diff --git a/src/archive.rs b/src/archive.rs
index e875124a..c7a9d980 100644
--- a/src/archive.rs
+++ b/src/archive.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ pub struct Archive<R: ?Sized + Read> {
 
 pub struct ArchiveInner<R: ?Sized> {
     pos: Cell<u64>,
+    mask: u32,
     unpack_xattrs: bool,
     preserve_permissions: bool,
     preserve_ownerships: bool,
@@ -53,6 +54,7 @@ impl<R: Read> Archive<R> {
     pub fn new(obj: R) -> Archive<R> {
         Archive {
             inner: ArchiveInner {
+                mask: u32::MIN,
                 unpack_xattrs: false,
                 preserve_permissions: false,
                 preserve_ownerships: false,
@@ -108,6 +110,20 @@ impl<R: Read> Archive<R> {
         me._unpack(dst.as_ref())
     }
 
+    /// Set the mask of the permission bits when unpacking this entry.
+    ///
+    /// The mask will be inverted when applying against a mode, similar to how
+    /// `umask` works on Unix. In logical notation it looks like:
+    ///
+    /// ```text
+    /// new_mode = old_mode & (~mask)
+    /// ```
+    ///
+    /// The mask is 0 by default and is currently only implemented on Unix.
+    pub fn set_mask(&mut self, mask: u32) {
+        self.inner.mask = mask;
+    }
+
     /// Indicate whether extended file attributes (xattrs on Unix) are preserved
     /// when unpacking this archive.
     ///
@@ -315,6 +331,7 @@ impl<'a> EntriesFields<'a> {
             long_pathname: None,
             long_linkname: None,
             pax_extensions: None,
+            mask: self.archive.inner.mask,
             unpack_xattrs: self.archive.inner.unpack_xattrs,
             preserve_permissions: self.archive.inner.preserve_permissions,
             preserve_mtime: self.archive.inner.preserve_mtime,
diff --git a/src/entry.rs b/src/entry.rs
index cce39d45..c81554fc 100644
--- a/src/entry.rs
+++ b/src/entry.rs
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ pub struct EntryFields<'a> {
     pub long_pathname: Option<Vec<u8>>,
     pub long_linkname: Option<Vec<u8>>,
     pub pax_extensions: Option<Vec<u8>>,
+    pub mask: u32,
     pub header: Header,
     pub size: u64,
     pub header_pos: u64,
@@ -231,6 +232,20 @@ impl<'a, R: Read> Entry<'a, R> {
         self.fields.unpack_in(dst.as_ref())
     }
 
+    /// Set the mask of the permission bits when unpacking this entry.
+    ///
+    /// The mask will be inverted when applying against a mode, similar to how
+    /// `umask` works on Unix. In logical notation it looks like:
+    ///
+    /// ```text
+    /// new_mode = old_mode & (~mask)
+    /// ```
+    ///
+    /// The mask is 0 by default and is currently only implemented on Unix.
+    pub fn set_mask(&mut self, mask: u32) {
+        self.fields.mask = mask;
+    }
+
     /// Indicate whether extended file attributes (xattrs on Unix) are preserved
     /// when unpacking this entry.
     ///
@@ -449,6 +464,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             dst: &Path,
             f: Option<&mut std::fs::File>,
             header: &Header,
+            mask: u32,
             perms: bool,
             ownerships: bool,
         ) -> io::Result<()> {
@@ -458,7 +474,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             }
             // ... then set permissions, SUID bits set here is kept
             if let Ok(mode) = header.mode() {
-                set_perms(dst, f, mode, perms)?;
+                set_perms(dst, f, mode, mask, perms)?;
             }
 
             Ok(())
@@ -485,6 +501,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
                 dst,
                 None,
                 &self.header,
+                self.mask,
                 self.preserve_permissions,
                 self.preserve_ownerships,
             )?;
@@ -601,6 +618,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
                 dst,
                 None,
                 &self.header,
+                self.mask,
                 self.preserve_permissions,
                 self.preserve_ownerships,
             )?;
@@ -676,6 +694,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             dst,
             Some(&mut f),
             &self.header,
+            self.mask,
             self.preserve_permissions,
             self.preserve_ownerships,
         )?;
@@ -760,9 +779,10 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             dst: &Path,
             f: Option<&mut std::fs::File>,
             mode: u32,
+            mask: u32,
             preserve: bool,
         ) -> Result<(), TarError> {
-            _set_perms(dst, f, mode, preserve).map_err(|e| {
+            _set_perms(dst, f, mode, mask, preserve).map_err(|e| {
                 TarError::new(
                     format!(
                         "failed to set permissions to {:o} \
@@ -780,11 +800,13 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             dst: &Path,
             f: Option<&mut std::fs::File>,
             mode: u32,
+            mask: u32,
             preserve: bool,
         ) -> io::Result<()> {
             use std::os::unix::prelude::*;
 
