Tag:amenity=bench

amenity = bench
Description
A place for people to sit, allowing room for one or more people.
Rendering in OSM Carto
Group: amenities
Used on these elements
Useful combination
backrest=yes/no armrest=yes/no seats=* material=* colour=* direction=*
See also
bench=* leisure=picnic_table leisure=bleachers leisure=outdoor_seating amenity=lounger memorial=bench playground=youth_bench playground=seat
Status: approved
amenity=bench $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo
Tools for this tag
taginfo · AD · AT · BR · BY · CH · CN · CZ · DE · DK · FI · FR · GB · GR · HU · IE (N+S) · IN · IR · IT · LI · LU · JP · KP · KR · NL · PL · PT · RU · ES · AR · MX · CO · BO · CL · EC · PY · PE · UY · VE · TW · UA · US · VN overpass-turbo Sophox OSM Tag History Styleinfo

A place for people to sit, allowing room for one or more people. Benches are used for resting for a period of time. They can be particularly important to older people or those with restricted mobility who need a place to sit or lean while travelling. Additionally, benches are often used for everyday activities like reading or eating when a picnic table is not available.

How to map

Use the tag amenity=bench on a node (typical) or a way (if tagging a unusually long bench, a series of connected benches or a bench built around another object like a tree).

Benches as part of an initiative

Benches may be a part of a certain initiative, like Happy-to-chat-benches or Ride-sharing-benches. Such special functions can be indicated by the use of additional tags.

Ride sharing benches are usually mapped ashighway=hitchhiking +bench=yes. It is the same approach as used for benches mapped as a part of a public transport station.

Happy to chat benches (or simply chat benches) can be labeled as chat_bench=yes . To indicate the affiliation to the Happy-to-chat-bench-initiative the tags initiative=chat_bench and initiative:wikidata=Q131697973 can be used. For the related forum discussion see https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/tagging-chat-benches-last-chance/132910.

Tags used in combination

• backrest=yes/no – Whether the bench has a backrest (or backrests). This provides useful information for older people or those with restricted mobility. People can use backrests to support them as they use the bench.
• armrest=yes/no – Whether the bench has any armrests. This provides useful information for older people or those with restricted mobility. People can use armrests to lean against and to help them get on and off the bench.
• seats=* – An estimate of the number of people that can comfortably sit on the bench.
• material=* – What the bench's seating is made from (for example, wood, metal, concrete).
• colour=* – The main colour of the bench (the paint colour if it is painted, or the colour of the underlying material)
• direction=* – The direction that the bench (or a person sitting on it) faces. Use a compass point/cardinal direction (e.g. "NW") or a value in degrees (e.g. "315"). Can be used on benches mapped as nodes or lines .
• side=left/right – For complex benches mapped as lines where direction=* is insufficient or confusing, side=* can be used to indicate where the bench faces, based on the line direction.
• two_sided=yes – Whether the bench can be sat on from both sides.
• length=* – The length of the bench.
• covered=yes – Whether the bench is covered.
• operator=* – The operator that is responsible for the bench.
• historic=memorial + memorial=bench – Used if the bench is a memorial.
• inscription=* – Any inscription or dedication on the bench. (Sometimes in connection with historic=memorial, memorial=bench or memorial=yes; or start date start_date=* information)
• openbenches:id=* – The entry ID of a memorial bench on Open Benches.
• bench:type=* – The type of the bench.
• wheelchair=* – Whether the bench is suitable to be used with a wheelchair.

Examples

Image	Tags
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=yes seats=4 material=wood
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=no seats=4 material=wood – note that this tag describes the seat, not the frame (which is metal)
	amenity=bench backrest=no armrest=no seats=4 material=wood – note that this tag describes the seat, not the legs (which are brick)
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=yes seats=4 material=metal
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=yes (there is still an armrest available for an actual person to use) seats=2 (an estimate of the space available for actual people to sit on this bench) historic=memorial memorial=bench
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=yes seats=8 two_sided=yes Alternatively, this particular feature could be mapped as two adjacent bench nodes using direction=*.
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=no seats=4 colour=blue
	A node with natural=tree or man_made=planter. For the bench: either add bench=yes to the tree/planter or make a closed way with amenity=bench
	An accessible bench which a person in a wheelchair could transfer on to. amenity=bench wheelchair=yes backrest=yes armrest=yes seats=4
	Note, this is a bus stop that incorporates a bench. highway=bus_stop bench=yes
	amenity=bench backrest=yes armrest=yes seats=3 material=wood chat_bench=yes initiative=chat_bench initiative:wikidata=Q131697973

Rendering

• OSM Carto – nodes: (ways are not rendered as of 10/2024. [1])
• Wanderreitkarte – rendered in the online map
• JOSM – rendered with an icon of a backless bench, the special mappaint style Bench can be added
• Röntgen – , with backrest: , without backrest:

See also

• bench=yes/no – Used to indicate whether a feature has any benches
• memorial=bench – Specifies a memorial as a bench
• leisure=picnic_table – A table with benches for food and rest
• leisure=bleachers – Raised, tiered rows of benches found at spectator events
• leisure=outdoor seating – Where guests sit outside
• amenity=lounger – An object for people to lie down
• amenity=chair – A chair which remains located in the same place
• playground=youth_bench – A special type of bench (a playground facility) – often with seating at different, age-appropriate seat heights or for sitting higher (and with another beam or a bar to put your feet down)

• Approved features/Bench – Approved proposal for amenity=bench
• Proposed features/Public Transport#Platform – Approved proposal for bench=yes/no
• Proposed features/Bench detail – Originally rejected proposal for optional tags

External links

• MapContrib theme for benches and picnic tables – Simple online editor to add or edit benches.
• Age Friendly Ireland – Age Friendly Seating
• Building for Everyone: A Universal Design Approach – Section 1.5.4.7 Seating

Related terms: ‹ bench › ‹ seat ›