Tree Spacing Calculator: Trees per Acre and Hectare
Pick a layout, enter the spacing and the plot size. Trees are counted on the grid lines including the plot edges; rows run along the plot length.
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Formula
- Square: area per tree = spacing x spacing
- Rectangular: area per tree = spacing x row spacing
- Triangular (hex): row spacing = spacing x sqrt(3) / 2 = spacing x 0.866, area per tree = spacing x row spacing
- Trees per acre = 43,560 / area per tree in square feet; trees per hectare = 10,000 / area per tree in square metres
- Trees per row = floor(plot length / spacing) + 1; rows = floor(plot width / row spacing) + 1
- In a triangular layout every second row is shifted by half a spacing and may hold one tree fewer
Worked example
Square, 5 m spacing, plot 100 m x 50 m: area per tree 25 m2, so 10,000 / 25 = 400 trees per hectare. Trees per row 100 / 5 + 1 = 21 and rows 50 / 5 + 1 = 11, so 231 trees in the plot.
Rectangular 6 ft x 20 ft: 43,560 / 120 = 363 trees per acre.
Square 12 ft in a 100 ft x 100 ft plot: 9 x 9 = 81 trees, and 302.5 trees per acre.
When to use it
Use it to plan an orchard, hedgerow or woodlot before buying trees. Typical spacings run from a few feet for hedges to 20 feet or more for large trees, so check the mature spread. A triangular layout fits about 15 percent more trees than a square one at the same spacing.
Common mistakes
- Counting trees on the grid but forgetting that trees sit on the plot edges, which adds one per row and column.
- Planting at the minimum spacing and forgetting the mature canopy.
How it differs from nearby calculators
The plant spacing calculator counts vegetables and flowers in a bed, and the vegetable garden planner works out beds for several crops. This page is for tree-sized plantings over a plot, with density per acre or hectare.
Frequently asked questions
How many trees fit in an acre at 20 ft spacing?
On a square layout each tree needs 20 x 20 = 400 square feet. One acre is 43,560 square feet, so 43,560 / 400 = 108.9, about 109 trees. At 6 ft by 20 ft rows the figure is 43,560 / 120 = 363 trees per acre.
How many trees per hectare at 5 m spacing?
A hectare is 10,000 square metres. A square 5 m x 5 m layout gives 10,000 / 25 = 400 trees per hectare.
What is a triangular or hex layout?
Trees sit at the corners of equilateral triangles, so row spacing is the tree spacing x 0.866 (the square root of 3 over 2). It fits about 15 % more trees than a square layout at the same spacing: 1.1547 / spacing squared, or 721.7 per hectare at 4 m.
How are rows and columns counted?
Along each side the count is the length divided by the spacing, rounded down, plus one for the tree on the edge. A 100 m x 50 m plot at 5 m gives 21 trees in each of 11 rows, 231 in total. Leave extra room for headlands and paths in a real design.
How many trees fit in a 100 by 100 foot plot at 12 foot spacing?
Along each side the count is floor(100 / 12) + 1 = 9, so a square layout holds 9 x 9 = 81 trees. Per acre the density is 43,560 / 144 = 302.5 trees.
How many trees per acre at 10 by 10 feet?
Each tree needs 100 square feet, so 43,560 / 100 = 435.6 trees per acre. Because trees sit on the plot edges, a 100 by 100 foot plot actually holds 121 trees.
How many trees per hectare at 3 m by 6 m?
Choose the rectangular layout with 3 m in the row and 6 m between rows. Each tree has 18 square metres, so a hectare holds 10,000 / 18 = 555.56 trees.