             let mode = if preserve { mode } else { mode & 0o777 };
+            let mode = mode & !mask;
             let perm = fs::Permissions::from_mode(mode as _);
             match f {
                 Some(f) => f.set_permissions(perm),
@@ -797,6 +819,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             dst: &Path,
             f: Option<&mut std::fs::File>,
             mode: u32,
+            _mask: u32,
             _preserve: bool,
         ) -> io::Result<()> {
             if mode & 0o200 == 0o200 {
@@ -822,6 +845,7 @@ impl<'a> EntryFields<'a> {
             dst: &Path,
             f: Option<&mut std::fs::File>,
             mode: u32,
+            mask: u32,
             _preserve: bool,
         ) -> io::Result<()> {
             Err(io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::Other, "Not implemented"))
diff --git a/tests/all.rs b/tests/all.rs
index 90b60849..8c5359c5 100644
--- a/tests/all.rs
+++ b/tests/all.rs
@@ -768,6 +768,40 @@ fn backslash_treated_well() {
     assert!(fs::metadata(td.path().join("foo\\bar")).is_ok());
 }
 
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn set_mask() {
+    use ::std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+    let mut ar = tar::Builder::new(Vec::new());
+
+    let mut header = tar::Header::new_gnu();
+    header.set_size(0);
+    header.set_entry_type(tar::EntryType::Regular);
+    t!(header.set_path("foo"));
+    header.set_mode(0o777);
+    header.set_cksum();
+    t!(ar.append(&header, &[][..]));
+
+    let mut header = tar::Header::new_gnu();
+    header.set_size(0);
+    header.set_entry_type(tar::EntryType::Regular);
+    t!(header.set_path("bar"));
+    header.set_mode(0o421);
+    header.set_cksum();
+    t!(ar.append(&header, &[][..]));
+
+    let td = t!(TempBuilder::new().prefix("tar-rs").tempdir());
+    let bytes = t!(ar.into_inner());
+    let mut ar = tar::Archive::new(&bytes[..]);
+    ar.set_mask(0o211);
+    t!(ar.unpack(td.path()));
+
+    let md = t!(fs::metadata(td.path().join("foo")));
+    assert_eq!(md.permissions().mode(), 0o100566);
+    let md = t!(fs::metadata(td.path().join("bar")));
+    assert_eq!(md.permissions().mode(), 0o100420);
+}
+
 #[cfg(unix)]
 #[test]
 fn nul_bytes_in_path() {
diff --git a/tests/entry.rs b/tests/entry.rs
index fa8eeaee..62df663e 100644
--- a/tests/entry.rs
+++ b/tests/entry.rs
@@ -180,6 +180,37 @@ fn directory_maintains_permissions() {
     assert_eq!(md.permissions().mode(), 0o40777);
 }
 
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn set_entry_mask() {
+    use ::std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+
+    let mut ar = tar::Builder::new(Vec::new());
+
+    let mut header = tar::Header::new_gnu();
+    header.set_size(0);
+    header.set_entry_type(tar::EntryType::Regular);
+    t!(header.set_path("foo"));
+    header.set_mode(0o777);
+    header.set_cksum();
+    t!(ar.append(&header, &[][..]));
+
+    let bytes = t!(ar.into_inner());
+    let mut ar = tar::Archive::new(&bytes[..]);
+    let td = t!(Builder::new().prefix("tar").tempdir());
+    let foo_path = td.path().join("foo");
+
+    let mut entries = t!(ar.entries());
+    let mut foo = t!(entries.next().unwrap());
+    foo.set_mask(0o027);
+    t!(foo.unpack(&foo_path));
+
+    let f = t!(File::open(foo_path));
+    let md = t!(f.metadata());
+    assert!(md.is_file());
+    assert_eq!(md.permissions().mode(), 0o100750);
+}
+
 #[test]
 #[cfg(not(windows))] // dangling symlinks have weird permissions
 fn modify_link_just_created() {