How many tons of paint are used to repaint the Eiffel Tower?

About 60 tons of paint are used to repaint the Eiffel Tower.

The tower’s wrought iron is protected by repeated coats of paint, and a full repainting campaign uses roughly 60 metric tons of protective paint. This maintenance is essential because moisture, pollution and weather can cause the iron to corrode if its coating deteriorates.

Gustave Eiffel established the principle of repainting the structure on an approximately seven-year cycle. The work is extraordinarily demanding: painters inspect, scrape and coat the huge lattice by hand, often while suspended high above Paris. A campaign can take many months rather than being a quick cosmetic touch-up.

The tower has not always been brown. It was originally painted reddish tones, later appeared in ochre and yellow-brown shades, and since 1968 has used “Eiffel Tower Brown” in three graduated tones. The 60-ton figure refers to one repainting campaign, not the total amount of paint accumulated over the tower’s entire history.