Corsage and Boutonniere Calculator

Focal flowers, filler sprigs, leaves, wire and stem wrap for a buttonhole or a corsage, by style and quantity.

A buttonhole and a corsage are built from the same short list of components in different proportions. A boutonniere is one focal flower with two or three filler sprigs and a leaf or two, wired and taped so the stem lies flat along a lapel. A wrist corsage is three to five focal flowers with filler on an elastic or ribbon band. This calculator gives the focal flowers, the filler sprigs, the leaves, the wire and the stem wrap for the style you are making, then multiplies the whole list by the number of pieces.

At a glance

What you enter: What are you making?, Diameter of one focal flower, How many pieces, Wire for one wired stem, Stem wrap for one wired stem, Focal flowers in one bunch, Price per focal flower, Price per filler sprig, Price per leaf, Wire, tape, pin and ribbon per piece, Wristband per piece
What you get: Focal flowers per piece, Focal flowers, Filler sprigs per piece, low, Filler sprigs per piece, high, Filler sprigs to buy, Leaves to buy, Wire per piece, Wire in total, Stem wrap in total, Bunches of focal flowers to order, Wristbands, Pins, Cost of the pieces, Cost per piece
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 ↓

What are you making?

Diameter of one focal flower mm

About 25 to 40 mm on a boutonniere and 30 to 50 mm on a corsage. A head under 35 mm gets one extra filler sprig.

How many pieces

Add ten percent for a wedding party. Flowers bruise and pieces get dropped.

Wire for one wired stem mm

A 100 mm length of 24 or 26 gauge wire supports one head and forms the stem.

Stem wrap for one wired stem rolls

A quarter of a standard roll per wired stem. A planning allowance rather than a measurement.

Focal flowers in one bunch

Wholesale flowers come in bunches of 5, 10 or 25.

Price per focal flower

Your own figure.

Price per filler sprig

Your own figure. Divide a bunch price by the stems in it.

Price per leaf

Wire, tape, pin and ribbon per piece

The mechanics for one piece, including the pin.

Wristband per piece

Only used by the wrist corsage option. An elastic, ribbon or beaded band.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Corsage and Boutonniere Calculator

1 Enter What are you making?
2 Enter Diameter of one focal flower (mm), About 25 to 40 mm on a boutonniere and 30 to 50 mm on a corsage. A head under 35 mm gets one extra filler sprig.
3 Enter How many pieces, Add ten percent for a wedding party. Flowers bruise and pieces get dropped.
4 Enter Wire for one wired stem (mm), A 100 mm length of 24 or 26 gauge wire supports one head and forms the stem.
5 Enter Stem wrap for one wired stem (rolls), A quarter of a standard roll per wired stem. A planning allowance rather than a measurement.
6 Enter Focal flowers in one bunch, Wholesale flowers come in bunches of 5, 10 or 25.
7 Enter Price per focal flower, Your own figure.
8 Enter Price per filler sprig, Your own figure. Divide a bunch price by the stems in it.
9 Enter Price per leaf
10 Enter Wire, tape, pin and ribbon per piece, The mechanics for one piece, including the pin.
11 Enter Wristband per piece, Only used by the wrist corsage option. An elastic, ribbon or beaded band.
12 Press Calculate. You get Focal flowers per piece, Focal flowers, Filler sprigs per piece, low, Filler sprigs per piece, high, Filler sprigs to buy, Leaves to buy, Wire per piece, Wire in total, Stem wrap in total, Bunches of focal flowers to order, Wristbands, Pins, Cost of the pieces, Cost per piece, 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.

Twelve buttonholes for a wedding party

One focal flower each with filler and a leaf, wired and taped.

