Arch Flower Calculator
Stem counts and cost for a floral arch or a moongate, from a light trim to a full asymmetric design.
A floral arch is the largest single floral item most people ever budget for, and the stem count runs from about 80 for a light trim to 250 or more for a full asymmetric design. This calculator scales the count to the size of your arch, the coverage you want and whether the flowers carry all the way round, and it splits the stems into focal, secondary and foliage so the order is realistic.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Arch height, Span across the top, How much of the arch is dressed, Density multiplier, Focal flowers as a share of the flower stems, Foliage as a share of all the stems, Stems in one wholesale bunch, Price per flower stem, Price per foliage stem, Frame hire, foam and mechanics
- What you get
- Structure to cover, Total stems, Flower stems, Foliage stems, Focal flowers, Secondary flowers, Filler flowers, Bunches of flowers to order, Bunches of foliage to order, Stems per metre of structure, Cost of the flowers, Cost of the foliage, Cost of the arch, Rough weight of the dressed arch, Foam blocks to allow for, Stems per hundred of budget
- Formula shown
- Yes, every step, right below your results.
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.
See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓
Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.
How to use the Arch Flower Calculator
- 1 Enter Arch height (m), From the ground to the top of the structure, not to the top of the tallest flower.
- 2 Enter Span across the top (m), The distance between the two legs, measured inside the frame.
- 3 Enter How much of the arch is dressed, The trade figures are for an arch of about 2.1 to 2.4 metres.
- 4 Enter Density multiplier (times), One is the standard density for the coverage you chose. Above 1.2 makes the arch noticeably fuller and heavier.
- 5 Enter Focal flowers as a share of the flower stems (%), Large focal blooms in the clustered areas. Thirty percent is a generous asymmetric design.
- 6 Enter Foliage as a share of all the stems (%), Foliage covers the frame, which is what makes the flowers read. Forty to fifty percent is normal.
- 7 Enter Stems in one wholesale bunch
- 8 Enter Price per flower stem, Your own figure.
- 9 Enter Price per foliage stem, Usually bought by the bunch. Divide the bunch price by the stems to get this.
- 10 Enter Frame hire, foam and mechanics, Frame hire or purchase, foam, wire, tape and any delivery.
- 11 Press Calculate. You get Structure to cover, Total stems, Flower stems, Foliage stems, Focal flowers, Secondary flowers, Filler flowers, Bunches of flowers to order, Bunches of foliage to order, Stems per metre of structure, Cost of the flowers, Cost of the foliage, Cost of the arch, Rough weight of the dressed arch, Foam blocks to allow for, Stems per hundred of budget, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 12 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.
Worked examples
Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.
A standard asymmetric arch
A 2.4 metre arch with a 1.4 metre span, full coverage of the reference length.
You enter
- Arch height
- 2.40 m
- Span across the top
- 1.40 m
- How much of the arch is dressed
- 2
- Density multiplier
- 1 times
- Focal flowers as a share of the flower stems
- 30%
- Foliage as a share of all the stems
- 45%
- Stems in one wholesale bunch
- 10
- Price per flower stem
- $1.60
- Price per foliage stem
- $0.50
- Frame hire, foam and mechanics
- $40.00
You get
- Structure to cover
- 6.20 m
- Total stems
- 200
- Flower stems
- 110
- Foliage stems
- 90
- Focal flowers
- 33
- Secondary flowers
- 47
- Filler flowers
- 31
- Bunches of flowers to order
- 11
- Bunches of foliage to order
- 9
- Stems per metre of structure
- 32.26
- Cost of the flowers
- $176.00
- Cost of the foliage
- $45.00
- Cost of the arch
- $261.00
- Rough weight of the dressed arch
- 15.00 kg
- Foam blocks to allow for
- 8
- Stems per hundred of budget
- 76.63
200 stems, 90 flowers and 110 foliage, costing about 199 with the mechanics. About 7 kilograms of greenery before the frame.
A large arch with full coverage
A 3 metre arch with a 1.8 metre span, the structure hidden.
