For most arborvitae hedges, spacing is based on the mature width of the variety you’re planting.

Quick Scoop

  • Emerald Green arborvitae:
    • Mature width: about 3–4 feet.
* Typical spacing for a hedge: **about 3–4 feet apart, trunk to trunk**.

* For a faster, very tight screen: you can go a bit closer (around 2.5–3 feet), but under about 2 feet is usually too tight and can cause crowding and long‑term health issues.
  • Green Giant arborvitae:
    • Mature width: roughly 12–15 feet.
* Standard hedge spacing: **6–8 feet apart** for a healthy long‑term screen.

* Faster privacy: **5–6 feet apart** , with the tradeoff of more pruning and competition between trees.
  • For ornamental, stand‑alone trees (not a tight hedge):
    • Give Green Giants 10–15 feet so each can show its full natural shape.
  • Zig‑zag / staggered rows for “instant” privacy:
    • Plant two offset rows instead of one straight line, spacing each tree as above but staggering the second row between the gaps of the first.
* This uses more trees, but you get a much quicker solid wall of green and better depth.

Simple spacing rule of thumb

  • Take the expected mature width of the variety and space plants at roughly 70–100% of that width for a hedge.
  • Closer to 70% = fills in faster but needs more pruning.
  • Closer to full width (100%) = healthier in the long run, slower to close the gaps.

How many trees you’ll need

Use this quick formula:

  • Length of area you want to cover ÷ spacing (in feet) = number of arborvitae you need.

Example:

  • 40 feet of fence, Emerald Green spaced 4 feet apart → 40 ÷ 4 = 10 trees.
  • 100 feet of line, Green Giant spaced 8 feet apart → 100 ÷ 8 ≈ 12 trees.

If you tell me:

  • Which variety (Emerald Green, Green Giant, or other), and
  • How many feet you’re trying to cover

I can give you an exact spacing and tree count tailored to your hedge.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.