Key:building:material

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building:material
Description
Outer material for the building façade. Show/edit corresponding data item.
Group: buildings
Used on these elements
may be used on nodesshould not be used on waysmay be used on areas (and multipolygon relations)should not be used on relations (except multipolygon relations)
Requires
Useful combination
See also
Status: de facto

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[1].

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)
brick bricks
plaster building coated in [W] plaster (or [W] stucco)
wood wood
concrete concrete, reinforced concrete
metal metal
steel steel, non-decorative metal, often seen on industrial buildings or tanks
stone stones
Similar values: limestone, sandstone
glass glass
mirror mirrored-glass
mud dried mud
Similar values: adobe, rammed_earth
Mud houses are commonly found in various regions of Afghanistan
masonry Unspecified masonry - better use brick, cement_block
See also building:structure=*
tin tin
plastic plastic
timber_framing A half-timbered building facade. See also Timber framing.
sandstone sandstone
Similar values: limestone, stone
clay clay

Similar values: loam, adobe
reed reed
loam loam

Similar values: clay, adobe
marble marble The Taj Mahal is entirely clad in marble
copper copper
(see Copper in architecture on Wikipedia)
The Nordic Embassy in Berlin
slate slate Facade and roof are made of slate
vinyl plastic vinyl strips
limestone limestone
Similar values: stone, sandstone

tiles generally ceramic tiles
pebbledash concrete or plaster covered with small stones (also known as roughcast)

metal_plates metal plates
See also: metal
bamboo bamboo
(see Bamboo construction on Wikipedia)
adobe indicates adobe, aka cob, wichert, puddled clay, bousille, etc.

Similar values: clay, loam
rammed_earth indicates rammed earth
solar_panels solar panels
tyres tyres
user defined See Taginfo for all common values.

Rendering examples

See also

Possible tagging mistakes

  • 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=*🔎
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=*🔎
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!

References