How many lights do you need for a Christmas tree? A chart by height
The usual rule is 100 lights per foot of tree, but a bulb count only means something once you know the spacing. A chart from 3ft to 8ft in bulbs and metres, and how many sets to buy.
A 6ft Christmas tree needs about 600 lights for an even, well-lit look. The usual rule is 100 bulbs per foot of height: halve it for a soft glow, or add half again for dense sparkle. A bulb count only makes sense alongside the spacing between bulbs, so the chart below gives metres as well, for every height from 3ft to 8ft.
How many lights for a Christmas tree: chart by height
The three columns match the three looks that UK guides describe. The light column follows Lights4fun’s rule of 100 bulbs per 2ft, the standard column is the common rule of 100 per foot, and the full column sits a little above the top of the ranges given by Marks & Spencer and Christmas Tree World, which reach 800 lights for a 6ft tree and 1,000 for a 7ft tree.
| Tree height | Soft glow (50 per foot) | Standard (100 per foot) | Full sparkle (150 per foot) | Lit length to wrap it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3ft (91 cm) | 150 | 300 | 450 | 7.5 m |
| 4ft (122 cm) | 200 | 400 | 600 | 10 m |
| 5ft (152 cm) | 250 | 500 | 750 | 12.5 m |
| 6ft (183 cm) | 300 | 600 | 900 | 15 m |
| 7ft (213 cm) | 350 | 700 | 1,050 | 20 m |
| 8ft (244 cm) | 400 | 800 | 1,200 | 25 m |
The lit length is what it takes to wrap the tree from top to bottom, using Lights4fun’s guide of 5 m per 2ft up to 6ft and 5 m more for each extra foot. Adjust for shape as well: Polhill suggests about 20% fewer lights for a slim tree and up to 20% more for an extra-wide one, which turns 600 into 480, or up to 720, on a 6ft tree.
How many lights for a 6ft tree?
UK guides give answers from 300 to 800 for the same tree, because each one assumes a different kind of light:
- Lights4fun: 300 bulbs, or 15 m of lights.
- Marks & Spencer: 400 to 800.
- Christmas Tree World: at least 400, and 600 to 800 for extra sparkle.
- Marco Paul: at least 600, at 100 bulbs per foot.
- Mumsnet users: anything from 200 to 600, with 100 per foot as the usual rule of thumb.
So count metres for coverage and bulbs for brightness. The same 15 m that wraps a 6ft tree holds very different numbers of bulbs:
| Type of lights | Gap between bulbs | Bulbs in 15 m | Length for 600 bulbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard string lights, such as a 20 m set of 200 LEDs | About 10 cm | 150 | 60 m |
| Close-set strings, such as a 50 m set of 1,000 LEDs | About 5 cm | 300 | 30 m |
| Cluster lights, such as 500 LEDs on 10 m | 2 to 2.5 cm | 600 to 750 | 12 to 15 m |
In other words, 15 m of cluster lights puts as many bulbs on a 6ft tree as 60 m of standard string lights. Before you buy any set from our Christmas lights range, divide its length by its bulb count to find the spacing.
Is 200 LED lights enough for a 6ft tree?
Only for a soft glow or for large bulbs. 200 mini LEDs is about 33 per foot, a third of the usual rule. On Mumsnet, one user found 100 large retro bulbs were all a 6ft tree could take, while another suggested around 500 for tiny LEDs, which can get lost among the branches.
Is 1,000 lights too much for a 6ft tree?
Not for a full tree. 1,000 lights is about 167 per foot, above the full column of the chart and above the 400 to 800 that Marks & Spencer suggests, so the tree will look densely lit. It suits a wide, bushy tree and cluster lights. On a slim tree, use about 20% fewer, or pick a dimmable set.
How many fairy lights for a 6ft tree?
Fairy lights on thin copper or silver wire are usually spaced like standard strings: in our range, a 20 m wire set carries 200 LEDs and a 100 m set carries 1,000, both 10 cm apart. The standard 600 bulbs therefore need about 60 m of wire, so one 100 m set of 1,000 LEDs covers a full 6ft tree, while a 20 m set gives a 4ft tree a soft glow. Compare wire, cable colour and power source in our fairy lights collection.
How many lights for a 7ft tree, and for smaller trees
7ft tree
About 700 lights, or 350 for a soft glow and 1,000 or more for full sparkle. Marks & Spencer suggests upwards of 700 and possibly as many as 1,000, and Lights4fun’s rule gives 20 m of lit length. That 20 m also answers the cluster question: at 2 to 2.5 cm apart, 20 m of cluster lights holds 800 to 1,000 bulbs.
