805,000 t1,770,000,000 lb
The Golden Gate Bridge weighs about 805,000 tonnes (1.77 billion lb), according to the bridge district’s 1986 figure of 887,000 US tons. That total includes the two anchorages and the approach structures. The suspension bridge itself, without those, weighs 380,800 tonnes (839.6 million lb). It was about 6,800 tonnes heavier when it opened in 1937.
| Bridge, anchorages and approaches, 1937894,500 US tons as built, with the original concrete deck | 812,000 t1,790,000,000 lb |
|---|---|
| Bridge, anchorages and approaches, 1986887,000 US tons after the new steel deck; about 805,000 t | 805,000 t1,770,000,000 lb |
| Suspension bridge only, 1986419,800 US tons, without anchorages and approaches | 381,000 t840,000,000 lb |
The number comes from the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which runs the bridge. Its design and construction statistics give the total weight of the bridge, anchorages and approaches in 1986 as 887,000 tons. Those are US short tons of 2,000 lb, so the total is 1,774,000,000 lb, or 804,700 tonnes in metric, which we round to 805,000.
Most of that is not the part you see hanging over the water. The district puts the suspension bridge alone at 419,800 tons (380,800 tonnes) and each of the two anchorages, the huge concrete blocks that hold the ends of the main cables, at 60,000 tons (54,400 tonnes). Subtracting both from the total leaves about 315,100 tonnes (804,700 minus 380,800 minus 108,800) for the approach structures on the San Francisco and Marin sides.
Much of the weight is concrete. The district lists 389,000 cubic yards (297,475 m³) of concrete as originally built, against 83,000 tons (75,293 tonnes) of structural steel.
Salt and fog off the Pacific slowly ate into the original reinforced concrete roadway. Between 1982 and 1986 it was replaced with an orthotropic steel deck, a steel plate stiffened by ribs underneath and topped with about 2 inches of epoxy asphalt. Crews swapped all 747 sections over 401 nights without closing the bridge to traffic, at a cost of $68.1 million, and widened the roadway by 2 ft (0.6 m) along the way.
The old deck weighed 150,952 tonnes (166,397 US tons) and the new one 139,791 tonnes (154,093 US tons), a saving of about 11,160 tonnes (12,300 US tons). The district’s overall totals fell by less than that, from 894,500 tons in 1937 to 887,000 tons in 1986, a drop of 7,500 tons or about 6,800 tonnes. Its statistics page does not say what makes up the difference.
The two main towers rise 227 m (746 ft) above the water and together weigh 40,200 tonnes (44,000 US tons). Each tower carries a load of about 56,000 tonnes (61,500 US tons) from the main cables pressing down on it.
Each main cable is 0.92 m (36⅜ in) thick and 2,332 m (7,650 ft) long. It is made of 27,572 galvanized steel wires, each 4.87 mm (0.192 in) across, grouped into 61 bundles. The two cables hold 129,000 km (80,000 mi) of wire in total, a little over three times the distance around the equator. The cables, the 250 pairs of vertical suspender ropes and their fittings weigh 22,200 tonnes (24,500 US tons) together.
The district gives the bridge a live load capacity of 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) per lineal foot, which covers the traffic and people on it. Under the heaviest loads the middle of the main span can sag by up to 3.3 m (10.8 ft), and at the center it can move sideways by up to 8.4 m (27.7 ft).
Its biggest test came on 24 May 1987, the bridge’s 50th anniversary, when it was closed to cars for a walk. Between 750,000 and 1,000,000 people turned up, and about 300,000 of them were on the bridge at the same time. The usual upward curve of the main span flattened out under their weight. The bridge is designed to flex like that, and the stress in the main cables was estimated to have stayed below 40% of the point where the steel starts to yield.
The bridge district gives a total of 887,000 US tons, or 1,774,000,000 lb, including the anchorages and approaches. The suspension bridge alone weighs 419,800 US tons, or 839,600,000 lb.
It was designed for a live load of 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) per lineal foot of bridge. That figure covers the traffic and people on the deck, on top of the bridge’s own weight.
Its original concrete roadway was replaced between 1982 and 1986 with a steel orthotropic deck that weighs about 11,160 tonnes (12,300 US tons) less. The district’s total for the whole structure dropped from 894,500 to 887,000 US tons.
The two main cables, the suspender ropes and their fittings weigh 22,200 tonnes (24,500 US tons) together. Each main cable contains 27,572 steel wires, and the wire in both adds up to 129,000 km (80,000 mi).
On 24 May 1987 about 300,000 people crowded onto the bridge at once during an anniversary walk. Their weight flattened the upward curve of the main span, but the cable stress was estimated to stay under 40% of the steel’s yield point.
Last checked October 3, 2026.
