Abstract: Summarizing the development of steel bridge construction, structural steel for bridges, and bridge steel standards in China over the past thirty years, the strength grades have evolved from Q345q and Q370q to Q420q, Q500q, and Q690q. Weathering bridge steel, corrosion-resistant steel plates for marine atmospheric environments, clad plates, and high-performance bridge steel have been successfully developed and applied in engineering. This article lists common issues related to steel used in bridge applications, such as the uniformity of mechanical properties of steel plates, the quality of steel plate shapes, weldability, and the importance of paying attention to the weldability of steel plates in design and material selection. This will help promote the high-quality development of structural steel used in bridges in China.