For more than 35 years the author has been directly involved with the preparation of Structural Steel Design Codes – both in the UK and, more widely, in the EU. This activity has also extended to include direct association with Code developments in several other countries around the world e.g. South Africa, Hong Kong etc. plus observation of the process in many places. Utilising the UK position as the timeline, this paper presents a largely personal view of developments over the past 100 years, beginning in the pre-code era and culminating in today's age of international cooperation.