Building symbol
A small black square on a topographic map is a building, usually a house. Larger buildings are drawn to their actual shape.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The USGS symbol sheet says individual houses may be shown as small black squares, while larger buildings are mapped to their real outline. In densely built-up areas most single buildings are left out and the area is tinted instead. Schools and houses of worship have symbols of their own. Natural Resources Canada also prints buildings in black.
Also searched as: black square on a map, buildings, house symbol on a topographic map, small black squares.
These pages describe what each symbol on a map shows. They are not navigation instructions: the map’s own legend says what each of its symbols means, and symbols differ between map series and editions.
Differences by country
The Ordnance Survey’s map-reading leaflet describes buildings as small brown squares outlined in black, with special symbols for some buildings such as churches and windmills.
Look-alikes
A dashed outline with Cem or a cross inside is a Cemetery symbol. A small open square on a line is a tower on a Power line symbol.
Read next
- Next in Topographic map symbolsCemetery symbolA dashed outline with Cem or a small cross inside marks a cemetery on a USGS topographic map.
- The same shape in Lab safety symbolsEyewash station sign (E011)A green square with a white face and a jet of water rising to the eye marks the location of an emergency eyewash. It is sign E011 in ISO 7010.
More topographic map symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Topographic Map Symbols, USGS General Information Product (first posted 2005), U.S. Geological Survey, Reading Topographic Maps; Buildings and related features
- Topographic Maps: The Basics, Centre for Topographic Information guide, Natural Resources Canada, What do the colours mean?
- Map reading: from the beginner to the advanced map reader, Ordnance Survey leaflet, Ordnance Survey, The basics
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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