Best High Weight Capacity Outdoor Bench Review 2024

*While aesthetics is a matter of taste, aesthetic flexibility is a measure of how easily a given design would fit into a wide range of home décor schemes.

**Brand Reliability is a measure of the strength and longevity of the brand, which by extension, is a measure of the level of support you can expect.

Our Selection Criteria

As the title of this roundup indicates, our primary goal was to find good quality bench seating with a high weight capacity. That phrase, though, ‘high weight capacity’ is pretty non-specific. It can mean different things to different people.

Given that most of the furniture being sold today, whether for indoor or outdoor use, is only capable of supporting 300-pounds or so, we arbitrarily decided that in order to even be considered here, the furniture we looked at needed to be capable of supporting at least 100-pounds over that, so 400-pounds became our minimum standard. Naturally, the more weight a given piece of furniture was capable of supporting, the better, but that was our starting point.

In addition to that, we also looked at the price and quality of each offered piece and how much value it had to offer. Then, aesthetics were considered, although the overall look and feel of a piece were weighted somewhat less than the other considerations.

All of these are at least somewhat subjective, of course. Your wants and needs may be different from our own, which is why you might look at the products offered here and reach a different conclusion as to which one is best. That’s fine, and in fact, it is for that very reason that we’ll be talking about them all! Having said that, let’s take a look at the various options we considered, starting with our overall winner:

Our Pick: CAF Heavy Duty Garden Bench

This beautiful garden bench, offered by CAF and handcrafted by Amish woodworkers, is, in our view, the gold standard of high weight capacity bench seating. This is the model that everything else on the market strives and generally falls short of emulating.

Let’s start with a quick review of the basic stats of the bench to get a better understanding of it:

As you can see, this bench is offered in two variants, defined by length. We view the five-foot variant as being more useful and versatile than the shorter one. Still, if you’re cramped for space, then your opinion may vary on that point.

The seat width and depth are good, being just inside what’s normally considered the big and tall range, which starts at 18” and goes up to 22” and beyond. The maximum supported weight, however, is the real headline here. Eight hundred pounds is beyond impressive.

If you buy the five-foot version, two heavier people can sit next to each other with ease. If you opt for the four-foot version, a single heavier person could enjoy it. However, there likely wouldn’t be sufficient room for a second body unless they were a bit on the small side.

Finally, note that this is a fairly hefty piece of furniture. You won’t have to worry about a gust of wind blowing it over. It’s big and heavy enough that if you decide to move it to a different location in your yard, deck, porch, or patio, you’ll probably want a second pair of hands assisting in that effort.

Both variants, and in fact, everything Amish Casual makes and sells via CAF, their primary vendor, is made from pressure-treated pine. If you decide you want one, you can order yours unfinished, or you can choose from a modest selection of pre-stained or pre-painted benches.

In our view, the unfinished bench is the way to go. If you want to leave the wood in its natural state, all you’ll need to do to ensure a long life is to sand it and apply a couple of coats of polyurethane, and you’re in business.

The problem with the pre-stained variants is that the company only used a single coat of stain. Most people who do the job themselves will wind up applying two, which gives it a deeper, richer look.

From a practical perspective, that means that if you get one of the pre-stained benches, the stain you select is probably going to start showing its age well before you had hoped. Eventually, you’ll find yourself having to strip it, sand it down and re-stain it anyway.

Note that if you buy one of these, it will come partially assembled, but you’ll still have some work to do before you can start enjoying it. Amish Casual’s production quality is sky high, and the assembly instructions are clear, so you won’t have any issues there and can probably complete the assembly process in about thirty minutes.

Note, however, that if you’re planning to stain it yourself, you’ll want to do that before putting the pieces together, and that could stretch the process out into a few days since you’ll need to let each coat of stain dry overnight, then give the polyurethane the same timeframe, before finally putting it together for first use. Even so, once you get to that stage, you’ll have something that will look amazing and last you for years.

The last thing to talk about in this section of our roundup review of the best high weight capacity outdoor bench is comfort. It’s an all-wood piece of furniture, so it doesn’t offer a plush, luxurious seating experience. Even so, the space between the slats is sufficient to make it breathable, which helps some. With furniture like this, it’s incredibly easy to make it as comfortable as you like, by adding a seat pad and a pad for the seatback of whatever thickness you desire.

That, however, comes with a catch. Most people buy all wood furniture because of the look and feel of the wood itself. The more padding you add, the more you’ll wind up covering up the natural beauty of the wood, so it’s a bit of a tradeoff.

