The buildings

“Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams”

The most famous line in 9/11 doubt, and what the fires actually did

NIST visualization related to structural fire resistance and a bare floor-truss test. It is a simulation/test graphic, not an image of the World Trade Center on September 11.
NIST · Source & image context ↗

RECORD / AT A GLANCE

False

True as a statement about melting, but beside the point: NIST says the steel weakened and bent, not that it melted. Steel at 1,000°C keeps only about a tenth of its strength.

THE EVENTS / THE INVESTIGATION / THE STORY

The chronology.

READ THE FILE

Evidence & assessment.

Open an article for its evidence, labeled AI assessment and numbered sources. Read the complete static edition ↗

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS FILE

The claims, rated.

3 claims people make about this file, each rated documented, partly true, disputed, unproven or false. Think a rating is wrong? Use Dispute or Support, or join the Discussion.

DOCUMENTED The towers, WTC 7 & demolition

“The towers were designed to survive a plane strike.”

They were designed with a Boeing 707 impact in mind, but NIST found no documentation of how that analysis was done or whether fire was considered.

Who says it: Architects and commentators.

The evidence in this file ↗ · On the full claims board ↗

FALSE The towers, WTC 7 & demolition

“Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams, so fire couldn’t have brought the towers down.”

Nobody official said the steel melted. NIST says it weakened: at 1,000°C bare steel keeps about a tenth of its strength.

Who says it: A long-running meme.

The evidence in this file ↗ · On the full claims board ↗

All 162 rated claims ↗

OPEN THE RECORD

Sources & limits.

Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.

  1. NIST: Questions and answers about the NIST WTC towers investigation ↗

    NIST’s replies on free fall, molten metal, thermite (“many thousands of pounds”) and explosives.

  2. NIST NCSTAR 1: Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers (2005) ↗

    The federal investigation’s report on why the towers fell.

← The 9/11 hub: the story, the full timeline and every file

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