The Statue of Liberty is made primarily of a thin copper skin over an internal iron-and-steel framework, all resting on a concrete and granite pedestal.

Quick Scoop

  • Outer layer: about 31 tons of thin copper sheets, roughly the thickness of two pennies.
  • Internal structure: originally wrought and cast iron designed by Gustave Eiffel, later upgraded with stainless steel supports in the 1980s.
  • Pedestal: concrete core faced with granite blocks from U.S. quarries.
  • Foundation: large mass concrete set within the old star-shaped Fort Wood.
  • Color: the famous green is a natural copper patina (a protective oxidation layer) that formed over decades.

Mini breakdown

  • “Skin”: hammered copper sheets using a repoussé technique, shaped in France and assembled in New York.
  • “Skeleton”: iron and steel framework that lets the statue flex with wind instead of cracking.
  • Base: heavy concrete and granite give it enough weight and stability to stand 305 feet tall with the pedestal.

In short, when people ask “what is the Statue of Liberty made of,” they’re mostly talking about the thin copper shell on the outside—but that iconic figure stands thanks to a hidden iron-and-steel frame and a massive concrete-and-granite base.

TL;DR: The Statue of Liberty’s body is thin copper, its “bones” are iron and steel, and it stands on a concrete-and-granite pedestal.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.