Bouquet Size Calculator
The finished width and stem count of a hand tied bouquet for a given vase, style and budget.
A hand tied bouquet has to look right twice: in the hand of the person receiving it, and in the vase it goes into afterwards. The usual rule is that the finished bouquet is 1.5 to 2 times the width of the vase for a domed shape, and the stem count follows from the width and the size of the flower heads. This calculator gives both, plus the wrap, ribbon and cost.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Style, Width of the vase it will go into, Bouquet width divided by vase width, Finished width if you have one in mind, Diameter of one flower head, Spiral build factor, How full you want it, Greenery as a share of the stems, Wrap, ribbon and finishing, Price per stem, How many bouquets
- What you get
- Finished width, Width as it reads in the hand, Rough finished height, Flower stems, Greenery and filler stems, Total stems in the bouquet, Total stems for all the bouquets, Style the stem count falls into, Cost of the flowers, Cost of the bouquets, Cost per bouquet, Cost per stem in the finished bouquet
- Formula shown
- Yes, every step, right below your results.
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.
See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓
Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.
How to use the Bouquet Size Calculator
- 1 Enter Style
- 2 Enter Width of the vase it will go into (cm), Measured across the rim. Set to zero if the bouquet is a gift with no vase.
- 3 Enter Bouquet width divided by vase width (times), About 1.5 for a natural dome, up to 2 for a full rounded bouquet.
- 4 Enter Finished width if you have one in mind (cm), Leave at zero to use the vase relationship. Set it for a gift bouquet of a standard retail size, such as 25 cm.
- 5 Enter Diameter of one flower head (cm), Rose 8 to 10 cm, carnation 5 to 6, spray rose 5 to 7, peony 12 to 15.
- 6 Enter Spiral build factor (times), A spiralled bouquet takes more stems than a straight bunch for the same width. 1.15 is a typical figure.
- 7 Enter How full you want it (times), One is a standard dome, 1.2 is very full.
- 8 Enter Greenery as a share of the stems (%), Foliage and filler that frames the flowers and fills the gaps.
- 9 Enter Wrap, ribbon and finishing, Per bouquet.
- 10 Enter Price per stem, Your own figure.
- 11 Enter How many bouquets
- 12 Press Calculate. You get Finished width, Width as it reads in the hand, Rough finished height, Flower stems, Greenery and filler stems, Total stems in the bouquet, Total stems for all the bouquets, Style the stem count falls into, Cost of the flowers, Cost of the bouquets, Cost per bouquet, Cost per stem in the finished bouquet, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 13 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.
Worked examples
Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.
A standard bouquet for a 12 cm vase
A 1.7 width ratio with 8 cm roses.
You enter
- Style
- 2
- Width of the vase it will go into
- 12 cm
- Bouquet width divided by vase width
- 1.70 times
- Finished width if you have one in mind
- 0 cm
- Diameter of one flower head
- 8 cm
- Spiral build factor
- 1.15 times
- How full you want it
- 1 times
- Greenery as a share of the stems
- 25%
- Wrap, ribbon and finishing
- $3.50
- Price per stem
- $1.30
- How many bouquets
- 1
You get
- Finished width
- 20.40 cm
- Width as it reads in the hand
- 28.40 cm
- Rough finished height
- 22.44 cm
- Flower stems
- 9
- Greenery and filler stems
- 3
- Total stems in the bouquet
- 12
- Total stems for all the bouquets
- 12
- Style the stem count falls into
- 1
- Cost of the flowers
- $15.60
- Cost of the bouquets
- $19.10
- Cost per bouquet
- $19.10
- Cost per stem in the finished bouquet
- $1.59
A finished width of 20.4 cm, which is 14 flower stems and 5 of greenery, so 19 stems in total at about 28 in materials.
A large gift bouquet with no vase
A 30 cm target width in mixed medium blooms.
