How Many Lights for a Christmas Tree? (Chart by Tree Height)

Short answer: plan on about 100 mini lights per foot of tree height for a full tree. A 7.5 ft tree needs about 750 lights (eight 100-light strands), a 6 ft tree about 600 and a 9 ft tree about 900. Use half that for a soft, simple look and about 50% more for a bright tree that glows. Slim trees need about a quarter fewer lights, and pencil trees about half.

The numbers below come straight from our Christmas tree calculator. Enter your ceiling height and it also tells you the tallest tree that fits, plus ornaments and garland.

Christmas Tree Lights Chart by Height

These counts are for a full tree, rounded up to the nearest 50 lights. Strands assume 100 lights each.

Which look should you pick?

• Simple (about 50 per foot): a soft, twinkly tree that lets ornaments do the talking. Good for flocked trees and minimalist or Scandinavian decor.
• Classic (about 100 per foot): the even, all-over glow most people picture. Start here if you're unsure.
• Full & bright (about 150 per foot): the "lit from inside" look you see in shop windows. Best on dense artificial trees and big rooms with high ceilings.

Light strands come in many sizes (50, 100, 150, 300 bulbs and more), so always check the bulb count on the box and divide your total by it.

Slim and Pencil Trees Need Fewer Lights

Narrow trees have less branch area to cover. Our calculator scales the count down for each shape:

If you want a bright look on a slim tree, a 7.5 ft slim tree takes about 850 lights.

Warm White, Cool White or Color?

• Warm white has a golden, candlelight tone. It's the go-to for farmhouse, rustic and traditional trees, and it flatters wood, brass and cream ornaments.
• Cool white (sometimes called pure or bright white) looks crisp and icy. It suits silver, blue and white color schemes and flocked trees.
• Multicolor is nostalgic and fun, and it hides gaps well, so you can sometimes use a bit fewer lights.

Don't mix warm and cool white strands on the same tree; side by side, the warm ones look yellow and the cool ones look blue.

LED vs Incandescent

LED lights use far less power, run cool to the touch and last for many seasons, so they're the better choice for most trees. Modern warm white LEDs come close to the soft glow of old bulbs.

Incandescent lights have the warmest, most traditional color, but they get warm, use much more electricity and burn out faster. If one bulb fails on some older strands, a whole section can go dark.

Whichever you choose, buy all the strands for one tree from the same product line so the color and brightness match.

How to Put Lights on a Christmas Tree

There are two ways to light a tree, and the method matters almost as much as the count.

Spiral wrapping (quick). Start at the top or bottom and wind the strands around the outside of the tree in loose rows. It takes minutes, but all the light sits on the surface and the trunk area stays dark.

Branch weaving (best glow). Work one section at a time:

1. Plug in the first strand before you start, so you can see gaps as you go.
2. Start at the bottom, near the trunk, with the plug end close to your outlet.
3. Run the strand out along a branch to the tip, then back toward the trunk along the next branch.
4. Move up and around the tree in sections, pushing some lights deep inside and some near the tips.
5. Step back and squint every few strands; dark patches are easy to spot that way.

Weaving takes longer, but it's how decorators get a tree that glows from the inside out, and it holds the strands in place when you hang ornaments.

Safety Tips for Tree Lights

• Use lights that are UL or ETL listed, and indoor lights indoors.
• Don't overload connected strands. Check the box for the max number of connected sets, and plug long runs into a multi-outlet cord instead of chaining everything end to end.
• Inspect last year's strands for cracked sockets, frayed wire or loose bulbs before you hang them.
• Keep real trees well watered, and turn the lights off when you go to bed or leave the house. A plug-in timer makes that automatic.

Bonus: How Many Ornaments and How Much Garland?

Our calculator also sizes the rest of the trimming. For a full tree with a classic look:

Ornament counts assume about 15 per foot of height (10 for a simple look, 20 for a full one). Garland assumes a loose spiral with rows about a foot apart, plus extra for drape. For more ways to style the tree and the rest of the house, see our farmhouse Christmas decor ideas, Christmas mantel ideas and small apartment Christmas decor.

Common Questions

How many lights for a 6 ft Christmas tree?

About 600 mini lights for a full 6 ft tree with a classic look, or 300 for a simple look and 900 for a bright one. A 6 ft slim tree needs about 450.

How many lights for a 9 ft Christmas tree?

About 900 lights for a full 9 ft tree with a classic look, and about 1,350 if you want it bright. That's 9 to 14 strands of 100.

Is 1,000 lights too many for a 7.5 ft tree?

No. A full 7.5 ft tree takes about 750 lights for a classic look and about 1,150 for a bright look, so 1,000 sits nicely in between.

Should I buy a pre-lit tree?

Pre-lit trees save hours of wrapping and the lights are already woven through the branches. Check the bulb count against the chart above; many pre-lit trees are on the lighter side, and you can add a strand or two to brighten them.

The Bottom Line

Start with 100 mini lights per foot of tree height for a full tree: about 750 for a 7.5 ft tree. Halve it for a soft look, add half again for a bright one, and use fewer on slim and pencil trees. Weave the strands along the branches rather than spiraling around the outside, and the tree will glow from the inside. To size the tree for your ceiling and get the ornament and garland counts too, use our free Christmas tree calculator.