Lightning, Moose, and 1,776 Steps: The CN Tower by the Numbers

Cool moose rendering, eh? I've been up there once many, many years ago, and I was ultra-fascinated with it then, and I'm now due for another visit soon! It may also no longer be the world’s tallest free-standing structure, but the CN Tower still dominates the Canadian landscape and our imaginations. It is more than just a concrete needle in the skyline; it is an engineering marvel with some wild statistics. Let's look at the numbers behind the icon, shall we?

The "Very Canadian" Safety Rating

Everyone talks about the famous Glass Floor, but few know just how strong it actually is.

• Thickness: The glass is only 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) thick.
• Strength: It is five times stronger than the standard weight-bearing requirement for commercial floors.
• The "Moose" Test: The floor is officially rated to withstand the weight of 35 full-grown moose.

Dancing with Lightning

Because it stands so tall at 553.3 metres (1,815 feet), the tower is naturally a giant lightning rod.

• Strike Rate: The tower is struck by lightning an average of 75 times per year.
• Safety: Copper strips run down the entire length of the tower to ground the charge, making it perfectly safe for visitors inside.

The Secret in the Walls

Hidden inside the walls of the "LookOut" level is a time capsule that most visitors walk right past.

• Sealed: It was sealed in 1976 during the tower's opening.
• To Be Opened: It is not scheduled to be opened until 2076 (the tower's 100th birthday).
• Contents: Inside are letters from schoolchildren, copies of three local newspapers (including the old Toronto Telegram), and a letter from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

The Workout You Can't Do (Usually)

We look up at it, but imagine climbing it.

• Step Count: There are 1,776 metal steps leading up to the main deck. (Hey! That's the year America was born! 🤓) The total steps to the SkyPod level are actually 2,579.
• Access: It is the tallest metal staircase on earth, but it is usually closed to the public and reserved for emergency use. It opens only twice a year for charity climbs (World Wildlife Fund and United Way).

The Charity Climbs (2025 Dates)

These popular events attract over 20,000 participants annually, raising millions for good causes.

• WWF-Canada's Climb for Nature: This event was held on April 5 and 6, 2025.
• United Way's ClimbUP: Marking its 45th anniversary, this event took place on November 15 and 16, 2025.

A Record-Breaking Feat

For the truly ambitious, the all-time speed record for climbing the 1,776 steps is just 7 minutes and 52 seconds, set by Brendan Keenoy in 1989. For context, the average person takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

The Scale of a Wonder

Numbers this big can be hard to wrap your head around, but they tell the story of the tower’s incredible strength.

• Total Mass: The CN Tower weighs a staggering 130,000 tons.
• The Comparison: To visualize that weight, imagine 8,000 transit buses or 330 Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets all stacked together.
• The Foundation: Most of that weight is actually hidden underground in a foundation that reaches 22 feet deep to anchor the tower to solid shale.

The Sway Test: CN TOWER vs. THE REAL LADY LIBERTY

While a replica statue in Brazil famously collapsed during a severe storm, the CN Tower and the real Statue of Liberty are masterclasses in flexible engineering designed to "dance" with the wind.

• The Tower’s Flex: The antenna is designed to sway up to 6 ft. 8 in. (2.03 m) to dissipate wind energy.
• The Statue's Sway: By comparison, in 50 mph (80 km/h) winds, the real Statue of Liberty moves about 3 inches, while her torch can move up to 6 inches.
• The Wind Limits: The CN Tower is a powerhouse, built to withstand wind loads of up to 418 km/h (260 mph)—nearly twice as strong as a major hurricane.

A Holiday Beacon

While the concrete structure is imposing during the day, at night it becomes a canvas.

• Colors: The tower's intelligent LED system is capable of producing 16.7 million colors.
• Celebration: During the holidays, it transforms into Toronto’s biggest Christmas decoration, often lighting up in festive Red and Green to mark the season.

BRING THE TOWER HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Speaking of holiday transformations, I wanted to capture that towering majesty in a cozier way for this Christmas season.

I have created a new set of digital papers that take the iconic CN Tower (and the Skydome!) and render them in a warm, hand-crafted, faux-embroidery style. They give you that nostalgic, stitched-textile feel without needing a needle and thread.

Since they include a Commercial License, they are perfect for creating your own unique Toronto-themed Christmas cards, mugs, or scrapbook pages.

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Resources:

CN Tower Official Website. Glass Floor and Tower Dimensions & Weight.

National Park Service. Statue Statistics (2025).

University of Toronto Magazine. Shocking Research May Help Protect Technology.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada. CN Tower Climb for Nature – Training Tips (2024).

Toronto Journey. CN Tower – The History of Toronto’s Most Iconic Structure (2025).

Not Forgotten Digital Preservation Library. Registered Time Capsule Catalog: CN Tower.

Guinness World Records. Stair climbing - fastest up the CN Tower (1989).