Most Realistic Artificial Christmas Trees: PE vs PVC and Tip Counts

The most realistic artificial Christmas trees have PE tips, molded from casts of real branches, rather than flat PVC strips. Look for a high share of PE tips and, on a 7.5-foot tree, about 1,500 to 2,500 tips, the range Balsam Hill gives for a lush, natural look. Then shape every branch.

PE vs PVC Christmas tree tips

PE and PVC are the two plastics artificial branch tips are made from, and they are made differently. Balsam Hill describes PVC as material “hard-pressed into thin pieces, then cut into fine, rectangular, needle-like strips,” twisted onto wire, and warns that “PVC needles may appear flat and lack dimension.” For PE, “elaborate patterns and casts are molded using actual conifer tree branches,” so PE needles “have the shape, thickness, and mass of a true tree branch.”

King of Christmas sorts its range the same way: “Classic” trees with flat PVC tips, “Realistic” trees that combine PVC and PE, and “Premium” trees with “an even larger percentage of PE tips.” The exact share is listed on each product page, so read it before you compare prices.

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How many tips a realistic tree needs

Tip count is the number makers give for how full a tree is. Balsam Hill’s buyer’s guide says a 7.5-foot tree with “1,500 to 2,500 tips typically looks lush and natural.”

Compare tip counts like for like. A slim tree of the same height has less width to fill than a full one, and a 9-foot tree has more height to fill than a 7.5-foot one, so a tip count only means something next to the height and the shape. Read it with the share of PE tips: a high count of flat PVC tips and a lower count of molded PE tips can look very different.

Shaping an artificial tree to look real

Shaping does more for realism than any spec. Balsam Hill’s instructions are to “start from the bottom and move upward,” to lift inner branches in an alternating pattern that “hides the trunk, fills empty spaces,” then to spread the offshoots outward and pull apart tips stuck together. Its FAQ adds: “Start with the branches closest to the trunk and work your way out, fanning the tips of each branch to the sides.”

Give it time. Balsam Hill recommends “planning for two people to spend 2-3 hours fluffing the tree the first time,” wearing the gloves supplied to avoid scratches. Step back as you go to find the gaps.

Realistic trees in other shapes and finishes

A realistic tree can be any height, shape or finish, and the artificial Christmas tree guide walks through each choice.