Pencil, slim or full Christmas tree? Shapes compared by width and floor space

What is a pencil Christmas tree?

A pencil Christmas tree is a tall artificial tree sold with a very narrow base: 26 in (66 cm) at 7.5 ft (2.29 m) on National Tree Company's Acacia Pencil Slim tree and 30 in (76 cm) on its Kingswood Fir pencil tree ^{[1] [2]}. Best Choice Products lists its pencil tree at 26 in for 7.5 ft and 25 in for 6 ft, dimensions that include the stand ^[3]. Another maker uses the name for wider trees: Vickerman's 7.5 ft Antique Gold Pencil tree is listed at 34 in (86 cm) and its Salem Pencil Pine at 36 in (91 cm), and the distributor files both under the Slim shape ^{[4] [5]}.

The narrowness comes from the shape, not the size. At 7.5 ft (90 in) the National Tree Company pencil trees are 29% to 33% as wide as tall (26 ÷ 90 and 30 ÷ 90), against 66% for the 59 in full Dunhill Fir of the same height (59 ÷ 90) ^[15].

None of the sources cited defines the word. National Tree Company sorts its trees into Full, Medium, Slim, Pencil Slim, Tabletop and Entrance shapes without giving widths ^[18], and its slim-tree pages call the shape "popular for their slender, space-saving design" without a numeric limit ^[11]. Shoppers also call these trees skinny or narrow; the width on the listing is the only reliable number.

How wide are pencil, slim and full Christmas trees?

At 7.5 ft (2.29 m) the widths in the table below are 26 to 30 in (66 to 76 cm) for pencil trees, 27 to 48 in (69 to 122 cm) for slim trees and 52 to 59 in (132 to 150 cm) for full trees; at 6 ft (1.83 m) they are 24 to 29 in (61 to 74 cm), 26 to 38 in (66 to 97 cm) and 46 to 48 in (117 to 122 cm). All come from National Tree Company listings, which use the maker's own shape labels.

Height	Maker's label	Model	Listed width
6 ft	Pencil Slim	Acacia	24 in (61 cm) [6]
6 ft	Pencil Slim	North Valley Spruce	29 in (74 cm) [7]
6 ft	Slim	Sagamore	26 in (66 cm) [8]
6 ft	Slim	Aspen Spruce	38 in (97 cm) [9]
6 ft	Full	Dunhill Fir	46 in (117 cm) [13]
6 ft	Full	Downswept Douglas Fir	48 in (122 cm) [14]
7.5 ft	Pencil Slim	Acacia	26 in (66 cm) [1]
7.5 ft	Pencil Slim	Kingswood Fir	30 in (76 cm) [2]
7.5 ft	Slim	Duxbury Feel Real	27 in (69 cm) [10]
7.5 ft	Slim	Carolina Pine	31 in (79 cm) [11]
7.5 ft	Slim	Nordic Spruce	48 in (122 cm) [12]
7.5 ft	Full	Dunhill Fir Hinged (600 lights)	52 in (132 cm) [16]
7.5 ft	Full	Dunhill Fir (1,000 lights)	59 in (150 cm) [15]

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The labels overlap. At 7.5 ft the 27 in Duxbury slim tree is as narrow as the 26 to 30 in pencil trees, and the 48 in Nordic Spruce slim tree is only 4 in narrower than the 52 in full Dunhill Fir. At 6 ft the 38 in Aspen Spruce slim tree is 8 in narrower than the 46 in full tree. The same tree can also carry two figures: the Duxbury page lists a width of 27 in and a base diameter of 29 in without explaining the difference ^[10], and National Tree Company lists one 7.5 ft Dunhill Fir at 59 in and another, with fewer lights, at 52 in ^{[15] [16]}. Plan with the larger number.

Height changes pencil width slowly. Best Choice Products' pencil tree grows from 23 in at 4.5 ft to 43 in at 12 ft ^[3].

How much floor space does each shape take?

Each shape takes the square that holds its widest branches: at 7.5 ft that is 4.7 to 6.3 sq ft (0.44 to 0.58 m²) for pencil trees, 5.1 to 16 sq ft for slim trees and 18.8 to 24.2 sq ft for full trees. The numbers come from the square footage calculator, using the listed widths in the table above as both length and width.

Height	Pencil	Slim	Full
6 ft	4 to 5.8 sq ft	4.7 to 10 sq ft	14.7 to 16 sq ft
7.5 ft	4.7 to 6.3 sq ft	5.1 to 16 sq ft	18.8 to 24.2 sq ft

Floor space is only half of the fit; the other half is the path. The diagram checks each width against a room 10 ft (120 in) deep, with furniture 36 in deep on the opposite wall and a 36 in path in front of it. The US Access Board uses 36 in as the minimum clear width of an accessible route, and 32 in only at points up to 24 in long ^[24]; that standard is written for accessible routes, so treat 36 in as a reference width for a walking path, not as a rule for your living room.

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How deep is a wall or half Christmas tree?

