diff --git a/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml b/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml
index 535187a739..06d6a10909 100644
--- a/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml
+++ b/etc/spack/defaults/config.yaml
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ config:
   # when Spack needs to manage its own package metadata and all operations are
   # expected to complete within the default time limit. The timeout should
   # therefore generally be left untouched.
-  db_lock_timeout: 3
+  db_lock_timeout: 60
 
 
   # How long to wait when attempting to modify a package (e.g. to install it).