As we all know, weathering steel has been widely used in different industries and projects, so what are the typical famous weathering steel projects? Below we list some for your reference and further understanding of this steel.

Outdoor use

In fact, weathering steel is most often used in outdoor sculpture. Some prime examples include the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and the Center for the Arts and Humanities at Leeds Metropolitan University. There are other famous weathering steel sculptures:

Picasso sculpture in Chicago

Barclays Center Leeds Beckett University

North Point Broadcasting Tower. And so on.

Bridge, structure

In addition, it can be used to build Bridges and other large structural applications. Some will include the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the new George River Bridge.

Corten steel has also been found to be a popular building material for the construction of multimodal containers, maritime transport, and visible sheet piling. This can easily be seen on the recently widened M25 motorway in London.

When to start using weathering steel

The first use of weathering steel was in 1971, when it was used by the St. Louis Motor Company to make Highliner electric cars. The reason for this is to reduce costs compared to using standard steel. Unfortunately, however, as rust holes began to appear in cars, the durability of weathering steel did not seem to live up to expectations. Upon further examination, the painting was found to be causing the problem. This is because painted weathering steel does not resist corrosion as well as conventional steel. This meant that not enough time was given to form a protective layer on the steel. In 2016, these cars seemed to be out for good.

High quality outdoor steel

Another area where you will find weathering steel widely used is in outdoor architecture and landscaping. It was found to be very popular because it was made of an alloy that caused a self-protecting corrosion on the surface. Insulating vertan is resistant to corrosion, which means no weatherproof or paint is required. In addition, it does not damage the structural strength of steel.


Weathering steel is favored by landscape architects because of its versatility. That's because the benefits seem more distant than their warm hue. Usually, you can find it in the form of plates and sheets. Because of its combination of durability and strength, plus minimal thickness, it can be used in situations where concrete walls would overwhelm the surrounding environment or would not be suitable. Simply put, the versatility of weathering steel seems to know no limits, limited only by the imagination of the designer.


Due to its mid-century industrial flavor and lack of excess decoration, weathering steel has been found to fit easily into contemporary natural garden schemes. Since the steel seems to have a slim and beautiful profile, minus the bulkiness of the concrete walls, it can really allow the true nature of the garden to emerge. In fact, there are many different options that can be explored in this situation.