Types of Artificial Commercial Christmas Trees

Artificial Commercial Christmas Tower Tree Styles

It’s time to start planning for your biggest guest this next holiday season: a commercial Christmas Tree. And not just any kind of tree, but one that will shine the brightest and glow the greatest throughout the space you place it in.

In this article, we’re taking you on an illuminating tour of the major types of commercial Christmas trees, including their materials, composition, lighting, and decoration options. We’ll cover the types of Christmas tree structures first, and then the types of Christmas tree foliages. Please stay seated and keep your arms and legs inside the sleigh for this tour.

Structure

The structure (or frame) is the foundation for both types of Christmas tree structures. Where the tree will be placed is the biggest deciding factor between the frame types, but other differences may also impact your decision. Let’s explore what sets these frames apart from each other.

Commercial Christmas Center Pole Trees (Trees 12’ and under)

In our first stop on this tour, we examine center pole trees. This design is based on a pole in the center that supports the tree. These trees feature either branches that fold out from the pole via a hinge connection, or single branches that connect around the center pole from a hook.

Center pole tree designs are used in commercial Christmas trees that are 12’ and under. This is because larger trees need a different framework that safely supports them in areas frequented by people and vehicle traffic. Center pole trees are ideal for either indoor or covered patio use. Unless the tree frame is made of galvanized metal, it’s not suited for use in outdoor settings.

Expecting a challenging setup? Then take a sigh of relief: center pole trees are the easiest type of commercial Christmas trees to assemble. They come in nicely segmented sections, though their branches do require fluffing. Some great spaces to place a center pole Christmas tree include indoor lobbies, restaurant patios, great rooms, and two story residences.

Looking for a fine example of a center pole tree? Look to the 12’ Indoor LED McKenzie Noble Fir Christmas Tree, adorned with warm white lights. This natural and lifelike tree features bright green foliage and soft, shapeable PVC branches—perfect for imparting a bit of character, or bringing in the tips to accommodate a tight corner spot. The pre-lit design takes the work of stringing and rigging out of the equation, leaving for a simple stress-free setup.

Commercial Christmas Frame Trees (Trees 12’ and taller, AKA “Tower Trees”)

Next is the ring frame design, which is created with o-rings that stack together. Bolt the rings together to stabilize each layer of the frame, and if you want to increase the tree’s height, then add more o-rings. Foliage is applied to the surface of the ring frame tree, rather than it already being connected like with pole trees. The foliage comes in the form of branches, panels, or garland wraps. We’ll cover more about the varying foliage options in the next section of this article.

Frame trees have hollow centers, making them relatively easy to access, as well as connect and operate electrical infrastructure inside. The structure of frame trees is usually created out of tubular steel. Steel stacking frames let you add new levels each year (or sooner if you wish!), allowing tree growth as budget permits. Setup is, however, more challenging than the center pole design and is best approached with the help of at least a few people.

Out of the two major types of Christmas tree structures, the frame tree is a great type that’s well-suited to spread the holiday cheer for businesses, churches, cities, government entities, neighborhood courtyards, and organizations. Unlike the fixed size of center pole trees, you have the option to “grow” the tree over time by adding in more o-rings. Expanding the tree can make it more impressive to the people in the traffic that flow through where you place one of these magnificent trees. This expandability makes the frame tree an excellent investment in holiday decorating.

Take it from us: commercial Christmas tower trees have a special kind of magic to them. Taller trees always attract more attention, which helps to set an atmosphere and create an experience in your business or organization. Tower trees are ideal for many purposes including marketing your business, spreading community joy, bringing people together, and creating photo ops. If getting customers through that door is important to you, a towering tree is like a magnet that piques the curiosity of even the busiest of shoppers.

Foliage

Now on this tour of the types of commercial Christmas trees, it’s time to go over foliage options for frame trees. The foliage you choose for your commercial Christmas tree will ultimately determine its look and style. Let’s get to know what makes each foliage style unique.

Commercial Christmas Branch Trees

Branch trees are created from a frame design with single branches that connect around the structure with an L hook. They form a natural tree profile with lots of texture and volume, appropriate for imparting an organic feel in a commercial area. And commercial Christmas branch trees provide an excellent sense of depth to your decorating: lights and ornaments can be tucked within the inner branches to create an enchanting “inner glow” packed with layers of details.

Each individual branch is pre-lit, and they all connect together with a main wiring harness. Great for any type of ornament, ornament package, and theme—your business, organization, or neighborhood will have no limits to expressing a memorable, one-of-a-kind of holiday style!

Speaking of commercial Christmas branch trees, our Majestic Mountain Pine Christmas Tree is the top selling commercial Christmas tree in the US. Our tower trees are enjoyed for their natural appearance. Their lifelike foliage is full of detail and texture, and they radiate an inner glow that comes from layers of branches wrapped in brilliant LED lights, such as 5mm conical lights or C7 stringers. Majestic Mountain Pine Trees are the perfect canvas for ornaments in creative combinations of size, color, finish and shape. And unlike other branch trees, the Majestic Mountain Pine Christmas Tree is easy to setup with a lettering and color system that assists in assembly.

Commercial Christmas Panel Trees

Panel trees are created with a frame and panels of foliage that are applied to the surface of the frame. This creates a uniform, cone-shaped tree profile. Commercial Christmas panel trees are also sometimes referred to as “pixel trees.”

This foliage is an exceptional choice for trees with RGB lights or pixel lights thanks to the smooth surface of the panels, giving emphasis and clarity to any variety of special lights that you want to display proudly. The panel design allows for the lights to be clearly oriented towards the surface of the tree so that the bulbs are more prominent.

Although panel trees lack the depth and dimension of branch trees, their straightforward composition enables decorations to be fixed for a more permanent arrangement. Lights, ornaments and decorations on panel trees are oriented towards the surface of the tree, making for a relatively simple decorating process.

Commercial Garland Christmas Trees

Departing from the other foliage panel types, the commercial garland Christmas tree is created from a lightweight hollow frame. Then, one or more large garlands are wrapped in a layer across the surface of the frame to cover the tree. The garland can be pre-lit with mini lights, or C6 or C7 stringers.

The garland is wrapped either in a spiral around the tree, or in a criss-cross pattern across the tree. Similar to the panel tree, the commercial garland Christmas tree forms a cone-shaped tree profile. It’s comparatively lightweight to other types of tree structures because there are no heavy duty branches that weigh it down, which makes it suitable for applications on softer terrain such as golf grass.

And due to this lightweight profile, cables are often connected to the tree top to support and stabilize the entire structure. Garland Christmas trees are not as heavy duty as branch trees or panel trees, and are susceptible to quicker deterioration. They can also lose their shape over season, and are prone to gaps and holes. The garland tree lacks the professional quality of other tree styles, but can still be a fun tree for decorating areas that aren’t meant to support heavy commercial Christmas trees.

And that wraps up our tour of the most common types of commercial Christmas trees. Your specific setting and needs are key to determining which tree frame and foliage type are best for you. From our close experience with commercial applications, we can help you gain insight on what the best commercial Christmas tree is for your situation. Send us an email at info@christmasdesigners.com or call 1-800-391-5280 to get started.