Key:building:material

building:material
Description
Outer material for the building façade.
Group: Buildings
Used on these elements
Requires
building=* or building:part=*
Useful combination
roof:material=*
See also
building:structure=*
Status: de facto
building:material=* More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
Tools for this tag
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The key building:material=* is used to describe the outer surface material of building walls, also know as the facade or façade.

This information can be used to model 3D buildings.
Some 3D renderers set the colour of a building based on this tag.

This tag should be used to determine what the external layer of building walls is made of or covered with, and not what the walls are made of.
For example: if the walls of a building are made of bricks, plastered and painted, then the appropriate tag would be building:material=plaster.

Values

Value	Short description	Example image	Count
cement_block	Concrete masonry unit or cement blocks, concrete blocks, breeze blocks (UK), concrete hollow blocks (Philippines)		building:material=cement_block $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
brick	bricks		building:material=brick $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
plaster	building coated in plaster (or stucco)		building:material=plaster $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
wood	wood		building:material=wood $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
concrete	concrete		building:material=concrete $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
metal	metal		building:material=metal $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
steel	steel, non-decorative metal, often seen on industrial buildings or tanks		building:material=steel $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
stone	stones Similar values: limestone, sandstone		building:material=stone $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
glass	glass		building:material=glass $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
mirror	mirrored-glass		building:material=mirror $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
mud	dried mud Similar values: adobe, rammed_earth		building:material=mud $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
masonry	Unspecified masonry - better use brick, cement_block See also building:structure=*		building:material=masonry $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
tin	tin		building:material=tin $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
plastic	plastic		building:material=plastic $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
timber_framing	timber framing This tag is used to describe the structure, rather than the facade. See also building:structure=*		building:material=timber_framing $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
sandstone	sandstone Similar values: limestone, stone		building:material=sandstone $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
clay	clay Similar values: loam, adobe		building:material=clay $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
reed	reed		building:material=reed $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
loam	loam Similar values: clay, adobe		building:material=loam $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
marble	marble		building:material=marble $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
copper	copper (see Copper in architecture on Wikipedia)		building:material=copper $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
slate	slate		building:material=slate $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
vinyl	plastic vinyl strips		building:material=vinyl $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
limestone	limestone Similar values: stone, sandstone		building:material=limestone $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
tiles	generally ceramic tiles		building:material=tiles $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
metal_plates	metal plates See also: metal		building:material=metal_plates $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
bamboo	bamboo (see Bamboo construction on Wikipedia)		building:material=bamboo $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
adobe	indicates  adobe, aka cob, wichert, puddled clay, bousille, etc. Similar values: clay, loam		building:material=adobe $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
rammed_earth	indicates  rammed earth		building:material=rammed_earth $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
solar_panels	solar panels		building:material=solar_panels $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
tyres	tyres		building:material=tyres $1% $1% $1% $1% More details at taginfo More details at taginfo
user defined	See Taginfo for all common values.

Rendering examples

• 

  building:material=brick on OSM2World

• 

  building:material=plaster on OSM2World

• 

  building:material=concrete on OSM2World

• 

  building:material=glass on OSM2World

See also

• roof:material=* – roof material
• material=* – material
• Simple 3D buildings – overview of tags for mapping 3D buildings
• Wikipedia: List of building materials

Possible tagging mistakes

building:lateral:material=*

More details at taginfo

• building:lateral:material=*

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
Automated edits are strongly discouraged unless you really know what you are doing!

building:facade:material=*

More details at taginfo

• building:facade:material=*

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
Automated edits are strongly discouraged unless you really know what you are doing!

facade:material=*

More details at taginfo

• facade:material=*

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
Automated edits are strongly discouraged unless you really know what you are doing!