Pick where it goes and give its size. You get how much garland to buy, how many store lengths to link, and the wreath that fits, from Balsam Hill’s sizing guide and the measuring rules of a professional holiday decorator.
What to buy
About 26 ft of garland for 13 stepstwo feet a step (Martha Stewart’s expert); 20½–27½ ft at 1.5–2 ft a foot of its 13½ ft rail · three 9 ft garlands or five 6 ft, linked
Quick answer: for a staircase, about two feet of garland per step, or 1.5–2 feet for every foot of rail: 26 ft for 13 steps. For a mantel laid flat, its width plus 2 feet at each end (9 ft for a 5 ft mantel), or 1.5–2 × the width to drape it. Around a standard front door, about 24 feet. A front-door wreath should cover 50–75% of the door’s width: 18–24″ on a 36″ door.
How to use the garland and wreath calculator
- Pick where it goes: a staircase, a mantel, a front door or a porch column.
- Give its size: the number of steps (or measure the rail), the mantel’s width, the door’s width and height, or the column’s height.
- You get how much garland to buy, how many 9 ft or 6 ft lengths to link, and for a door or a mantel the wreath that fits, drawn in place.
Dressing the tree too? The Christmas tree lights calculator counts the lights, ornaments, tree garland, ribbon and the tree skirt; the outdoor Christmas lights calculator does the house.
The rules, and where they come from
Balsam Hill, the artificial-tree maker, prints these in its greenery sizing guide: “To hang on a line, plan for roughly 1.5 to 2 feet of garland for every foot of draping space.” “For a flat surface, allot 2 feet on each end to hang off the edge.” “To wrap around an object (a porch column, for example), use twice as much length of foliage as the height of the object.” Its garlands “range from 6 feet to 10 feet long, and most can be linked together”.
Matt Bowman, founder of Tradition Company, in Martha Stewart (November 2025): stairs, “1.5 to 2 feet of garland for every linear foot of stairs. The easiest way to calculate is to count your steps and multiply by two”; mantels, “multiply it by 1.5 to 2”, with “an extra foot or two” off each side; front doors, “about 24 feet of garland cut into two sections”.
Two shortcuts that agree. The steepest stair the building code allows, a 7¾″ riser over a 10″ tread (IRC R311.7.5), climbs about 12⅝″ of rail a step. Two feet a step is then 1.9 feet a foot of rail, inside the 1.5–2 range. And round a 36 × 80″ door the frame is 16½ ft, which draped at 1.5 × is 24½ ft, Bowman’s “about 24 feet”.
Wreaths, from Balsam Hill: “A wreath should cover 50 to 75% of the space’s width and shouldn’t be wider or taller than the hanging surface.” On a 30–36″ door, “allot about 6 inches of space on each side of the wreath for a simple look”, or leave “at least 2 inches” for a dramatic one. Its own examples run wider still: “A 36-inch wreath fits flush with the width of a standard-size door.”
Garland for a staircase
| Steps | Rail | 1.5–2 ft a foot | Two feet a step | 9 ft garlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 8½ ft | 12½–17 ft | 16 ft | 2 |
| 10 | 10½ ft | 16–21 ft | 20 ft | 3 |
| 13 | 13½ ft | 20½–27½ ft | 26 ft | 3 |
| 15 | 16 ft | 23½–31½ ft | 30 ft | 4 |
| 18 | 19 ft | 28½–38 ft | 36 ft | 4 |
The rail here is worked out from the steps at the code’s steepest stair; a gentler stair has a longer rail, so measure yours if you can.
Garland and a wreath for a mantel
| Mantel | Laid along it | Draped | Draped, ends hanging | Wreath above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft | 8 ft | 6–8 ft | 8–12 ft | 18–24″ |
| 5 ft | 9 ft | 7½–10 ft | 9½–14 ft | 26–28″ |
| 6 ft | 10 ft | 9–12 ft | 11–16 ft | 26–28″ |
| 7 ft | 11 ft | 10½–14 ft | 12½–18 ft | 30–42″ |
| 8 ft | 12 ft | 12–16 ft | 14–20 ft | 48–60″ |
Balsam Hill’s mantel wreaths: 18–24″ for mantels “less than 5 feet wide”, 26–28″ “up to 6 feet”, 30–42″ for “larger mantels around 6 feet long”, 48–60″ “above large fireplace mantels”. Its last two bands meet at 6 feet, so the calculator moves up past 6.
