About the Trees Per Acre Calculator
This trees per acre calculator tells you how many trees, vines, bushes or other plants fit on an acre at a given spacing, and how many to order for your whole planting. Enter the distance between rows and between plants within a row for a rectangular or square grid, or a single spacing for a triangular (offset, equilateral) layout, along with your planting area.
It is used for orchards and vineyards, Christmas-tree farms, windbreaks, timber and reforestation plantings, berry patches and nursery blocks. Results include the area each tree occupies, trees per hectare for metric plans, and an order quantity that adds a percentage for losses so you have stock on hand to replant gaps after the first season.
A triangular pattern fits about 15% more trees than a square grid at the same spacing, because every tree sits the same distance from six neighbours. Spacing should allow for mature crown size, machinery access and sunlight; follow local forestry or extension recommendations for your species.
With the default inputs, the trees per acre is 145.2. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the trees per acre calculator
- 1Choose a square/rectangular or triangular planting pattern.
- 2Enter the spacing between rows and between trees in feet.
- 3Enter the planting area in acres.
- 4Add a loss allowance for replanting and the price per tree.
- 5Read trees per acre, the total count and your order quantity.
Formula and method
An acre is 43,560 square feet. In a rectangular grid each tree occupies a rectangle equal to the row spacing times the in-row spacing, so dividing 43,560 by that area gives trees per acre. In a triangular (equilateral, offset-row) pattern each tree is the same distance s from its six neighbours and rows are s × 0.866 apart, so each tree occupies s² × √3 ÷ 2 square feet — about 13.4% less area, which fits roughly 15.5% more trees.
Trees for the planting area are trees per acre times acres, rounded down to whole trees, and the order quantity adds your loss allowance and rounds up. Trees per hectare divides trees per acre by 0.4047 hectares per acre. Edge effects (a border row or headlands) are ignored, so a narrow or irregular field may fit slightly fewer.
- 43,560
- Square feet in one acre
- s
- Distance between neighbouring trees, ft
- 0.866
- √3 ÷ 2, row offset factor for a triangular pattern
Worked examples
Apple orchard at 20 × 15 ft on 5 acres
Each tree occupies 20 × 15 = 300 sq ft, so an acre holds 43,560 ÷ 300 = 145.2 trees. Five acres hold 726 trees; adding 5% for losses means ordering 763 trees, about $19,075 at $25 each.
Triangular planting at 10 ft spacing on 2 acres
In an equilateral pattern each tree occupies 10² × 0.866 = 86.6 sq ft, giving about 503 trees per acre — versus 435.6 on a 10 × 10 ft square grid. Two acres fit 1,005 trees.
Pine reforestation at 8 × 8 ft on 40 acres
At 64 sq ft per seedling an acre takes about 681 trees, so 40 acres need 27,225. With 10% extra for mortality, order 29,948 bare-root seedlings — about $14,974 at 50 cents each.
Frequently asked questions
How many trees can I plant per acre?+
It depends on spacing: 43,560 divided by the square feet per tree. At 10 × 10 ft that is 436 trees, at 12 × 12 ft about 303, at 20 × 20 ft about 109, and at 6 × 6 ft about 1,210 per acre.
What spacing is used for an apple orchard?+
Standard-size apple trees are often planted around 20–30 ft apart, semi-dwarf around 12–18 ft, and high-density dwarf orchards 3–6 ft in rows 10–14 ft apart, giving anywhere from about 50 to over 1,000 trees per acre.
Is triangular planting better than square?+
A triangular (offset) layout fits about 15% more trees at the same spacing and gives each tree an even circle of growing room. Square or rectangular grids are easier to lay out and allow machinery to pass in two directions.
How many seedlings per acre for reforestation?+
Pine and hardwood reforestation commonly uses spacings from about 6 × 8 to 10 × 10 ft, or roughly 435 to 900 seedlings per acre. Your state forestry agency or a consulting forester can recommend a target density.
How do I convert trees per acre to trees per hectare?+
One hectare is about 2.471 acres, so multiply trees per acre by 2.471. For example 145.2 trees per acre equals about 359 trees per hectare.