diff --git a/bindings/CXX11/adios2/cxx11/Variable.h b/bindings/CXX11/adios2/cxx11/Variable.h
index 92b606ee08..621c1316ef 100644
--- a/bindings/CXX11/adios2/cxx11/Variable.h
+++ b/bindings/CXX11/adios2/cxx11/Variable.h
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@ class Group;  // friend
 namespace core
 {
 
-class VariableBase;
-
 template <class T>
 class Variable; // private implementation
 
diff --git a/source/adios2/CMakeLists.txt b/source/adios2/CMakeLists.txt
index 3a1dbb7b12..b9c7b7a4ab 100644
--- a/source/adios2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/adios2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ add_library(adios2_core
   core/Stream.cpp core/Stream.tcc
   core/Variable.cpp core/Variable.tcc
   core/VariableBase.cpp
-  core/VariableCompound.cpp core/VariableCompound.tcc
   core/Group.cpp core/Group.tcc
 
 #operator
diff --git a/source/adios2/core/Engine.h b/source/adios2/core/Engine.h
index e7c65031e9..ffca844991 100644
--- a/source/adios2/core/Engine.h
+++ b/source/adios2/core/Engine.h
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 #include "adios2/common/ADIOSTypes.h"
 #include "adios2/core/IO.h"
 #include "adios2/core/Variable.h"
-#include "adios2/core/VariableCompound.h"
 #include "adios2/helper/adiosComm.h"
 
 namespace adios2
diff --git a/source/adios2/core/IO.h b/source/adios2/core/IO.h
index 7db155fe4b..8ce20247c5 100644
--- a/source/adios2/core/IO.h
+++ b/source/adios2/core/IO.h
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 #include "adios2/core/CoreTypes.h"
 #include "adios2/core/Group.h"
 #include "adios2/core/Variable.h"
-#include "adios2/core/VariableCompound.h"
 
 namespace adios2
 {
diff --git a/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.cpp b/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index b4e4bd5d19..0000000000
--- a/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Distributed under the OSI-approved Apache License, Version 2.0.  See
- * accompanying file Copyright.txt for details.
- *
- * VariableCompound.cpp
- *
- *  Created on: May 16, 2017
- *      Author: William F Godoy godoywf@ornl.gov
- */
-
-#include "VariableCompound.h"
-#include "VariableCompound.tcc"
-
-#include "adios2/common/ADIOSConfig.h"
-
-namespace adios2
-{
-namespace core
-{
-
-VariableCompound::VariableCompound(const std::string &name,
-                                   const size_t structSize, const Dims &shape,
-                                   const Dims &start, const Dims &count,
-                                   const bool constantDims)
-: VariableBase(name, DataType::Compound, structSize, shape, start, count,
-               constantDims)
-{
-}
-
-#define declare_template_instantiation(T)                                      \
-    template void VariableCompound::InsertMember<T>(const std::string &,       \
-                                                    const size_t);
-ADIOS2_FOREACH_STDTYPE_1ARG(declare_template_instantiation)
-#undef declare_template_instantiation
-
-} // end namespace core
-} // end namespace adios2
diff --git a/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.h b/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.h
deleted file mode 100644
index adeeee68e6..0000000000
--- a/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,63 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Distributed under the OSI-approved Apache License, Version 2.0.  See
- * accompanying file Copyright.txt for details.
- *
- * VariableCompound.h
- *
- *  Created on: Feb 20, 2017
- *      Author: William F Godoy godoywf@ornl.gov
- */
-
-#ifndef ADIOS2_CORE_VARIABLECOMPOUND_H_
-#define ADIOS2_CORE_VARIABLECOMPOUND_H_
-
-#include "VariableBase.h"
-
-#include "adios2/common/ADIOSMacros.h"
-#include "adios2/common/ADIOSTypes.h"
-
-namespace adios2
-{
-namespace core
-{
-
-/**
- * @param Base (parent) class for template derived (child) class CVariable.
- * Required to put CVariable objects in STL containers.
- */
-class VariableCompound : public VariableBase
-{
-
-public:
-    const void *m_Data = nullptr;
-
-    /** Primitive type element */
-    struct Element
-    {
-        const std::string Name;
-        const adios2::DataType Type; ///< from GetDataType<T>
-        const size_t Offset;         ///< element offset in struct
-    };
-
-    /** vector of primitve element types defining compound struct */
-    std::vector<Element> m_Elements;
-
-    VariableCompound(const std::string &name, const size_t structSize,
-                     const Dims &shape, const Dims &start, const Dims &count,
-                     const bool constantDims);
-
-    ~VariableCompound() = default;
-
-    /**
-     * Inserts an Element into the compound struct definition
-     * @param name
-     * @param offset
-     */
-    template <class T>
-    void InsertMember(const std::string &name, const size_t offset);
-};
-
-} // end namespace core
-} // end namespace adios2
-
-#endif /* ADIOS2_CORE_VARIABLECOMPOUND_H_ */
diff --git a/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.tcc b/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.tcc
deleted file mode 100644
index 9322c1989b..0000000000
--- a/source/adios2/core/VariableCompound.tcc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Distributed under the OSI-approved Apache License, Version 2.0.  See
- * accompanying file Copyright.txt for details.
- *
- * VariableCompound.tcc
- *
- *  Created on: May 16, 2017
- *      Author: William F Godoy godoywf@ornl.gov
- */
-
-#ifndef ADIOS2_CORE_VARIABLECOMPOUND_TCC_
-#define ADIOS2_CORE_VARIABLECOMPOUND_TCC_
-
-#include "VariableCompound.h"
-
-#include "adios2/helper/adiosFunctions.h" //GetDataType
-
-namespace adios2
-{
-namespace core
-{
-
-template <class T>
-void VariableCompound::InsertMember(const std::string &name,
-                                    const size_t offset)
-{
-    m_Elements.push_back(Element{name, helper::GetDataType<T>(), offset});
-}
-
-} // end namespace core
-} // end namespace adios2
-
-#endif /* ADIOS2_CORE_VARIABLECOMPOUND_TCC_ */