You enter

What are you making?: 1
Diameter of one focal flower: 30 mm
How many pieces: 12
Wire for one wired stem: 100 mm
Stem wrap for one wired stem: 0.25 rolls
Focal flowers in one bunch: 10
Price per focal flower: $2.50
Price per filler sprig: $0.60
Price per leaf: $0.30
Wire, tape, pin and ribbon per piece: $1.20
Wristband per piece: $2.50

You get

Focal flowers per piece: 1
Focal flowers: 12
Filler sprigs per piece, low: 2
Filler sprigs per piece, high: 3
Filler sprigs to buy: 36
Leaves to buy: 24
Wire per piece: 100.00 mm
Wire in total: 1.20 m
Stem wrap in total: 3.00 rolls
Bunches of focal flowers to order: 2
Wristbands: 0
Pins: 12
Cost of the pieces: $73.20
Cost per piece: $6.10

One piece takes 1 focal flower, 2 to 3 filler sprigs, 2 leaves, 100 mm of wire and a quarter of a roll of wrap. Twelve of them take 12 focal flowers, 36 sprigs, 24 leaves, 1.2 m of wire and 3 rolls, in two bunches of ten.

Open this example in the calculator →

Six wrist corsages

Five focal flowers each with filler, a leaf set and a wristband.

You enter

What are you making?: 4
Diameter of one focal flower: 30 mm
How many pieces: 6
Wire for one wired stem: 100 mm
Stem wrap for one wired stem: 0.25 rolls
Focal flowers in one bunch: 10
Price per focal flower: $2.50
Price per filler sprig: $0.60
Price per leaf: $0.30
Wire, tape, pin and ribbon per piece: $1.20
Wristband per piece: $2.50

You get

Focal flowers per piece: 5
Focal flowers: 30
Filler sprigs per piece, low: 3
Filler sprigs per piece, high: 4
Filler sprigs to buy: 24
Leaves to buy: 18
Wire per piece: 900.00 mm
Wire in total: 5.40 m
Stem wrap in total: 13.50 rolls
Bunches of focal flowers to order: 3
Wristbands: 6
Pins: 0
Cost of the pieces: $117.00
Cost per piece: $19.50

Five focal flowers and four sprigs are wired on each, so 900 mm of wire per piece and 5.4 m in total, plus six wristbands. Thirty focal flowers is three bunches.

Open this example in the calculator →

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Frequently asked questions

How much wire does a boutonniere need?

About 100 mm for each stem that is wired. A buttonhole wires its focal flower and tapes the filler sprigs in beside it, so one piece takes roughly 100 mm of 24 or 26 gauge wire and a quarter of a roll of stem wrap. A corsage wires the focal flowers and the filler as well, so a three flower pin on corsage takes about 600 to 700 mm. Buy wire by the pack and treat these as planning figures, not measurements.

How many flowers are in a corsage?

Three focal flowers for a pin on corsage and three to five for a wrist corsage, each with three to four filler sprigs and two to three leaves. A piece with six or more focal flowers has become a small arrangement and needs a base rather than a single wire. If the focal flower is under about 35 mm across, add one more sprig: a small head carries less mass and the piece reads thin without it.

Should I wire or glue a corsage?

Wire and tape fresh flowers, because the wire supports the head and lets the stem be bent to sit against a lapel or a wrist. Glue dried flowers, brittle material and pieces built on a felt or a leaf base, because wire damages dried petals and shows through. A glued piece carries no wire and no stem wrap, so the cost moves into adhesive and the base instead. Use the adhesive your supplier recommends for the material.

How many spare buttonholes should I make?

Ten percent, and never fewer than one extra. Flowers are handled several times between the market and the ceremony, heads snap off during wiring, and a buttonhole left in a warm room for an hour can wilt. Twelve buttonholes usually means thirteen or fourteen, and because flowers are sold in bunches of five, ten or twenty five the spare usually comes free with the rounding.

What size flower should I use for a buttonhole?

About 25 to 40 mm across for the focal flower, and 30 to 50 mm for a corsage. Much larger and the piece overwhelms a lapel or sits awkwardly on a wrist; much smaller and it disappears in a photograph. A rose, a ranunculus, a small dahlia, a carnation or a spray rose head all sit in that range, and a single large bloom with foliage often reads better than a crowded cluster.