5ft, 4ft and table-top trees
A 5ft tree takes about 500 lights on the standard rule (Marks & Spencer says 300 to 500) and 12.5 m of lit length; a 4ft tree about 400 lights and 10 m. A 2ft table-top tree needs about 5 m and 100 to 200 bulbs: a battery set of 100 LEDs on 10 m gives it a soft glow, with no socket needed.
How many strands of lights do you need?
Most Christmas lights are sold in sets of 100 to 500 bulbs, according to Marks & Spencer, and 1,000-bulb sets exist too. Divide your target by the set size and round up.
| Target | Sets of 200 | Sets of 300 | Sets of 500 | Sets of 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 (standard 4ft) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 600 (standard 6ft) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 700 (standard 7ft) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 900 (full 6ft) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Electrical Safety First says not to connect different lighting sets together or overload sockets, and that it is best not to rely on extension leads or adaptors where you can. One long set, or sets sold as linkable and joined only as their instructions allow, is safer than three different strings.
Check the unlit lead too. The cable between the plug and the first bulb decides whether the set reaches the socket without an extension lead, and some sets add a 10 m lead to their lit length. Compare lengths, bulb counts and leads in our Christmas tree lights.
Pre-lit trees: how many lights come fitted?
Fewer than the rule suggests. In our pre-lit Christmas trees collection, the 6ft trees come with 150 to 350 LEDs, which is 25 to 58 per foot, close to the soft-glow column. The 7ft trees carry 300 to 400.
For more sparkle, wind a set of cluster lights through the inner branches of a pre-lit tree. Match the white first: two sets both sold as warm white can look different, and our guide to LED and incandescent Christmas lights explains the kelvin figure that tells them apart.
How to tell if you have enough lights
- Plug each set in on the floor before it goes on the tree, to check every bulb works and the cable is not damaged.
- Give the bottom of the tree the most. On a cone-shaped tree wrapped evenly, the top third takes about 11% of the length, the middle third 33% and the bottom third 56%, so three-quarters of the lights belong in the bottom half.
- Do the squint test: step back, half-close your eyes and look for dark patches.
- Check from where you sit and from the door, not only from the front.
For the wrapping itself, step by step, see our guide on how to put lights on a Christmas tree. Then compare sets of every length, from battery fairy lights to 1,000-bulb chains, across our Christmas lights collection.
Frequently asked questions
How many strands of lights do you need for a 6ft tree?
For the standard 600 bulbs, three sets of 200, two of 300 or a single set of 1,000 for a fuller look. Fewer, longer sets mean fewer plugs to find sockets for, and different lighting sets should never be connected together.
How many lights do I need on a 7ft tree?
About 700 at 100 per foot, from 350 for a soft glow to 1,000 or more for a densely lit tree. Plan on roughly 20 m of lit length to wrap it, which in cluster lights holds 800 to 1,000 bulbs.
How many lights for a 5ft Christmas tree?
Around 500 for an even look, 250 for a gentle glow and 750 for full sparkle. Allow about 12.5 m of lit length, more if the tree is unusually wide.
How many lights for a 4ft tree?
About 400 on the standard rule, or 200 for a soft glow. A 4ft tree needs roughly 10 m of lit length, so a 20 m set of 200 wire fairy lights gives it a soft glow with length to spare.
How long should Christmas lights be for a 6ft tree?
About 15 m of lit length covers a 6ft tree from top to bottom. That length holds around 150 bulbs on standard strings, 300 on close-set strings and 600 or more on cluster lights, so choose the type for the brightness you want.
How many metres of fairy lights for a 6ft tree?
With wire fairy lights spaced about 10 cm apart, 30 m gives a soft glow of 300 bulbs and 60 m gives the standard 600. Cluster lights reach the same 600 bulbs in about 12 to 15 m.
Is 1,000 lights too much for a 6ft tree?
No, if you want a densely lit tree: it works out at about 167 bulbs per foot. On a slim or pencil tree it can look crowded, so cut it by about a fifth or use a dimmable set.
Is 200 LED lights enough for a 6ft tree?
Only for a subtle look. 200 mini LEDs is about a third of the usual 100-per-foot rule, so the tree will look sparse unless the bulbs are large retro or globe types.
