All about bench sizes

A bench is one of the basic and obligatory attributes of the urban landscape. They can be found in parks, streets, squares and courtyards: with or without a back, wide or narrow, with awnings or in open space. Often they are installed on the territory of the local area in order to relax after work or summer cottages in the fresh air. Before purchasing or making benches, you need to find out what sizes they are.

For outdoor benches, certification and declaration of conformity according to the GOST R system are optional. Therefore, there are no standard parameters - length, width, height - for this type of furniture. There are only standard, generally accepted sizes. The calculation of the standard sizes of benches designs is based on what parameters the average person has. As for the seats for overweight people or children, the calculations are completely different for them.

A typical park bench has a length of 1.5 to 1.8 m. This is enough to accommodate three or four people. The height of the back on a standard bench is 0.9 m, which is the most common for Russian residents. As for the typical height, the minimum is 0.4 m.

To choose the right bench, you need to consider a number of parameters.

• Dimensions. If the product will stand in a garden or summer cottage, you definitely need to know how many people can comfortably accommodate on it and without prejudice to themselves, what kind of build these people will have. For example, an overweight couple or four people with a standard body type. Of course, not only the length is important, but also the depth of the seat, and the height of the back (as well as its presence in principle), as well as whether the bench will be equipped with armrests or not.
• The purpose of the operation. A garden bench for a summer cottage in a recreation area with a barbecue is not at all like its park “sister” with standard dimensions. Outdoor furniture in parks and squares is installed in such a way that it cannot be moved or carried away, and garden furniture is often light and mobile. In the alleys and on the boulevards, it was previously possible to find only typical options, but now for public places, original furniture of fancy design with inscriptions or drawings is often made. As for garden benches, they can be absolutely any - in accordance with the general idea of ​​landscape design and the wishes of the owner.
• Manufacturing material. The first requirement is strength, the second is a long service life and immunity to environmental influences. If wood is used, it must be treated with compounds against mold and mildew, and the steel for the frame must be galvanized. If the product has forged parts (or just metal), they must be coated with anti-corrosion agents and painted with a special paint. For park benches, concrete is often used as the base material - such a product cannot be moved, even if there is a strong desire to do so.

In addition to the standard of a typical bench: length -1.5 m, width - 0.45 m and height - 0.4 m, there are many options.It all depends on the purpose of use, the availability of free space and the tastes of the owner. For example, no one will make a bench for a steam room higher than 20-30 cm or equip it with a high back - this is simply not necessary. And here On the other hand, it is advisable to choose a bench in the recreation area with a high backrest with a comfortable tilt angle, with wide armrests, and with a cozy seat.

The universal bench height is 40–45 cm, however, in accordance with the needs and desires of the owner, they can be higher or lower. It should be remembered that the optimal height should be such that a person can calmly sit on a bench, while his legs should not dangle, he should just as calmly get up, without resorting to the help of other people. Both too high a seating position are uncomfortable (there is no support for the legs, which can cause stress for an adult), and too low (knees at shoulder level, the feeling that the seat is located almost on the floor, legs are numb, the posture is uncomfortable).

Of course, the height of the bench is determined by the needs for which it will be used. If this is a bench for a steam room or for weeding plants (for those people who find it inconvenient to stand in a slope for a long time), then its height may well be 15-20 cm from the ground, and even better to make it mobile so that it can be rearranged from place to place ... But the resting seats are better made wider and higher.

Traditionally, benches are made with a width of 45 cm, but this does not mean at all that there are no other options. It all depends on the tastes and wishes of the owner. The bench in the gazebo in the recreation area should be as comfortable as possible, with a wide seat and a comfortable back, perhaps even in the form of a wave, which will allow a person to take a reclining position. If the bench has a functional purpose, for example, so that guests can sit down and comfortably put on or take off their shoes, a wide seat is useless. The width of one or two good sturdy boards is sufficient.

The minimum length of the bench is 0.6 m. But you need to take into account that one person can fit on such a seat, it is more likely an armchair, and not a small bench. If we talk about a bench for two, you need at least 1000 mm, that is, 1 m, or better - a little more. An unnecessarily long product requires additional reinforcement, therefore, if there is more than 2 m in the bench, in the center it must be reinforced with an additional support made of the same material as the side ones.

Besides design and style, it is important to decide how many people will be sitting on the selected bench. The average person of normal build needs about 60 cm to comfortably sit on the seat. The calculation of the number of seats is carried out on the basis of this particular figure. Accordingly, for two people you need 1 m 20 cm, and for three people - 1 m 80 cm. Today, even in parks and squares, you can find groups of benches that are the same in style and color, but different in length: from "chairs" with a length of 0 , 6 m, designed for one person, up to 1.8 m options - for three people.

The calculation of the number of seats is important not only in order to calculate how, for example, a company of 10 people will be accommodated in the gazebo, but also for the correct design of the product. If the length of the bench exceeds 1.8 m, then the side supports will not be enough, one more will be required - in the center, otherwise such a structure may deform and lose its original appearance. As for the armrests, in most cases, short products are not equipped with them (although, of course, there is no prohibition, absolutely any model can be made to order), therefore typical benches up to 1.2 m long will have a backrest, but without side railings.

But products with a length of 1.5 m and more often have armrests, but, again, it all depends on the stylistic and landscape solutions. In urban walking areas, all benches are designed in the same color and style, so they are either all with backs and armrests, or with a back, but without armrests, or without both. The optimal length for garden benches is 1.5 m, because on such models two people can sit freely and without interfering with each other.

This applies not only to ordinary benches, but also suspended ones - in the form of a swing or with legs like a rocking chair. Of course, you can purchase longer products if space on the site allows. The maximum permissible length for typical benches is 3 m (based on seating for five people).

For information on how to make a bench with a backrest with your own hands, see the next video.