You enter
- Arch height
- 3 m
- Span across the top
- 1.80 m
- How much of the arch is dressed
- 3
- Density multiplier
- 1.10 times
- Focal flowers as a share of the flower stems
- 30%
- Foliage as a share of all the stems
- 50%
- Stems in one wholesale bunch
- 10
- Price per flower stem
- $1.60
- Price per foliage stem
- $0.50
- Frame hire, foam and mechanics
- $55.00
You get
- Structure to cover
- 7.80 m
- Total stems
- 443
- Flower stems
- 222
- Foliage stems
- 222
- Focal flowers
- 67
- Secondary flowers
- 94
- Filler flowers
- 63
- Bunches of flowers to order
- 23
- Bunches of foliage to order
- 23
- Stems per metre of structure
- 56.79
- Cost of the flowers
- $355.20
- Cost of the foliage
- $111.00
- Cost of the arch
- $521.20
- Rough weight of the dressed arch
- 23.51 kg
- Foam blocks to allow for
- 10
- Stems per hundred of budget
- 85.00
A 7.8 metre structure pushes the count to about 440 stems, half of them foliage, for roughly 490 in materials.
A one sided arch against a wall
The standard 2.4 metre arch photographed from the front only.
You enter
- Arch height
- 2.40 m
- Span across the top
- 1.40 m
- How much of the arch is dressed
- 4
- Density multiplier
- 1 times
- Focal flowers as a share of the flower stems
- 35%
- Foliage as a share of all the stems
- 45%
- Stems in one wholesale bunch
- 10
- Price per flower stem
- $1.60
- Price per foliage stem
- $0.50
- Frame hire, foam and mechanics
- $40.00
You get
- Structure to cover
- 6.20 m
- Total stems
- 61
- Flower stems
- 34
- Foliage stems
- 28
- Focal flowers
- 12
- Secondary flowers
- 14
- Filler flowers
- 9
- Bunches of flowers to order
- 4
- Bunches of foliage to order
- 3
- Stems per metre of structure
- 9.84
- Cost of the flowers
- $54.40
- Cost of the foliage
- $14.00
- Cost of the arch
- $108.40
- Rough weight of the dressed arch
- 10.14 kg
- Foam blocks to allow for
- 8
- Stems per hundred of budget
- 56.27
The one sided factor of 0.55 brings it to 110 stems and about 136 in cost, which is the same look in a photograph as a much larger order.
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Frequently asked questions
How many stems does a floral arch need?
Between about 80 and 400, and the trade figures are a light dressing at 80 to 120 stems, a standard asymmetric design at 150 to 250, and full coverage at 250 or more, for an arch of about 2.1 to 2.4 metres. A 2.4 metre arch with a 1.4 metre span has about 6.2 metres of structure to cover. A one sided installation needs about half that, and a moongate about two thirds.
How much of a floral arch should be foliage?
Forty to fifty percent of the stems by count is normal, and more for a greenery heavy design. Foliage is what covers the frame, so without it the flowers have nothing to sit against and the arch reads as sparse. It is also far cheaper than flowers, which means a foliage heavy arch fills the same structure for a fraction of the budget, and this is the single easiest way to bring a large floral installation within reach.
How much does a floral arch cost?
It depends almost entirely on the flowers and the coverage. A lightly dressed arch at about 100 stems, half of them foliage at 0.50 and half flowers at 1.60, comes to about 105 in materials plus the frame hire. Full coverage at 320 stems with a higher flower share can be three or four times that. Because the structure is fixed, the cheapest lever is the ratio of foliage to flowers rather than the size of the arch.
What is an asymmetric arch design?
One where the floral mass sweeps up one leg and across the top, leaving the other leg bare or lightly foliaged. It uses the same stem count as a symmetric full arch but looks more generous, because the eye is drawn to the dense side and the empty side reads as a deliberate line rather than a gap. It is also easier to install, because the weight is concentrated on one leg and the frame is easier to brace.
How much does a dressed arch weigh?
A full arch of 320 stems at roughly 35 grams a stem is about 11 kilograms of greenery and flowers before the frame, and wet foam and water add several more, so a dressed arch commonly comes to 20 kilograms or more. Outdoors, wind adds a load that is larger than the weight itself. Any frame, fixing or support has to be rated for that load, and anything overhead, suspended or load bearing needs a qualified person and must follow the venue requirements.