Four hundred and forty pounds is an unusual rating for an entryway bench and it is the number that matters most. At that figure the bench is not something you lower yourself onto carefully but something you drop onto with a bag still on your shoulder, which is how an entryway bench actually gets used on the way in.The cushion is 2 in thick in cotton-linen fabric over foam, which is genuine padding rather than a thin pad stapled to a board. That thickness is what makes sitting for the thirty seconds it takes to deal with boots comfortable rather than something you rush through, and it softens the look of a metal frame in a hallway that is otherwise all hard surfaces.The bench measures 31.9 in wide by 12.2 in deep and stands 19.3 in tall, which is the right seat height and a shallow enough depth to line a narrow hallway. Three tiers underneath hold the shoes. The metal frame keeps the assembled bench to 15.7 lb, remarkably light for the load rating, and that combination of light frame and high capacity is what steel does better than timber.