a b s t r a c t Stainless steels have not traditionally been widely used as structural materials in building and civil engineering. Where the steels have been used for this purpose there has been some other imperative driving the design, usually corrosion resistance or architectural requirements rather than the inherent structural properties of the steel. The primary reason for this low use in structural applications is usually the perceived and actual cost of stainless steel as a material. Developments over the last 10 years, both in available materials and attitudes to durability, are now offering a new opportunity for stainless steels to be considered as primary structural materials.