Mostly, it comes down to how you plan to use these benches. If you’re buying them to provide occasional, short-duration seating for your guests, then they probably don’t need any additional padding.

On the other hand, if you mean for your guests to spend extended periods lounging on this bench, then a bit of extra padding would be a welcome addition. If you’re not sure, then start with the bench itself, and add a pad if and as you need it. You can always take it off and stick it in the garage for the next time you need it, giving you the best of both worlds.

Aside from the somewhat underwhelming single coat where the pre-stained variants are concerned, we love everything about this bench and highly recommend it.

Runner-Up: CAF Amish Heavy Duty Mission Bench

The Heavy Duty Mission bench is offered by the same company that sells our top pick. The only reason this one didn’t win top honors here in our best high-weight capacity garden bench roundup review is the fact that the Garden Bench is cheaper and offers a better overall value for the money.

Nonetheless, the two are very similar except for the styling. Mission furniture is incredibly popular, featuring simple, clean lines that give it a timeless quality. Before we say more, let’s do a quick review of the stats that define this model:

As you can see, there are more similarities than differences when you compare this bench with our top offering. Like our top pick, this bench is offered in four- and five-foot variants, and it supports an incredible amount of user weight.

The most significant difference where the dimensions are concerned is the fact that this model has a slightly higher seat, which makes it an even better fit for taller people. But if you’re on the short side, or if you entertain guests of a variety of shapes and sizes, then this one may be a bit too high for some of the people you’ll be entertaining.

Also, like our top pick, in addition to being able to select your preferred length, you can order yours either unfinished or in your choice of about half a dozen pre-stained options.

Again, this is one genuine point of weakness where furniture from Amish Casual is concerned, though. They only apply a single coat of stain and topcoat, so the pre-stained variants don’t age well.

You can expect the original finish to hold up for a couple of years, and then you’ll be left having to sand and refinish. Although it’s not the end of the world, given how amazing every other aspect of Amish Casual’s furniture is, it is a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, our first and second-place winners scored within a hair’s breadth of each other, with this one boasting a different style and being a bit more expensive. Still, if you prefer Mission-style furniture, then this is the bench you want.

Value Pick: Amazonia Newcastle Patio Bench

Our third-place winner is a simply beautiful. Made from solid teak wood, it offers a gracefully curved seatback which gives it an extremely elegant look. That fact can actually work against the design though; if your backyard is decorated in such a way as to give it a more casual aesthetic, then this bench won’t be a good fit for you.

Before we say more, let’s continue as we have been, by doing a quick stats review. Here are the basics:

As you can see, the overall dimensions of Amazonia Newcastle’s offering are in the same general ballpark as the four-foot variants of our top picks, but there are two key differences where this model is concerned.

First is the fact that this bench only supports 450 pounds of user weight. That’s still enough to make this a good fit for some big and tall users, but certainly not all. If you have your heart set on this model, and you are on the heavier side, odds are that you’ll have to sit in it by yourself. If you’re looking for something you can enjoy sitting in with someone else, you’ll want a five-foot model that supports more user weight.

Second, this model is a fair bit more expensive than our top picks. There are two reasons for that: First, it’s solid teakwood, where our top picks are crafted from pine. You pay a premium for quality hardwood like that. Second, the Amazonia Newcastle comes with a lifetime warranty. That’s huge, and in our view, it makes this model well worth the extra money.

The seat height is good for shorter to average-sized people, but bear in mind that the standard big and tall seat height range starts at 18” and goes up to 22” and beyond. If you’re taller than, say, 6’3,” this model might not be your best choice if you’re the person who’s going to be spending most of the time sitting on it.

Of course, there’s usually plenty of room to stretch your legs where outdoor seating is concerned, so the only time it will really become a problem is if you’re taller and you have some kind of mobility issue, which can make getting into and out of relatively low seats a challenge.

The rest of the dimensions of the bench are quite good and shouldn’t give you any problems at all. Just as a reminder though, this is a four-foot bench with a relatively modest user weight limit, so again, if you’re heavier and looking for something you can sit in with another person, you’re going to want a five-foot bench with a higher maximum supported weight limit.

Comfort-wise, it’s about what you’d expect, and again, if you want to make it more comfortable, it’s easy to add a padded seat or seatback. The problem with that though is that you’re paying a premium for exotic hardwood.

Finally, if you decide this is the one you want, there is some assembly required before you can start enjoying your new bench. The production quality is exceptional, and the instructions are about as simple as we’ve ever seen. 

