Overview
It boats the largest stainless steel façade all over the world and has been awarded LEED Gold for energy efficient practices. It is Ping An Finance Center (PAFC), the tallest tower in Shenzhen, secondly tallest in China after Shanghai Center. This week let us delve into the world of stainless steel through the case of stainless steel application in PAFC.
Ping An Finance Center
Named after Ping An Insurance Company, Ping An Finance Center (or PAFC) emerges as the highest skyscraper from Shenzhen skyline with an admirable height of 599 meters, according to the official data. Some sources show it is 599.1 meters high, though. It is also known as Ping An IFC, for it was previously named as Ping An International Finance Center.
Situated in the CBD of Futian District, PAFC is a mixed-use building with a total floor space of 462000 square meters. Among its 118 floors, there are retail spaces (mainly the 5 underground levels), offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation deck (the 116th floor) and high-end private clubs (117-118 floors). Offices make up the lion’s share from 10 to 115 levels, with 10 to 64 floors for their own employees and 64 to 115 floors for rent. It can accommodate up to 15500 workers and 9000 tourists to its observation deck per day.
The Background Information of PAFC
Ping An Group, the project owner, ranks as one of the world’s largest insurance companies and remains top in Fortune 500 list as a private Chinese company. In this sense, PAFC, as its headquarter, signifies beyond the tallest building physically, but also symbolizes its strong brand image spiritually. Ping An means safe and well in Chinese context, quite popular among Chinese New Year Greetings. For instance, we say “Zhu Ni Ping An’’ in Chinese, it means we wish you safe and well in New Year.
On 6 Nov. 2007, Ping An Group paid 1.6568 billion Chinese Yuan (CNY) for the auction land numbered B116-0040, with its lot size amounting to 18931 square meters. On 29 August 2009 the foundation stone of PAFC was laid and construction commenced swiftly in November of that year. In August 2015 the pyramid structure was installed on the top, adding the tower to its official height of 599 meters. The project was actually completed in October 2016 (Credaward 2020-2021), but not officially announced until 28 March 2017.
The Episode
The construction cost approximately $1.5 billion (The Tower Info 2025). To calculate on time basis, it took roughly 7 years to complete. There was an episode that ever disrupted the construction work.
In March 2013, the construction work was halted due to the suspicion aroused on the material quality. It was rumored that the concrete used for the tower was largely composed of untreated sea sand, which could corrode the building steels with time and lead to safety hazards. Subsequently, the authority sent inspection teams to conduct quality review and test the concrete “in trouble” for many times. It turned out the material was qualified without any problem. The work resumed promptly later in that month.
The Design of PAFC
Ping An Finance Center was designed by the renowned American architecture firm Kohn Pederson Fox, who tied their fame to some of the world’s tallest structures, such as Lotte World Tower in Seoul, Korea and Brooklyn Point Tower in New York, USA. In China, they also designed another two famous skyscrapers, i.e., Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai and Chow Thai Fook (CTF) Finance Centre in Guangzhou.
The design of the tower was inspired by a tightened steel cable, outstretched by the sky and the ground at the same time, shaping eight composite super-columns at the bottom tapering to the top of a pyramid structure. It creates a prismatic aesthetic, echoing with the technology background of Shenzhen City. Beyond its appealing appearance, the streamlined shape of the building is functionally optimized to enhance the structural and wind performance, cutting baseline wind loads by 35% (Skyscraper Center 2024).
Stainless Steel Applied in PAFC
The façade of PAFC constitutes one of its most prominent features. Upon its completion, the tower boasts the world’s largest stainless steel façade. A total of 1700 tons of 316L stainless steel 2mm stainless steel sheets were used. What a magnificent project!
Type 316L is also known as marine grade for it features excellent corrosion resistance against marine atmosphere. Considering Shenzhen’s salty costal location, 316L was selected to maximize the project service life. With the right material, PAFC is expected to last long for decades without having to change its designed look.
Stainless Steel from CIVMATS China
The case of Ping An Finance Center happens to be the first article as we embrace the New Year 2026. It heralds Ping An for all of us. Let’s pray world peace for 2026 and CIVMATS wish all a happy, healthy and successful new year.
If you happen to look for reliable stainless steel supplier from China, whether for long products like stainless steel pipe tube, bar, wire & ropes, or for flat products such as stainless steel sheet plate coil strip, give CIVMATS a call. Choose CIVMATS, choose safety and reliability.
