Load adapted steel sheet-composites (StMV) and adjusted joining technologies open new fields of application for steel materials in innovative lightweight structures. A survey of available semi-finished products based on steel sheets is given. The corresponding principles of functionality and new development objectives for the improvement of essential lightweight properties are pointed out. Besides novel modifications of well known design concepts, recently developed ideas of two dimensional lightweight structures and their constructive and functional properties as well as their industrial applications are described. Furthermore, exemplary solutions for problems related to heat and noise protection or corrosion are proposed.