Tag:surface=concrete:plates

Use surface=concrete:plates for surfaces covered with precast (prefabricated) heavy duty concrete plates or slabs closely placed together. Usually these plates are of identical size and shape with smooth finished edges. For an extended lifetime the plates sometimes are edged with steel profiles. For additional strength they may be fixed to each other by steel clamps or chains.

Prefabricated concrete plates can easily be identified by their lifting appliances needed for the lifting hook as they can only be handled by a lifting device (crane). These appliances (steel loops or bars) are normally found in cavities in the top or at the edges of the plates.

Roads, tracks or service areas covered with precast concrete plates are often (but not exclusively) found in industrial areas where heavy traffic load is given. Also temporary roads and tracks are sometimes constructed from prefabricated plates because the plates can easily be removed when no longer needed.

Please use surface=concrete:plates only for surfaces definitely being made up from heavy duty precast plates as described above. If you are not sure please use surface=concrete instead.

For a concrete surface made up of 2 narrow concrete lanes separeted by a middle strip of grass, ground or any other surface see surface=concrete:lanes.

For a surface covered with paving stones or paving slabs made of concrete see surface=paving_stones.

Misinterpretation of surface=concrete:plates

Up to February 2025 surface=concrete:plates has widely been used in combination with footways and service roads either covered with concrete slabs cast in place or with precast concrete paving slabs of a medium size like 30x30 cm to some 40x80 cm. These surfaces should be tagged as surface=concrete or surface=paving_stones instead. Please see the sample pictures under "Photos of other concrete plates/slabs not to be tagged as surface=concrete:plates" for better understanding.

Photos of heavy duty precast concrete plates

• 
  Surface of large concrete plates with clearly visible cavities for the lifting hooks
• 
  Steel edged concrete plates - 2 cavities for the lifting hooks are visible in the middle of each plate
• 
  A pier surface made of steel edged concrete plates
• 
  A national park track made of reused (old) concrete plates
• 
  A temporary bicycle bypass with concrete plates surface

Photos of other concrete plates/slabs not to be tagged as surface|concrete:plates

• 
  A surface made of concrete slabs cast in place - to be tagged surface=concrete
• 
  A surface made of concrete paving slabs - to be tagged as surface=paving_stones (+artwork??)
• 
  A footway covered with concrete paving slabs - to be tagged as surface=paving_stones

External links

• topic at OSM forum discussing this tag

See also

• surface=concrete:lanes - narrow concrete elements placed in lanes for a two-tracked vehicles
• surface=concrete - all surfaces made from concrete cast in place
• surface=paving_stones - surface paved with artificial blocks/slabs or natural stones with a flat top

Possible tagging mistakes

surface=concrete_plates

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		$1%
		$1%
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More details at taginfo

• surface=concrete_plates

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
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