This is an unquestionably great bench, but it’s got two limitations that make it self-selecting. It’s more expensive than most of its peers, and it’s got a rather disappointing maximum supported weight limit.

If the weight limit isn’t an issue for you, and if you don’t mind paying more for a top-quality product, then you’re going to love this bench, but both of those conditions have to be true for this one to rise to the top. On that basis, we can only give this one a provisional recommendation.

Also Great

Walker Edison Patio Love Seat

While you may not have heard of Walker Edison, they’ve been in the game for a while and have a reputation for quality. This piece of furniture blurs the lines a bit, being more akin to a loveseat than conventional bench seating. But it’s close enough that we felt it belonged in this roundup of the best high-weight capacity patio benches. Before we say more, let’s continue as we have, by doing a quick review of the stats. Here are the basics:

These measurements are pretty much in line with the dimensions of the four-foot versions of our top two picks but note that this bench is significantly lighter and not capable of supporting as much user weight.

Even so, it supports enough weight that it meets our minimum requirements. Although if you are on the heavy side, you’ll probably wind up having to sit in this seat by yourself. It’s too lightly built to support a heavier person and a second individual other than an infant.

This bench is made from solid acacia wood rather than pine, like our top picks. If you decide you want one, you can order yours either unfinished or with two different pre-stained options, one light, and one dark.

In our view, the unstained variant of the loveseat is the superior choice because the stained varieties suffer from the same problem and limitation that Amish Casual’s stained furniture does. The company only applies a single coat of stain and polyurethane, which doesn’t stand up well over time.

If you buy the unfinished version, you can give it a double coat of whatever stain color you want and at least two layers of polyurethane, which will help it stand up to the elements far better and look great over the longer term.

Unfortunately, this seat has the same limitation as our third-place entry. Its lighter construction means that not only is it less capable of supporting impressive amounts of weight if you use it regularly, but it’s also not going to stand up well over time. It’s fine for occasional seating of shorter durations, but if you entertain outdoors on anything approaching a regular basis, you’ll probably need something a bit more rugged and durable.

Of interest, this is the only product in this roundup review of best outdoor benches for heavy people that comes with a seat pad, which makes it the most comfortable of the bench seats on our list. Granted, you can make any of the others just as comfortable by adding a seat pad separately, but here, there’s nothing else to buy. When you get it ready for first use, just drop the seat pad into position and enjoy it.

Ultimately, it’s an attractive but somewhat limited piece of furniture, much more at home on your deck, patio, porch, or sunroom than it is in your garden. Even so, it’s got an unmistakable class and elegance to its design that is likely to impress. Given that, we provisionally recommend it.

Step2 Outdoor Storage Bench

This is an unusual find, and a bit of a departure from the other bench-style seats we’ve talked about to this point. It’s interesting enough that we didn’t feel our roundup review would be complete without at least giving it a mention. Before we go into exactly what makes this bench different and unusual though, let’s carry on with our convention of doing a quick stats review:

Again, this bench has measurements that are more or less in line with the measurements of the four-foot variants of our top picks here in our best garden benches for heavy people. However, since it’s made of polyethylene, it’s lighter in weight than the furniture made by Amish Casual.

The seat height is squarely in the big and tall range, and the seat is nice and deep. If you add a bit of padding, it would be easy to see guests lounging on this bench for extended periods. However, it’s just heavy enough that you’ll probably be grateful for a bit of assistance if you decide to relocate it at some point.

In the summary table, we made mention of the fact that owing to its blocky, almost childlike construction, it would make an excellent bench seat/toy box in a child’s room. We stand by that assessment, but note that in that capacity, the seat height works against it, and your child is likely going to struggle to get into the seat.

As an outdoor bench, the polyethylene really shines, being rugged and delightfully low maintenance. Unfortunately, it’s not as solidly built as our top picks, and as such, it only supports 400 pounds of user weight. If you’re on the heavy side, you won’t be able to sit in this with another individual. But it should be strong enough to support most heavier users sitting solo.

Aesthetically, its blocky construction works against it slightly, and this piece of lawn furniture may not blend as easily with the rest of your décor scheme as you’d like. That’s generally not a deal-breaker for most people, but it is something to bear in mind.

The headline here, though, is the built-in storage. That’s the reason most people would seriously consider getting this bench versus one of the more attractive products we’ve talked about to this point.

If you’re short on space for any reason, having a bench that pulls double duty as a storage compartment with a generously sized 46.5” W x 16.5” D x 11” H storage compartment is a real godsend. Those measurements work out to about five cubic feet, which gives you all sorts of storage possibilities.

