Christmas tree height guide: which size fits your ceiling

The height of the room decides the height of the tree, and most people measure the wrong thing. This guide gives the figures.

The rule

Measure floor to ceiling at the spot where the tree will stand. Subtract the height of the topper, usually 20 to 30cm, and another 15cm so the topper does not touch the ceiling. What is left is the tallest tree the room takes. Tree heights on this site are measured with the stand fitted, so the stand adds nothing further.

Ceiling to tree

Ceiling	Tree	Why
2.1m	5ft (150cm)	Leaves 60cm for a 25cm topper and air above it
2.3m	5ft or 6ft	6ft with a small star, 5ft with a tall angel
2.4m (standard new build)	6ft (180cm)	Leaves 60cm; the most common pairing in UK homes
2.5m	7ft (210cm)	Leaves 40cm; use a 25cm topper
2.65m	7.5ft (225cm)	The luxury firs and slim trees in this size
2.75m and up	8ft (240cm)	Halls with a stairwell, period rooms, double-height spaces

Width goes with height

A full tree is about two-thirds as wide as it is tall: a 5ft tree is 1m across at the base, a 6ft tree 1.2m, a 7ft tree 1.4m, an 8ft tree 1.5m. Decorated, the lower branches spread a little further. If the corner is between a radiator and a door swing, measure the floor space too; a slim or pencil tree keeps the height in half the width and is the answer for a hallway or a narrow alcove.

Where measuring goes wrong

Measuring in the middle of the room when the tree goes under a sloping ceiling or a cornice. Forgetting the topper. Standing a 6ft tree on a 30cm plinth or a table, which turns it into a 7ft tree. Buying 7ft for a 2.4m ceiling because it sounds grand: 210cm plus a 25cm star is 2.35m, which leaves no air and looks cramped. When in doubt go down a size; a 6ft tree with room above it looks taller than a 7ft tree touching the ceiling.

Small rooms and flats

A 4ft tree (120cm, 70cm wide) is the smallest size that stands on the floor and looks like a tree; it suits a one-bedroom flat, a dining room or an office. Below that, 2ft and 3ft trees belong on a table or a sideboard so the top sits at eye level.

Then choose the type

Once the height is fixed, the height pages list every tree at that size, pre-lit and unlit, and the width and tip count are on every card.