Weathering Steel Features

Weathering steels, also known by the trade name COR-TEN steels, are high-strength, low alloy steel with a carbon content of less than 0.2 percent by weight. It was originally developed in the 1930s by the United States Steel to prevent corrosion and abrasion in their ore wagons.
Weathering steel has a unique composition that imparts corrosion and weathering resistance into the steel. They eliminate the need for painting and have a rust-like appearance after several years of their life.

Advantages of Weathering Steel
High strength
Low maintenance cost
Easy installation
No need for protective paint
Cost-effective
Provides unique design and appearance
Environmental-friendly steel
Weathering steel is unsuitable for extreme marine environments, and humid subtropical climates as the patina continues to corrode instead of stabilizing the protective layer. Alternate wet and dry conditions are required for maintaining the patina layer. The absence of this condition results in a corrosion rate similar to ordinary structural steel. Weathering steel fabrication requires specialized welding.

What is weathering steel?

Weathering steel is a steel alloy chemically composed of phosphorus, copper, nickel, silicon, and chromium that results in the formation of an adherent protective rust “patina” under a corrosive environment.

Weathering steel is unsuitable for extreme marine environments, and humid subtropical climates as the patina continues to corrode instead of stabilizing the protective layer.

What is the main feature of weathering steel?

When the rusting process is initiated in weathering steel, the alloy elements produce a stable layer called the patina that adheres to the base metal. Compared to the rust layers formed in other structural steel types, patina is less porous. This protective layer develops and regenerates with weather and impedes further access to oxygen, moisture, and pollutants.