A wall or half Christmas tree has a flat back that sits flush against the wall, but its listed width is measured along the wall and its depth is usually not stated. The three listings cited give widths of 28 to 51 in and no projection from the wall ^{[19] [20] [21]}.

• The 6 ft Colonial Slim Half Tree from National Tree Company is 28 in wide, with a flat backside "designed for display against a wall or where floor space is limited" ^[19].
• The 7.5 ft Canyon Pine half wall tree is 51 in at its widest point and lies flush against the wall ^[20].
• The 7.5 ft Canadian Pine wall tree is 50 in at its widest point with a completely flat back ^[21].

Where a page lists a depth, it repeats the width: 28 × 28 in for the Colonial tree and 51 × 51 in for the Canyon Pine ^{[19] [20]}. That is unlikely to be the distance from the wall, since neither page explains it as a projection. If a half tree is a true half of a round tree, it reaches into the room by half its width: 28 ÷ 2 = 14 in and 51 ÷ 2 = 25.5 in. Treat those as estimates, because no listing states the projection and the stand may sit in front of the flat back; ask the seller for the depth before you rely on it. On that estimate a 51 in half tree takes 9 sq ft (51 × 25.5 in) of floor and leaves 58.5 in of path in the example room, against 25 in for the 59 in round tree.

What is a corner Christmas tree?

A corner Christmas tree is built as a fraction of a round one so that it fits where two walls meet. One vidaXL listing describes a tree as "one quarter of a normal tree", 180 cm (5.9 ft) tall and 65 cm (25.6 in) wide at most, on a 40 × 20 cm (15.7 × 7.9 in) stand, with 230 tips ^[22]. The listing is on vidaXL's Australian site, so availability and sizes elsewhere may differ.

Round slim trees are also sold for corners: National Tree Company describes its 31 in Carolina Pine slim tree as having a narrow footprint "ideal for tight spaces, corners or apartments" ^[11]. A round tree does not fill a corner, though. A circle of diameter D touches the two walls at only two points and leaves an empty wedge about 0.2 × D deep along the diagonal: (√2 − 1) × D ÷ 2 is 5.4 in for a 26 in tree and 12.2 in for a 59 in tree. A quarter tree uses that wedge; a round pencil tree wastes less of it simply because it is smaller.

How many ornaments fit a slim tree?

No maker in the pages cited gives an ornament capacity for a pencil or slim tree, so the number depends on the branch tips and the weight of each ornament, not on a published rule. At 7.5 ft the Acacia pencil tree has 641 branch tips and the Kingswood Fir pencil tree 1,075; the Carolina Pine slim tree has 759 and the Downswept Douglas Fir full tree 1,867 ^{[1] [2] [11] [17]}.

So these pencil trees have 34% (641 ÷ 1,867) to 58% (1,075 ÷ 1,867) as many tips as the Downswept full tree of the same height, which means fewer branch ends to hang from. Tips are a count, not a load rating: the Kingswood page states no ornament or weight limit and says only that the tree is "perfect for hanging Christmas ornaments and other holiday décor" ^[2]. Choose fewer and lighter ornaments than a full tree would take, and try the heaviest one on an outer branch before you hang the rest.

Which Christmas tree shape fits which room?

Choose the shape by the widest tree your room can take: room depth minus the furniture opposite minus a 36 in path. With the tree against one wall and 36 in deep furniture against the opposite wall, the widest tree is the room depth minus 72 in.

Room depth, wall to wall	Widest tree	Listed trees that fit
8 ft (96 in)	24 in	Of the 6 and 7.5 ft trees, only the 24 in Acacia pencil tree at 6 ft
9 ft (108 in)	36 in	Pencil trees of 24 to 30 in and slim trees of 26 to 31 in; not the 38 and 48 in slim trees or any full tree
10 ft (120 in)	48 in	Everything listed except the 7.5 ft full trees (52 and 59 in)
12 ft (144 in)	72 in	Every listed tree, including the 59 in full tree

Three cases need a different answer. With no spare floor, a half or wall tree sits against the wall once you have confirmed its projection. In a corner, a quarter tree or a round pencil tree is the fit. In a large room with open floor and a tall ceiling, a full tree is possible, and the height rules for the ceiling are in the size guide linked below.

Pencil, slim, full and half trees compared

Among the trees in the width table, pencil trees take the least floor at 7.5 ft (4.7 to 6.3 sq ft) and full trees the most (18.8 to 24.2 sq ft), while a half tree trades width along the wall for a shallow depth that is still an estimate.

Common questions

Does a 7 ft slim tree fit under an 8 ft ceiling?

Usually, yes. If the listed height includes the stand, a 7 ft (84 in) tree under a 96 in ceiling leaves 12 in, the top of National Tree Company's 6 to 12 in topper allowance; a 7.5 ft tree leaves 6 in. Check the width as well as the height before you buy.^[23] In detail: What size Christmas tree fits your room? Ceiling height, width and floor space

Is the listed width measured at the widest branches?

Only some listings say. The Canadian Pine wall tree gives a 50 in base width at the widest point. Where a page says only width or diameter, assume the widest branches, and if a page lists two figures, plan with the larger.^[21]