As with the other options we’ve talked about so far, this one does require a bit of assembly before you can put it to use. On that front, you’ll find clear assembly instructions. And although the production quality isn’t top tier, it’s high enough that the process of putting the bench together should be pretty painless.

In addition to that, while many of the benches we’ve talked about to this point have to be sanded and stained before you can use them, there’s nothing to do here but put the thing together. The second that’s done, you can start using it, which is a minor factor in this model’s favor.

Given its weight limitations and unusual aesthetic, it’s not going to be for everyone. Still, the offered storage space is worth its weight in gold, especially if you’re already a bit lacking in that department. On that basis, we provisionally recommend it.

CAF Amish Heavy Duty Mission Glider

If you love rocking chairs, don’t have anywhere to put a porch swing, and are looking for something a bit more than a conventional outdoor bench seat, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the Heavy Duty Mission Porch Glider, offered by Amish Casual and sold through CAF.

CAF and Amish Casual have absolutely dominated this roundup review of the best heavy-duty outdoor bench. Including this entry, their products account for half of the furniture mentioned here. There’s a reason for that; they’re amazing. The furniture looks great, the quality is amazing, and they’re sturdy and reliable pieces. In our view, the porch glider is one of the best products the company makes.

Before we get into the particulars, let’s do a quick stats review. Here are the basics:

As you can see, the glider is based on the frame of the Mission Bench but has an important extra on offer in the form of the glider mechanism, which provides a smooth, relaxing rocking function.

Like the other Amish Casual products we’ve talked about, if you decide you want one of these, it’s offered either unfinished or in your choice of stains. Also, like the other Amish Casual products we’ve mentioned here in our best high weight capacity outdoor bench review, if you opt for one of the pre-stained varieties, this one suffers from the same limitations we talked about earlier. Again, not a deal-breaker, but it is something to bear in mind.

We’re incredibly impressed by the quality of Amish Casual’s products, and both they and their primary vendor CAF stand behind them and offer world-class post-sales support if you should need it.

As with the other models the company offers, we find that the five-foot variant of this bench is more versatile than the shorter variant, but we’re glad the company offers both to cater to those who take a different view or simply don’t have space for the long bench.

Ultimately, porch gliders are a bit of a niche product and almost entirely self-selecting. If you want one, nothing else will do. If you’re on the fence about it, you’re almost certainly better off saving some money and just get a standard bench. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself paying a hefty premium for a feature you don’t care much about.

If you do decide to buy one of these, however, you’re going to absolutely love it. It’s fair to say it will likely become your favorite piece of outdoor furniture. It’s amazing.

Best High Weight Capacity Outdoor Bench Roundup Review Conclusion

So, what’s the best high weight capacity outdoor bench seat on the market today?  We absolutely stand by the CAF Heavy Duty Garden Bench as our top pick, but we understand that opinions, tastes, and preferences will vary.  Here then, are some of the reasons that one of the other benches we’ve talked about in this roundup review might be a better fit for you:

• We regard the Amish Heavy Duty Mission Glider as the best piece of furniture mentioned in this review, even though it wasn’t included in the summary table itself since it’s more than just a bench seat.  If you’re looking for a glider rocker, this one is without question the one you want.
• If you prefer Mission-style furniture, then the Amish Heavy Duty Mission Bench naturally moves to the head of the line for you, eclipsing the Garden Bench.
• For those with an eye for quality who are looking for a gorgeous hardwood bench with a lifetime warranty, then the Amazonia Newcastle is the one you want. Just be mindful of its weight limitation.
• The Walker Edison Patio Love Seat is a great choice for those who are looking for something a bit more stylish that serves as a seamless bridge between your indoor and outdoor spaces, offering the look and functionality of an indoor loveseat but in a more rugged package that’s suited to your deck, porch or patio.
• And the Step2 Outdoor Storage Bench is the one you want if you’re cramped for storage space and looking for a piece of outdoor furniture that can pull double duty as both seating and storage.

Ultimately, there are no right answers here.  It all comes down to which of these is the best fit for you, your lifestyle, and how, where, and how often you plan to use your bench seat.  One thing we’re fairly certain of, though, is that you’re going to find what you’re looking for somewhere in this roundup review!

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REFERENCES & RESOURCES

• How To: Paint Pressure-Treated Wood, Bob Vila.
• What are Different Types of Outdoor Furniture?, wiseGEEK.
• How to Finish Wood With Stain and a Polyurethane Finish, Hunker.
• Outdoor Entertaining All Year Long, Love Your Landscape.org.