Honestly, the weight of an urban bench is one of those things that seems simple until you try to move one yourself. I have wrestled with a few in my time, and the answer really depends on the material. If you are picturing that classic heavy-duty steel or cast iron bench with wooden slats, you are probably looking at anything from 150 to over 400 pounds (68 to 180 kg). A standard 6-foot steel bench with cast iron ends typically hits around 200 pounds. Pure concrete or stone benches? Forget about casually lifting it; those monsters can easily top 500 pounds and more often than not require a small crew or a hand truck just to tilt them upright. On the other hand, a lightweight aluminum bench might be as delicate as 60 pounds, which is why nobody leaves those unsecured in a windy spot.
Now, onto the real heart of your question: can you bolt it down to concrete? Absolutely, and I would argue you absolutely should if this bench is living anywhere public or even in a backyard where you get strong gusts. An unsecured bench is a liability and, frankly, a thief’s easy target. The method you choose depends entirely on how your bench is built.
Most commercial urban benches come with pre-drilled feet or mounting plates specifically designed for this. If you are working with a fresh concrete pad you are pouring, you can cast J-bolts or anchor straps directly into the wet concrete. Measure about a thousand times before you pour, because once that concrete sets, your bolt pattern is permanent. For existing concrete, your best friend is the wedge anchor. You drill a hole with a hammer drill and a carbide-tipped masonry bit, clean out the dust thoroughly (do not skip this step or the anchor will fail), and then hammer the wedge anchor through the bench foot into the hole. As you tighten the nut, the anchor expands and bites into the concrete with tremendous force. I recommend using stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized hardware unless you love the look of rusty streaks staining your new concrete over time.
What if the bench legs are hollow cast iron with no mounting holes? This is a common design on classic park benches, and you have a couple of solid options. You can use a specialized surface-mounted bench bracket that cups the bottom of the leg. You bolt the bracket to the concrete first, then slide the leg into the cup and secure it with a set screw or a through-bolt. Alternatively, if you are handy with metalwork, you can drill a hole laterally through the side of the cast iron leg, slide a heavy-duty lag shield into your concrete, and run a thick lag bolt through the leg into the shield. Just be cautious drilling cast iron; go slow, use cutting oil, and do not let the bit overheat.
The biggest mistake I see is people using plastic wall plugs or short, flimsy screws and thinking that will hold a 250-pound bench against a determined crowd or a 40 mph wind gust. It will not. Go deep. I never use an anchor smaller than 3/8 inch diameter with a minimum embedment of 2.5 inches into solid, cured concrete. If you are in a frost zone, make sure the concrete pad extends below the frost line, or the whole thing will heave and crack no matter how strong your bolts are. A firmly anchored urban bench feels solid, safe, and permanent, and sitting on one that does not wobble is a quiet little luxury worth the effort.