Will the Statue of Liberty turn pink?
Sarah Garza
Updated on April 21, 2026
Also, will the Statue of Liberty change color again?
The amount of copper in the Statue of Liberty could make 30 million pennies! When the statue was originally assembled, it was a dull brown color, reflecting the natural color of its copper plates. Over the next 30 years, though, it slowly turned to the green color you see today.
Furthermore, is the Statue of Liberty really green? The Statue of Liberty's exterior is made of copper, and it turned that shade of green because of oxidation. Copper is a noble metal, which means that it does not react readily with other substances. The Statue's copper is only three-thirty-seconds of an inch thick and unusually pure.
Then, why did they change the color of the Statue of Liberty?
When the Statue was unveiled in 1886, it was a shiny brown color, like a penny. By 1906, the color had changed to green. The reason the Statue of Liberty changed colors is that the outer surface is covered with hundreds of thin copper sheets. Copper reacts with the air to form a patina or verdigris.
Why don't they clean the Statue of Liberty?
The Statue of Liberty is cleaned on a regular basis. They simply don't clean off the 'green' patina which has formed on the outside of the statue. The copper which clads the Statue of Liberty has oxidized and turned green due to its exposure to the elements. Leaving the patina in place protects the copper underneath.