Some interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty

By Steven Capozzola

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Since this post was originally published we've posted a month of manufacturing facts, just like these.


The famed Statue of Liberty, located in New York harbor was officially dedicated on October 28, 1886.  The Statue has a 35-foot waistline and weighs 450,000 pounds.

Some facts:

  • Total overall height from the base of the pedestal foundation to the tip of the torch is 305 feet, 6 inches.
  • Height of the Statue from her heel to the top of her head is 111 feet, 6 inches.
  • The face on the Statue of Liberty measures more than 8 feet tall.
  • There are 154 steps from the pedestal to the head of the Statue of Liberty.
  • A tablet held in her left hand measures 23' 7" tall and 13' 7" wide inscribed with the date JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776)
  • There are seven rays on her crown, one for each of the seven continents, each measuring up to 9 feet in length and weighing as much as 150 pounds.
  • At the feet of the Statue lie broken shackles of oppression and tyranny.
  • During the restoration completed in 1986, the new torch was carefully covered with thin sheets of 24k gold.
  • The exterior copper covering of the Statue of Liberty is 3/32 of an inch thick (less than the thickness of two pennies) and the light green color (called a patina) is the result of natural weathering of the copper.

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