What is Burj Khalifa?

A megatall skyscraper in Downtown Dubai, 829.8 m to the tip, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed by Emaar Properties. It opened on 4 January 2010 and has been the tallest building in the world since.

How much does Burj Khalifa weigh?

Its foundation was designed for a total building weight of about 450,000 tonnes, according to Wikipedia.

How long did it take to build Burj Khalifa?

Excavation began in January 2004, the tower topped out on 17 January 2009 and it opened on 4 January 2010, so about six years from first dig to opening.

Does Burj Khalifa sway?

Yes, a little. Wikipedia says the tower sways a total of 1.5 m at its tallest point.

Burj Khalifa Facts: 25 Numbers That Explain It

Q: How tall is Burj Khalifa?

829.8 m (2,722 ft) to the pinnacle and 828 m (2,717 ft) to the top of the spire. The highest occupied floor is at 585.4 m.

TL;DR: Burj Khalifa is 829.8 m tall, has 163 floors and has been the tallest building in the world since it opened on 4 January 2010. It weighs about 450,000 tonnes, used 330,000 cubic metres of concrete and cost about US$1.5 billion. Below are 25 numbers that explain it, every one from Wikipedia or Wikidata.

How tall is Burj Khalifa, and what records does it hold?

Burj Khalifa is 829.8 m (2,722 ft) to the pinnacle, the tallest structure ever built. The headline numbers:

829.8 m to the pinnacle; 828 m (2,717 ft) to the top of the spire.
585.4 m: the highest occupied floor.
163 floors: 154 usable and 9 maintenance levels in the spire, plus 2 basements. It is the building with the most floors, ahead of the 110 of the old World Trade Center.
244 m: the spire. Wikipedia notes a Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) study calling it vanity height; without it the tower would be 585 m.
452 m, 555 m and 585 m: the three visitor levels, At the Top on 124, SKY on 148 and The Lounge on 152.
442 m: At.mosphere on level 122, once certified the world’s highest restaurant.
504 m: the longest lift travel distance in the world.

It took the record for tallest building from Taipei 101 (509.2 m). CTBUH certified it as the world’s tallest building on 10 March 2010. To see how it compares, read how tall is Burj Khalifa and the tallest buildings in the world.

How much does it weigh, and what is it made of?

Burj Khalifa weighs about 450,000 tonnes, the total building weight its foundation was designed to carry. It is reinforced concrete up to level 156 and lighter steel above. The materials in numbers:

450,000 tonnes: the building’s approximate total weight.
330,000 m³ of concrete and 55,000 tonnes of steel rebar.
35,000+ tonnes of structural steel came from the demolished Palace of the Republic in Berlin, East Germany’s old parliament building.
26,000+ glass panels make up the cladding, which covers 142,000 m².
24,348 windows. Cleaning the whole outside takes 36 workers three to four months.
4,000+ tonnes of structural steel in the spire.
344,000 m² of floor area (Wikidata).

The design uses the bundled tube system that SOM’s Fazlur Rahman Khan invented for Chicago’s Willis Tower. Wikipedia notes that this let it use about half the steel of the Empire State Building for its size.

What are the construction numbers?

Burj Khalifa took six years from the first dig to opening and cost about US$1.5 billion. The build in numbers:

January 2004: excavation begins.
192 piles, each 1.5 m wide and 43 m long, buried more than 50 m deep under a foundation of 45,000 m³ of concrete.
22 million man-hours of construction.
About 7,500 skilled workers were on site in June 2008.
606 m: the record height to which concrete was pumped for a building.
17 January 2009: topped out at 829.8 m.
US$1.5 billion: the total cost estimated by Emaar’s chairman in 2009.

The architect was SOM, with Adrian Smith as chief architect and Bill Baker as structural engineer. Samsung C&T built it with BESIX and Arabtec. The full story is in how was Burj Khalifa built, and the price tag in how much did Burj Khalifa cost.

What fun facts do visitors ask about?

The questions visitors ask most are about the view, the wind and the people who climbed or jumped. The numbers:

1.5 m: how far the top sways in total.
6 °C: how much cooler the top is thought to be than the base.
153 km: the distance to the shores of Iran, which Wikipedia says you can see from the top when the tide is low and visibility is high.
2,909 stairs from the ground floor to level 160.

A few more:

Ramadan. The sun stays visible longer up high. Residents above the 80th floor wait two extra minutes to break their fast, and above the 150th floor three minutes.
The climber. Alain Robert climbed the outside to the top of the spire on 28 March 2011. It took 6 hours, and UAE safety rules made him use a rope and harness. More in who climbed Burj Khalifa.
The jumpers. On 21 April 2014, Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen set the record for the highest BASE jump from a building, from a platform at 828 m.
The name. It was Burj Dubai until opening day, then renamed for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE. See Burj Khalifa meaning.
The fountain. The Dubai Fountain below cost AED 800 million and shoots water up to 152 m.

The fastest way to feel the numbers is to stand on them. The levels 124 and 125 ticket, from $51 (AED 189) at 1 USD = 3.6725 AED, takes you to 452 m, and it shows 4.3 on 92,917 reviews of that ticket on GetYourGuide. Every option is on the Burj Khalifa tickets page.