COR-TEN® Steel. A Natural Beauty
A natural beauty from the very beginning. Long lasting attraction, year after year, with practically zero need for maintenance. Use COR-TEN® steel to make your mark as an architect, and let it contribute to sustainability at the same time. Genuine COR-TEN® steel is produced by SSAB under a license from US Steel Corporation.
Patina formation process
Apply nature
At first, the steel begins to rust in the same fashion as any other carbon steel, when exposed to wet and dry weather conditions. However, as time passes, the rust layer transforms into a dense patina layer, sealing-off the steel surface, resisting further corrosion. The color changes from fresh, newly developed orange-brown, to light and eventually dark brown. The speed of change and the final color of the steel depend on the atmospheric conditions of a site and the surrounding air quality. Sulfur dense atmospheres will speed up the oxidation process and result in a darker patina. Frequent cycles of wet and dry weather conditions will also speed up oxidation.
Audenasa Headquarters
Two concrete slabs wrap the steel lattice COR-TEN® Steel to the South and reused tire blocks to the North. The image of the set aims to establish close links to infrastructures linked to movement and transport …
Read the full story
Amsterdam Klaprozenweg
The owners of this home on Klaprozenweg in Amsterdam-Noord wanted a robust, durable and affordable home. Inspired by the industrial character of the environment …
Read the full story
Hackney Backhouse
A new family home for a constrained back garden site in a Hackney Conservation Area. The house has a refined materials palette of ochre brickwork, anodised aluminium windows, COR-TEN® steel …
Read the full story
Steel cleanliness
SSAB makes COR-TEN® from the exceptionally clean iron ore extracted in Swedish mines, ensuring a pure final product.
Virtually no maintenance
With its anti-corrosive properties, COR-TEN® steel minimizes the need for maintenance and corrosion-prevention treatment, contributing significantly to low maintenance costs throughout the product lifecycle. Making COR-TEN® steel the environmentally friendly choice.
Optimal properties
The way COR-TEN® A performs on a building or any other steel structure is a result of the process, the steel’s cleanliness and the chemistry. Based on a century’s old steelmaking tradition, SSAB knows how to keep these parameters and properties in check.
Narrow tolerances
COR-TEN® A has mechanical properties and dimensional tolerances that generally exceed the standards given by EN 10025-5.
Exceeding standards
COR-TEN® A for building façades and structures conforms to established standards, including EN S355J2WP, ASTM 588 Grade A, ASTM A 242 Type 2 and has the material number 1.8946.
Fossil-free steel
SSAB aims to launch its pioneering fossil-free premium grade steel – revolutionizing the industry by implementing a steelmaking process that does not create fossil-fuel CO2 emissions.
Find out more about fossil-free steel
Genuine
Genuine COR-TEN® steel is produced by SSAB under a license from US Steel Corporation. Using genuine COR-TEN® steel ensures that appearance, longevity and mechanical properties of the material fulfills your expectations, as well as the expectations of your clients.
Consistent chemistry
Crucial to the forming of a solid and long-lasting patina is the alloying elements. The most important are copper, chromium, nickel and phosphorous. They all have to be present in the right proportions. Since COR-TEN® A from SSAB is made at a dedicated steel mill, the chemistry balance it strictly preserved for every batch.
Full range of sizes and shapes
The COR-TEN® steel portfolio includes a wide range of grades with mechanical properties and dimensional tolerances.
Product overview
Design guide
Naturally, you want to get the best aesthetics from COR-TEN® steel. When designing with COR-TEN® steel there are a few things to consider. Follow these simple rules and your architecture will leave a lasting impression.
Explore the design guide
Genuine COR-TEN® is available from dedicated distribution partners
To ensure COR-TEN® is available whenever you need it, you can order from SSAB’s network of local stocks, directly from the mill or from dedicated distribution partners all over Europe. It’s the SSAB way of providing high availability and fast delivery of premium steel.
Get in touch with the COR-TEN® team
Guidelines
Trademark use for COR-TEN®
To protect the rights of the trademark owner, these guidelines should be followed whenever the COR-TEN® brand is used. The trademark guidelines for COR-TEN® are available for download.
Working side by side with a natural beauty
SSAB Weathering
The SSAB Weathering steel portfolio is the perfect choice for structures and bridges, heavy transport and processing industries. SSAB Weathering steel includes a wide range of heavy plate, hot and cold rolled strip, tube and sections with yield strength from 345 to 960 Mpa.
GreenCoat®
GreenCoat® is the brand for innovative, sustainable color coated steel solutions for roofs, façades and rainwater systems. Widely used in sustainable architecture, GreenCoat® products offer an extensive range of colors and coatings with Swedish rapeseed oil.