Garland Length Calculator
Stems, bunches and foliage for a garland, with the overlap and the hanging allowance built in.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Finished length, Stems per metre, Allowance for ends, fixings and overlap, Place one flower stem every, Flower stems at each accent point, Foliage stems in one bunch, Price per foliage bunch, Price per flower stem, Fixing points along the run
- What you get
- Base length to cover, Stems per foot, Foliage stems, Foliage bunches to order, Foliage stems you will own, Accent points along the garland, Flower stems, Total stems, Stems per finished metre, Cost of the foliage, Cost of the flowers, Cost of the garland, Cost per finished metre, Rough weight of the greenery, Flowers as a share of the stems
- 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 Garland Length Calculator
- 1 Enter Finished length (m), Measure the run it has to cover, not the material you will use.
- 2 Enter Stems per metre (stems per m), Twenty stems per metre is 6 per foot and light, 26 is 8 per foot and standard, 33 is 10 per foot and dense.
- 3 Enter Allowance for ends, fixings and overlap (%), Ten percent for a straight run, fifteen to twenty for a swagged or spiral installation.
- 4 Enter Place one flower stem every (cm), Flowers and berries are accents. One every 20 to 30 cm is usual. Set high for a foliage only garland.
- 5 Enter Flower stems at each accent point
- 6 Enter Foliage stems in one bunch, Foliage is usually sold by the bunch rather than the stem.
- 7 Enter Price per foliage bunch, Your own figure.
- 8 Enter Price per flower stem, Your own figure.
- 9 Enter Fixing points along the run, Every fixing needs extra material to pass round it.
- 10 Press Calculate. You get Base length to cover, Stems per foot, Foliage stems, Foliage bunches to order, Foliage stems you will own, Accent points along the garland, Flower stems, Total stems, Stems per finished metre, Cost of the foliage, Cost of the flowers, Cost of the garland, Cost per finished metre, Rough weight of the greenery, Flowers as a share of the stems, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 11 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 mantelpiece garland
A 2.4 metre run at 8 stems per foot with a ten percent allowance.
You enter
- Finished length
- 2.40 m
- Stems per metre
- 26 stems per m
- Allowance for ends, fixings and overlap
- 10%
- Place one flower stem every
- 25 cm
- Flower stems at each accent point
- 3
- Foliage stems in one bunch
- 10
- Price per foliage bunch
- $6.00
- Price per flower stem
- $1.50
- Fixing points along the run
- 3
You get
- Base length to cover
- 2.64 m
- Stems per foot
- 7.92
- Foliage stems
- 69
- Foliage bunches to order
- 7
- Foliage stems you will own
- 70
- Accent points along the garland
- 10
- Flower stems
- 30
- Total stems
- 99
- Stems per finished metre
- 41.25
- Cost of the foliage
- $42.00
- Cost of the flowers
- $45.00
- Cost of the garland
- $87.00
- Cost per finished metre
- $36.25
- Rough weight of the greenery
- 2.97 kg
- Flowers as a share of the stems
- 30.3%
About 69 foliage stems, so seven bunches, and 30 flower stems at eleven accent points, for roughly 87 in total and about 1.9 kilograms of greenery.
A banister garland
A 6 metre run spiralled up a staircase at 8 stems per foot, with a twenty percent overlap.
You enter
- Finished length
- 6 m
- Stems per metre
- 26 stems per m
- Allowance for ends, fixings and overlap
- 20%
- Place one flower stem every
- 30 cm
- Flower stems at each accent point
- 2
- Foliage stems in one bunch
- 10
- Price per foliage bunch
- $6.00
- Price per flower stem
- $1.50
- Fixing points along the run
- 8
You get
- Base length to cover
- 7.20 m
- Stems per foot
- 7.92
- Foliage stems
- 188
- Foliage bunches to order
- 19
- Foliage stems you will own
- 190
- Accent points along the garland
- 21
- Flower stems
- 42
- Total stems
- 230
- Stems per finished metre
- 38.33
- Cost of the foliage
- $114.00
- Cost of the flowers
- $63.00
- Cost of the garland
- $177.00
- Cost per finished metre
- $29.50
- Rough weight of the greenery
- 6.90 kg
- Flowers as a share of the stems
- 18.3%
A 7.2 metre base, so 188 foliage stems and 42 flower stems. The spiral is what drives the allowance rather than the density.
A light foliage only garland
A 1.5 metre shelf garland at 6 stems per foot and no flowers.
You enter
- Finished length
- 1.50 m
- Stems per metre
- 20 stems per m
- Allowance for ends, fixings and overlap
- 10%
- Place one flower stem every
- 500 cm
- Flower stems at each accent point
- 1
- Foliage stems in one bunch
- 10
- Price per foliage bunch
- $6.00
- Price per flower stem
- $1.50
- Fixing points along the run
- 2
You get
- Base length to cover
- 1.65 m
- Stems per foot
- 6.10
- Foliage stems
- 33
- Foliage bunches to order
- 4
- Foliage stems you will own
- 40
- Accent points along the garland
- 1
- Flower stems
- 1
- Total stems
- 34
- Stems per finished metre
- 22.67
- Cost of the foliage
- $24.00
- Cost of the flowers
- $1.50
- Cost of the garland
- $25.50
- Cost per finished metre
- $17.00
- Rough weight of the greenery
- 1.02 kg
- Flowers as a share of the stems
- 2.9%
Only 33 foliage stems, so four bunches and about 24 in cost. A flower free garland is the cheapest way to cover a long run.
Guides that go with it
The Best Ways to Join Different Craft Materials Together
The brass hinge popped off my walnut box at the worst possible moment: two days before I was supposed to hand it to my sister. I had screwed it straight into end grain, which is basically asking a pie...
Natural vs Synthetic Materials: Which Is Better for Handcrafting?
You are standing in a craft shop aisle, or more likely staring at two browser tabs, and the same question keeps surfacing: do I buy the wool, the linen, the real leather, or do I buy the acrylic yarn,...
How to Safely Use Glue, Paint and Craft Chemicals
Most craft injuries I hear about aren't dramatic. They're a headache after three hours of working with solvent-based glue in a closed room, a rash from epoxy that shows up two days later, or a paint-s...