A wreath and garland for a front door
| Door | Wreath (6″ each side) | Fuller, at most | Garland along the trim | Draped |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30″ | 18″ | 26″ | 16 ft | 24 ft |
| 32″ | 18–20″ | 28″ | 16 ft | 24 ft |
| 36″ | 18–24″ | 32″ | 16½ ft | 24½ ft |
| 42″ | 21–30″ | 38″ | 17 ft | 25½ ft |
| 60″ double | 18″ ×2 | 26″ | 18½ ft | 27½ ft |
| 72″ double | 18–24″ ×2 | 32″ | 19½ ft | 29 ft |
Doors 80″ tall. On double doors, Balsam Hill hangs one wreath on each leaf. Only over the top of the door: its 5–7 ft garlands “for standard doors”, 8–10 ft “for wider archways and double doors”.
Worked examples
A straight flight of 13 steps: About 26 ft of garland for 13 steps. Three 9 ft garlands, linked, leave a foot to tuck at the ends.
A 5 ft mantel, garland laid along it: About 9 ft of garland for a 5 ft mantel. Draped in swags with the ends hanging, buy about 14 ft.
A 36 × 80″ front door: An 18–24″ wreath and about 24½ ft of garland round the door, three 9 ft garlands, or two 12 ft pieces as Bowman’s crew does.
Two 8 ft porch columns: About 16 ft of garland to wrap an 8 ft column, so 32 ft for the pair.
Common mistakes
- Buying the rail’s length. A garland pulled straight looks thin; Bowman: “You don’t want the garland to look taut.” Draping takes 1.5–2 ×.
- Forgetting the ends. Laid along a mantel, it needs 2 feet hanging off each end (Balsam Hill).
- One store garland for a whole door. A 6 ft garland covers only the top; up, over and down a standard door is about 16½ ft before any drape.
- A wreath as wide as the door. Balsam Hill’s rule is 50–75% of the width with about 6″ to spare on each side.
More holiday decorating at Dreamy Home Style
- Christmas wreaths for the front door
- Christmas wreath ideas
- Christmas front door looks
- Rustic Christmas porch designs
- Fireplace hearth and mantel decorating ideas
Planning the room around the tree? Draw it to scale in the free 2D floor planner.
Garland and wreath questions
How much garland do I need for stairs?
About two feet per step, or 1.5–2 feet for every foot of rail: 26 ft for a 13-step staircase. Measure the rail for the exact length.
How do I hang garland on stairs?
Drape it in swags along the rail, 1.5–2 feet of garland a foot of rail so it hangs “1 to 2 feet below the railing” (Bowman), secured “every few balusters or where the railing curves” so it hangs evenly (Martha Stewart).
How much garland for a mantel?
Its width plus 2 feet at each end laid along it (Balsam Hill): 9 ft for a 5 ft mantel. To drape it, 1.5–2 × the width, plus a foot or two at each end to hang.
How do I hang garland on a mantel?
Lay it along the shelf with about 2 feet falling off each end, or drape it in swags at 1.5–2 × the mantel’s width. Lay string where it will go first: the length you end up with is the garland you need (Balsam Hill).
How much garland for a front door?
About 24 feet around a standard door, in two pieces tied at the top (Bowman); up, over and down a 36 × 80″ door is 16½ ft before any drape. Only over the top, 5–7 ft (Balsam Hill).
What size wreath for a front door?
50–75% of the door’s width with about 6″ to spare each side: 18–24″ on a standard 36″ door. For a fuller look, up to 32″, leaving 2″ each side.
What size wreath for double doors?
Two wreaths, one per leaf, each sized for its leaf: on a 72″ pair of 36″ doors, two 18–24″ wreaths.
What size wreath over a fireplace?
By the mantel’s width (Balsam Hill): 18–24″ under 5 feet, 26–28″ up to 6 feet, 30–42″ for larger mantels, 48–60″ above large ones.