Brooklyn Bridge Construction Materials: Wires, Stone, Cement & Steel

What the Brooklyn Bridge Is Made Of: By the Numbers

When completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was a materials marvel. Here's the quantified bill of materials (approximate historical figures):

What About Rivets, Bolts, Nuts?

• The towers and anchorages are stone masonry—no structural rivets/bolts there.
• Steel superstructure (trusses, stiffening girders) used riveted connections—typical late-19th-century practice.
• Exact rivet count not widely published in aggregate; estimates range 200,000–500,000 for the steelwork.
• Anchor bolts embed cable ends in masonry anchorages (4 per cable = 16 major anchor bolts).
• Suspender ropes (wire rope) connect main cables to deck—~1,200 suspenders, each with socketed ends (not threaded nuts).

Why the Wire Count Dominates

The 675,000 miles of wire (enough to circle Earth 27 times) is the bridge's defining material achievement—first use of steel wire cable at this scale, spun in place by Roebling's innovative travelers.