Corrosion is a major durability problem for steel structures, and atmospheric corrosion is the most common corrosion that causes the greatest loss. Over the years, researchers have studied the atmospheric corrosion process of various kinds of steel through in-situ test of in-service steel structures, atmospheric exposure test, accelerated corrosion test, electrochemical test, and other methods. The corrosion mechanism of steel in different environments were analyzed and corrosion models were put forward. In this paper, the research status and progress of atmospheric corrosion models of structural steel are discussed from three aspects: corrosion mechanism of steel in typical corrosive atmosphere, time-dependent model of corrosion loss of steel, and pitting depth development and distribution of steel surface.