Flower Substitution Calculator

What a substitute flower costs in stems and money when the original is unavailable, by size ratio and price.

A variety is short, the market has something else, and the price is different. Substituting by head count almost always changes the design, because a smaller flower needs more stems to fill the same space and the volume of material in the van changes with it. This calculator converts the original stem count into the substitute stem count by the size ratio between the two flowers, then shows what that does to the cost and to the number of stems you will be handling.

At a glance

What you enter: Stems in the original order, Price per stem of the original, Price per stem of the substitute, Substitute head size divided by the original head size, What are you matching?, Waste allowance on the substitute
What you get: Stems of the substitute, Stems to order with the waste allowance, Extra stems against the original order, Change in the number of stems, Visual mass delivered against the original, Cost of the original order, Cost of the substitute order, Cost with the waste allowance, Difference in cost, Change in cost, Substitute cost for one original head, Break-even size ratio, Filler stems to top up the mass
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 ↓

Stems in the original order

Price per stem of the original

Your own figure.

Price per stem of the substitute

Your own figure.

Substitute head size divided by the original head size times

A substitute head that is 90 percent of the original is 0.9. Face area, and therefore visual mass, scales with the square of this figure.

What are you matching?

Match mass for a massed design and head count for a counted one. A counted bouquet sold as twelve roses has to stay at twelve.

Waste allowance on the substitute %

A substitute variety is often less familiar and bruises more in handling.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Flower Substitution Calculator

1 Enter Stems in the original order
2 Enter Price per stem of the original, Your own figure.
3 Enter Price per stem of the substitute, Your own figure.
4 Enter Substitute head size divided by the original head size (times), A substitute head that is 90 percent of the original is 0.9. Face area, and therefore visual mass, scales with the square of this figure.
5 Enter What are you matching?, Match mass for a massed design and head count for a counted one. A counted bouquet sold as twelve roses has to stay at twelve.
6 Enter Waste allowance on the substitute (%), A substitute variety is often less familiar and bruises more in handling.
7 Press Calculate. You get Stems of the substitute, Stems to order with the waste allowance, Extra stems against the original order, Change in the number of stems, Visual mass delivered against the original, Cost of the original order, Cost of the substitute order, Cost with the waste allowance, Difference in cost, Change in cost, Substitute cost for one original head, Break-even size ratio, Filler stems to top up the mass, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
8 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.

Roses out, a smaller substitute in

One hundred stems at 1.20 replaced by a flower 90 percent of the size at 1.80 a stem.

You enter

Stems in the original order: 100
Price per stem of the original: $1.20
Price per stem of the substitute: $1.80
Substitute head size divided by the original head size: 0.90 times
What are you matching?: 2
Waste allowance on the substitute: 8%

You get

Stems of the substitute: 124
Stems to order with the waste allowance: 134
Extra stems against the original order: 24
Change in the number of stems: 24.0%
Visual mass delivered against the original: 100.4%
Cost of the original order: $120.00
Cost of the substitute order: $223.20
Cost with the waste allowance: $241.20
Difference in cost: $103.20
Change in cost: 86.0%
Substitute cost for one original head: $2.23
Break-even size ratio: 1.22
Filler stems to top up the mass: 19

Matching the mass takes 124 stems, which is 24 more hands on the job and 223.20 against 120, an 86 percent increase. The break-even ratio is 1.22, so this substitute needed to be a fifth larger to cost the same.

Open this example in the calculator →

A larger substitute at a lower price

Eighty stems at 2.00 replaced by a flower 1.3 times the size at 1.40.

You enter

Stems in the original order: 80
Price per stem of the original: $2.00
Price per stem of the substitute: $1.40
Substitute head size divided by the original head size: 1.30 times
What are you matching?: 2
Waste allowance on the substitute: 8%

You get

Stems of the substitute: 48
Stems to order with the waste allowance: 52
Extra stems against the original order: -32
Change in the number of stems: -40.0%
Visual mass delivered against the original: 101.4%
Cost of the original order: $160.00
Cost of the substitute order: $67.20
Cost with the waste allowance: $72.80
Difference in cost: $-92.80
Change in cost: -58.0%
Substitute cost for one original head: $0.84
Break-even size ratio: 0.84
Filler stems to top up the mass: 0

The substitute covers 69 percent more face area, so 48 stems match the mass of 80: 67.20 against 160, a 58 percent saving, and 32 fewer stems to condition and wire.

Open this example in the calculator →

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Frequently asked questions

How many substitute flowers do I need instead of the original?

It depends on whether you are matching the head count or the visual mass. For a massed design, divide the original stem count by the square of the size ratio: 100 stems of the original becomes 124 stems of a substitute that is 90 percent of the size, because the substitute covers 81 percent of the face area per head. For a counted design such as a bouquet sold as twelve roses, keep the head count and add filler to make up the mass.

Is a cheaper flower actually cheaper?

Not necessarily. Divide the substitute price by the original price and take the square root, and that is the break-even size ratio, the size at which matching the visual mass costs the same. If the original is 1.20 and the substitute is 1.80, the break-even ratio is about 1.22, so unless the substitute head is more than about a fifth larger than the original it costs more for the same look. The price per stem is only half the comparison; the other half is how much flower each stem actually delivers.

How do I measure the size ratio between two flowers?

Measure the face of the head across its widest point on a stem of each flower, then divide the substitute measurement by the original one. Take three or four heads from a bunch and use the middle figure rather than the largest, because a bunch always contains a range and the biggest head in it flatters the comparison. For a spray or a multi headed flower, measure the whole spray as it will be used rather than a single floret.

What should I tell a client about a substitution?

Tell them which measure you matched and what it does to the cost, before the order is confirmed. Most wedding contracts allow the florist to substitute a variety of equal or greater value when the market forces it, which is exactly the situation this tool covers, but the conversation is much easier in advance than on the morning of the event. If the substitute is smaller and the head count has to stay, say that the design will need more filler and slightly more budget.