URBAN BENCHES

Great question—and I know exactly what you mean. Some outdoor benches have slats so far apart that they look more like a drying rack than a seat. On our benches, the outdoor bench slat gap is 8 mm, which is about 5/16 inch. We tested wider gaps during prototyping, and anything over about 12 mm started to feel noticeably less comfortable. The edges of the slats dig into the back of your legs, small items slip through, and the whole seat feels more like a deck than a bench. Our bench slat spacing is set at 8 mm for three reasons. First, it is tight enough for outdoor bench comfort: you do not feel hard edges against your legs, and you are less likely to catch a zipper, button, or the corner of a phone. Second, it still leaves enough room for rain to drain and air to circulate, which helps protect the frame and slats. Third, it gives the bench a clean, intentional look without the gaps becoming the main visual feature. If you are comparing options, I would treat a very wide gap as a warning sign. Some manufacturers increase spacing to reduce material costs, but that often makes the seat less comfortable and less functional. A good slat gap design should disappear when you sit on it—you should notice the support, not the spaces between the boards. So if you are looking at our weatherproof outdoor bench, the answer is 8 mm. It is narrow enough to feel like a smooth seat, wide enough to handle rain and airflow, and it is a detail we check on every unit before it ships.