You enter
- Style
- 3
- Width of the vase it will go into
- 12 cm
- Bouquet width divided by vase width
- 1.70 times
- Finished width if you have one in mind
- 30 cm
- Diameter of one flower head
- 8 cm
- Spiral build factor
- 1.15 times
- How full you want it
- 1.10 times
- Greenery as a share of the stems
- 30%
- Wrap, ribbon and finishing
- $4.50
- Price per stem
- $1.30
- How many bouquets
- 1
You get
- Finished width
- 30.00 cm
- Width as it reads in the hand
- 38.00 cm
- Rough finished height
- 33.00 cm
- Flower stems
- 21
- Greenery and filler stems
- 9
- Total stems in the bouquet
- 30
- Total stems for all the bouquets
- 30
- Style the stem count falls into
- 2
- Cost of the flowers
- $39.00
- Cost of the bouquets
- $43.50
- Cost per bouquet
- $43.50
- Cost per stem in the finished bouquet
- $1.45
Setting the target width overrides the vase rule: 30 cm takes 30 flower stems and 13 of greenery, so 43 stems and about 60 in materials.
A dozen small posies
Twenty centimetre posies of carnations with a high greenery share.
You enter
- Style
- 1
- Width of the vase it will go into
- 8 cm
- Bouquet width divided by vase width
- 1.60 times
- Finished width if you have one in mind
- 20 cm
- Diameter of one flower head
- 5 cm
- Spiral build factor
- 1.10 times
- How full you want it
- 1 times
- Greenery as a share of the stems
- 35%
- Wrap, ribbon and finishing
- $2.00
- Price per stem
- $0.80
- How many bouquets
- 12
You get
- Finished width
- 20.00 cm
- Width as it reads in the hand
- 28.00 cm
- Rough finished height
- 22.00 cm
- Flower stems
- 21
- Greenery and filler stems
- 12
- Total stems in the bouquet
- 33
- Total stems for all the bouquets
- 396
- Style the stem count falls into
- 3
- Cost of the flowers
- $316.80
- Cost of the bouquets
- $340.80
- Cost per bouquet
- $28.40
- Cost per stem in the finished bouquet
- $0.86
Small heads mean 32 flowers per posy, so 384 flowers in total. Buying that many stems in bunches of 25 is where the margin in a small run comes from.
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Frequently asked questions
How wide should a bouquet be for a vase?
About 1.5 times the width of the vase for a natural dome, and up to 2 times for a full rounded bouquet. A 12 centimetre vase therefore takes a bouquet about 18 to 24 centimetres across. Much wider and the bouquet looks top heavy and unstable; much narrower and the vase dominates the flowers. Measure the vase across the rim rather than at its widest point.
How many stems are in a hand tied bouquet?
A posy is 12 to 20 stems, a standard hand tied bouquet 20 to 30, and a large one 30 to 50. Those figures assume medium heads such as roses or carnations. A bouquet of peonies or hydrangeas reaches the same width with perhaps half the stems, and one of spray roses or alstroemeria needs considerably more, so the count always follows the head size rather than a fixed number.
What is the difference between a posy and a bouquet?
Mainly size and stem count. A posy is 12 to 20 stems and about 20 centimetres across, which makes it a gift for a hand or a small vase. A hand tied bouquet is 20 to 50 stems and 25 to 35 centimetres across. Both are usually built in a spiral, but a posy is compact and domed while a bouquet has more height and more visible stems below the binding point.
Should greenery be counted as part of the stem count?
Yes, and it should be counted separately from the flowers. Greenery is usually 20 to 30 percent of the stems in a retail bouquet, and it is what frames the flowers and fills the gaps between them, so a bouquet of 25 flowers and no greenery can look sparser than one of 20 flowers with 8 stems of foliage. This calculator counts the greenery on top of the flowers and reports both.
How much should a hand tied bouquet cost?
It depends on the stems and the season, which is why you enter your own price per stem. A standard bouquet of 25 flowers at 1.30 a stem is about 33 of flowers plus 3.50 of wrap, so around 37 in materials before any labour or delivery. A large bouquet of 45 stems of the same flower is about 62. The most reliable way to bring the cost down is to shift the mix toward seasonal foliage and filler rather than to reduce the flower count.