What makes the Eiffel Tower so stable?

Puddled iron, a nineteenth century material that behaves differently from the steel used in most buildings today, holds the key to the Eiffel Tower's resilience.



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The iron used to build the Eiffel Tower went through a refining process called puddling which eliminated the excess carbon when the ore was melted. Following this process, you obtain almost pure iron, which was, according to Gustave Eiffel at that time, the best and most robust of materials.

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Eiffel was one of the first engineers to recognize the importance of wind forces on tall structures. He designed the surface of his Tower to be so minimal that the wind has virtually nothing to grab onto. All pieces of the Tower form an open lattice of light trusses through which the wind can blow.

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Constructed using puddle iron, the Tower is protected from oxidation by several coats of paint to ensure that it lives forever.

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The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down after 20 years. The tower was built with the intent of showing off France's industrial prowess during the World's Fair, but the plan was to tear it down after 20 years. However, Eiffel cleverly put a radio antenna and wireless telegraph transmitter in the tower.

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The Eiffel Tower's Illuminations. Every evening, the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris.

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Eiffel won an open competition to design the Eiffel Tower, which was to be the crowning glory during the Paris World Fair of 1889.
  • It Took 22 Months to Complete.
  • The Eiffel Tower Is Made of Iron.
  • The Eiffel Tower Has Three Floors.
  • The Eiffel Tower Has to be Repainted Every 7 Years.


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Winds can cause the top of the Tower to sway, side-to-side, by up to 7 centimeters (2.8 inches). 5) Roughly 250 million people have visited the tower since it opened.

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According to our model, the tower could withstand peak ground accelerations >100% larger than the values prescribed by current seismic hazard estimates.

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Every evening, the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris.

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It is made of lattice-shaped wrought iron with 20,000 lights. The Eiffel Tower was built for $1.5M in 1889. If we inflation adjust this original cost using CPI, we get $44M. According to a 2012 study by the Chamber of Commerce of Monza and Brianza in northern Italy, it is worth $510 billion.

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The Eiffel Tower's Illuminations. Every evening, the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris.

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Nope. The Eiffel tower gets a average of 5 lightning strikes a year, but nobody that was on Eiffel tower when that happened has every Bern injured because of that. Parisian thunderstorms love the Eiffel Tower and yet it's safe for visitors and the tower's structure.

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In fact, the Tower has been repainted for over 130 years, about once every 7 years. So if it is repainted, the Eiffel Tower can last... forever.

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Unless weather conditions or special safety considerations prevent it, you can visit the tower up to midnight from mid-June to early September and up to 11:00 pm the rest of the year.

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It takes anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes to walk up the Eiffel Tower stairs, and about 20 minutes to walk down the stairs.

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The Eiffel Tower moves. The massive iron structure is wind resistant and will sway during a storm. Wind isn't the only thing that can make the enormous tower move, though — the heat of the sun causes the iron to expand, making the Tower grow a few centimeters during the summer months.

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