Free orchard tree spacing calculator: enter tree spacing, row spacing and area to get trees per hectare, trees per acre and total trees for square or triangular planting.
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Enter the distance between trees in a row, the distance between rows, your planting area in hectares, and whether you plant on a square grid or a triangular pattern. The calculator returns trees per hectare, trees per acre, the total trees for your area, and the area each tree gets. All figures are rounded down to whole trees in the density counts, and they are planning estimates: a real block loses ground to headlands, access lanes, fences and drainage, so the planted count is usually lower.
Every tree needs its own share of land, and that share is simply tree spacing multiplied by row spacing. Divide the land in one hectare, 10,000 square metres, by that share and you get trees per hectare. Divide by 2.47105 to convert hectares to acres.
Worked example: trees 5 metres apart in rows 5 metres apart each take 25 square metres, so one hectare holds 10,000 / 25 = 400 trees, and one acre holds about 162. A second example: a plot of 60 metres by 40 metres is 2,400 square metres, and at 5 metres by 5 metres it holds 2,400 / 25 = 96 trees. Spacing bites in two directions at once, so halving both distances gives four times as many trees: 10 metres by 10 metres gives 100 trees per hectare, while 5 metres by 5 metres gives 400.
Square planting puts trees at the corners of a grid with equal spacing both ways, which is simple to mark out and easy to drive through. Rectangular planting keeps straight rows but uses wider row spacing than in-row spacing, which suits machinery access and is the most common commercial orchard layout. Triangular, or hexagonal, planting offsets every second row so each tree sits the same distance from its six nearest neighbours, fitting about 15.5 percent more trees than a square grid at the same neighbour distance, because the multiplier is 2 / sqrt(3), about 1.155.
For a triangular layout, enter the same value for tree spacing and row spacing, using the distance you want between neighbouring trees, and the calculator applies the 1.155 factor. The trade-off is marking out: triangular blocks are harder to lay out, and the denser canopy needs more pruning to keep light and air moving.
There is no single correct spacing, because mature size depends on species, cultivar, rootstock, soil, climate and pruning. Use this spacing chart to calculate trees per acre or per hectare from a published spacing: the figures below are the commonly published starting points competitors use, not a prescription for your site. Check your nursery tag and local extension advice before planting.
| Fruit tree | Common spacing | Trees per hectare at that spacing | | Mango, standard | 10 m × 10 m | 100 | | Mango, high density (dwarf types) | 3 m × 3 m | 1,111 | | Citrus (orange, lemon, lime) | 6 m × 6 m | 277 | | Apple, standard rootstock | 5 m × 5 m | 400 | | Apple, dwarf rootstock | 3 m × 2 m | 1,666 | | Guava | 5 m × 5 m to 6 m × 6 m | 277 to 400 | | Peach, plum, pear | 4 m × 4 m to 5 m × 5 m | 400 to 625 | | Avocado, sapota | 8 m × 8 m to 9 m × 9 m | 123 to 156 |
Dwarfing rootstocks are the biggest lever on apple spacing: the same variety can need 9 metres on a vigorous rootstock and under 3 metres on a dwarfing one, which is why rootstock matters more than variety name alone.
Start from the tree at full size, not the young plant from the nursery. Spacing should suit the mature canopy, because closing a gap later is hard and removing established trees is worse. Rich soil, a long warm season and plenty of water grow larger trees, while poor or dry ground keeps them smaller. Trees trained as hedges, trellises or small open shapes can sit closer than free-growing trees.
High density planting raises early yields and suits compact cultivars with hard canopy control, but it also raises pruning, spraying and thinning work. Wider spacing costs yield per hectare early on but gives easier machinery access, better airflow and simpler harvest. If you are unsure whether a cultivar will stay small, plant wider: you can always fill a gap, but you cannot easily unplant a crowded block.
The calculator figures are theoretical upper limits for a fully plantable block. A real acre or hectare gives fewer trees, because you lose space to the edge of the block, access lanes, turning room for equipment, irrigation mains, drainage channels, fences and any tree you are keeping. A block that is not a neat rectangle loses more.
Use the calculator to compare spacing options before you buy trees, then mark out the block and subtract the unplantable ground. Order a small surplus of trees for replacements, and remember that roads and headlands also need to stay clear for spraying and harvest traffic for the whole life of the orchard.
About 435 trees per acre on a square grid, because one acre is 43,560 square feet and each tree takes 100 square feet. A triangular layout at the same neighbour distance fits about 502.
Trees per acre = 43,560 / (tree spacing in feet × row spacing in feet), rounded down. In metric, trees per hectare = 10,000 / (tree spacing in metres × row spacing in metres).
At the common 8 metre by 8 metre spacing, about 63 trees per acre (156 per hectare). Standard 10 metre by 10 metre spacing gives about 40 per acre, while high density 3 metre by 3 metre dwarf plantings reach about 449 per acre.
It depends on rootstock. Standard vigorous trees need around 5 to 9 metres, semi-dwarf trees around 3 to 5 metres, and dwarf trees on trellis as little as 2 to 3 metres between trees. Check the rootstock on the nursery tag.
No. Many orchards use wider rows than in-row spacing so tractors and sprayers can pass, for example 6 metres between rows and 4 metres between trees. Enter each distance separately in the calculator.
Divide trees per hectare by 2.47105, because one hectare is 2.47105 acres. For example, 400 trees per hectare is about 162 trees per acre.
The calculator assumes the whole area is plantable. Real blocks lose ground to headlands, access lanes, turning room, irrigation, drainage, fences and irregular edges, so the planted count is almost always lower.
Square planting uses a straight grid, while triangular planting offsets every second row so each tree has six equally spaced neighbours. Triangular fits about 15.5 percent more trees at the same neighbour distance, but it is harder to mark out and needs more pruning.