
-                "color": [
-                    "rgba(31, 119, 180, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(255, 127, 14, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(44, 160, 44, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(214, 39, 40, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(148, 103, 189, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(140, 86, 75, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(227, 119, 194, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(127, 127, 127, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(188, 189, 34, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(23, 190, 207, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(31, 119, 180, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(255, 127, 14, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(44, 160, 44, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(214, 39, 40, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(148, 103, 189, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(140, 86, 75, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(227, 119, 194, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(127, 127, 127, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(188, 189, 34, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(23, 190, 207, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(31, 119, 180, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(255, 127, 14, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(44, 160, 44, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(214, 39, 40, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(148, 103, 189, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(140, 86, 75, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(227, 119, 194, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(127, 127, 127, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(188, 189, 34, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(23, 190, 207, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(31, 119, 180, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(255, 127, 14, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(44, 160, 44, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(214, 39, 40, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(148, 103, 189, 0.8)",
-                    "magenta",
-                    "rgba(227, 119, 194, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(127, 127, 127, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(188, 189, 34, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(23, 190, 207, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(31, 119, 180, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(255, 127, 14, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(44, 160, 44, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(214, 39, 40, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(148, 103, 189, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(140, 86, 75, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(227, 119, 194, 0.8)",
-                    "rgba(127, 127, 127, 0.8)"]
+                ]
             },
             "link": {
                 "source": [
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/sankey_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/sankey_test.js
index 573d3aa57c2..9a49e8c4547 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/sankey_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/sankey_test.js
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ var fail = require('../assets/fail_test');
 var mouseEvent = require('../assets/mouse_event');
 var assertHoverLabelStyle = require('../assets/custom_assertions').assertHoverLabelStyle;
 var supplyAllDefaults = require('../assets/supply_defaults');
+var defaultColors = require('@src/components/color/attributes').defaults;
 
 describe('sankey tests', function() {
 
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ describe('sankey tests', function() {
     function _supply(traceIn) {
         var traceOut = { visible: true },
             defaultColor = '#444',
-            layout = { };
+            layout = { colorway: defaultColors };
 
         Sankey.supplyDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, defaultColor, layout);
 
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ describe('sankey tests', function() {
         var traceOut = { visible: true },
             defaultColor = '#444';
 
-        Sankey.supplyDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, defaultColor, layout);
+        Sankey.supplyDefaults(traceIn, traceOut, defaultColor, Lib.extendFlat({colorway: defaultColors}, layout));
 
         return traceOut;
     }
@@ -179,6 +180,25 @@ describe('sankey tests', function() {
             });
 
             expect(Lib.isArray(fullTrace.node.color)).toBe(true, 'set up color array');
+            expect(fullTrace.node.color).toEqual(['rgba(31, 119, 180, 0.8)', 'rgba(255, 127, 14, 0.8)']);
+
+        });
+
+        it('respects layout.colorway', function() {
+
+            var fullTrace = _supplyWithLayout({
+                node: {
+                    label: ['a', 'b']
+                },
+                link: {
+                    source: [0],
+                    target: [1],
+                    value: [1]
+                }
+            }, {colorway: ['rgb(255, 0, 0)', 'rgb(0, 0, 255)']});
+
+            expect(Lib.isArray(fullTrace.node.color)).toBe(true, 'set up color array');
+            expect(fullTrace.node.color).toEqual(['rgba(255, 0, 0, 0.8)', 'rgba(0, 0, 255, 0.8)']);
 
         });