What was the original color of the Eiffel Tower when built?

The Eiffel Tower was originally painted reddish-brown when it was built. This warm iron color was later replaced by other shades as the monument’s paint scheme evolved.

The tower is made from wrought iron, which must be regularly painted to protect it from rust. Its color has changed several times since the 1889 Exposition Universelle. In the modern scheme, the tower uses graduated shades: the paint is lighter near the top and darker toward the base, helping the structure stand out against Paris’s sky.

People often assume the tower has always been its present bronze-brown color, but that shade dates from a later repainting. The current appearance is also not a single flat color across every section. Repainting is a major maintenance operation, requiring tens of tonnes of paint and careful work across the tower’s exposed iron framework.