BENEFITS OF COR-TEN STEEL

Utilizing Cor-ten Steel for architectural cladding, as well as artistic applications, has an abundance of
benefits from reducing overall material costs to meeting LEED credit requirements for Green Building.

Low Maintenance

Periodic cleaning and inspection should be the only maintenance required when using exposed
weathering steel. Periodic cleaning consists of rinsing the rusted surfaces with water to clear off any
natural debris or contaminates. If applied properly, strong rains can provide the regular cleaning to the
weathering steel members. In addition, scratches and dings are benefited by the oxide structure and
will heal through their own natural development without the need for replacement.

Long Term Cost Savings & Performance

Long term cost savings are realized by the materials durability, which can be seen by the various
structures and buildings built nearly up to 50 years ago. Throughout the world, DOTs and
transportation structures utilize the material because of its long term cost savings and durability.
Utilizing the living, protective nature of this material also eliminates the expensive costs associated with
painting and the whole life costs associated with onsite paint maintenance. In instances where access
for future maintenance is dangerous or difficult, or where traffic disruption needs to be minimized,
corten steel is an ideal cladding material.

Environmental Benefits (LEED Credits)

Reducing the environmental impacts associated with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions from
paint coatings and cleaning functions required with painting, positions weathering steel as a sustainable
building product that provides a range of LEED certifications. Exceeding LEED requirements for MR
4.1/4.2, MR 2.1/2.2, MR 5.2/5.2 credits, in addition to other green qualities such as 100% recyclable and
made from recycled content makes using our product an environmental benefit. (All environmental
benefit information will be supplied per project specifications.)

Dynamic Appearance and Texture

Aged weathering steel brings a multi-dimensional aspect to a buildings appearance. The patina can
transform multiple times on a daily basis from a state of dry to wet (and back again) and with it brings a
sense of depth and wonder. The weathered steel becomes something more than was originally
perceived. You will begin to recognize the subtle appearance hiding behind the exposed surfaces,
waiting to be experienced anew. Very few materials provide a depth that can dramatically transformed
with the ambient environment. Rich in deep tones and a variegated character, the patina continues to
blend and improve with age. As the oxide layer further develops, deeper and more earthy tones are
naturally brought out of the oxide structure.

Minimizing Cost & Lead Time

For the most streamlined, minimal cost application, using raw corten steel will reduce the overall costs
and lead times associated with cladding materials. When cladding in raw corten steel, the initial flash
rust that develops will run off and bleed onto adjoining surfaces. To mitigate this, a gutter or catch
system can be incorporated into the design to hide or transfer the loose ferrites. If run-off and staining is
undesirable, our pre-weathered Goethite Steel is designed around reducing the bleeding associated with
corten.
Using weathering steel in construction presents several challenges.

Ensuring that weld-points weather at the same rate as the other materials may require special
welding techniques or material.
Weathering steel is not rustproof in itself. If water is allowed to accumulate in pockets, those
areas will experience higher corrosion rates, so provision for drainage must be made.
Weathering steel is sensitive to humid subtropical climates. In such environments, it is possible
that the protective patina may not stabilize but instead continue to corrode.
For example, the former Omni Coliseum, built in 1972 in Atlanta, never stopped rusting, and
eventually large holes appeared in the structure. This was a major factor in the decision to
demolish it just 25 years after construction. The same thing can happen in environments laden
with sea salt.
The rate at which some weathering steels form the desired patina varies strongly with the
presence of atmospheric pollutants which catalyze corrosion. While the process is generally
successful in large urban centers, the weathering rate is much slower in more rural
environments. Uris Hall, a social sciences building on Cornell University's main campus in Ithaca,
a small town in Upstate New York, did not achieve the predicted surface finish on its Bethlehem
Steel Mayari-R weathering steel framing within the predicted time. Rainwater runoff from the
slowly rusting steel stained the numerous large windows and increased maintenance costs.
Corrosion without the formation of a protective layer apparently led to the need for emergency
structural reinforcement and galvanizing in 1974, less than two years after opening.