A pre-lit tree is only as durable as the string wired into it, and on a nine foot tree that string is several hundred bulbs deep in the branches. When a section fails there is nothing to unplug and swap, so a fault that costs twenty dollars to fix ends a tree that cost several hundred.

This one has no lights at all. You choose the colour, the density and the brand, and when the string eventually dies you replace the string. What you are buying is a hinged PVC and iron frame with nothing electrical in it to go wrong.

Nine feet, nearly five across

Nine feet against a six foot figure gives the honest sense of the scale. The published diameter is 4.9 feet, which the drawing rounds to five. Add the stand and a topper and a ten foot ceiling is the sensible minimum, and the corner needs to be genuinely open rather than a gap between furniture.

2132 tips, plain green

Two thousand tips in flat cut PVC, mid green, with no flocking, no berries and nothing pre-attached. The white background photograph is exactly what arrives, which makes it easy to judge against a colour scheme you already own rather than against a styled room.

Three sections, three steps

Connect the base to the bottom section, stack the sections above it, then expand the hinged branches. Nothing is hooked on individually, which on 2132 tips is the difference between an afternoon and a weekend. Two people make the top section easier to seat.

Yours to decorate

An unlit tree is a blank one. Warm white or colour, six hundred bulbs or a thousand, ribbon, garland or nothing at all: none of it is decided in the factory. The iron stand has plastic foot covers so the legs do not mark a wood floor while you work around it.

Display height with a full traditional profile, on an iron stand.

Flat cut PVC in plain green, with nothing pre-attached.

The tree is unlit, so the string and its colour are entirely your choice.

They expand as each section opens instead of being hooked on.

Thick metal through the centre, which is what keeps nine feet straight.

Metal rather than plastic, with foot covers to protect the floor.

Heavy, which is why it splits into sections for carrying.

Comes apart for storage in the same three pieces it builds from.

Ships from a Canadian warehouse, so there are no customs charges and no cross-border delays. Free shipping on orders over $150, a flat $18.90 below that, and tracking by email as soon as it leaves.

Return within 14 days of purchase, unused, in original condition and packaging.

Covered directly by the manufacturer under their warranty terms for material and manufacturing defects.

Found it cheaper at a Canadian retailer? Send us the link and we will match that price. It has to be the same item, in stock, sold and shipped inside Canada, and compared like for like on what comes in the box.

Nine feet needs ten feet of ceiling and a corner nearly five feet across. In a double height room or a stairwell it finally looks proportionate, where a seven foot tree in the same space disappears.

If you own strings you like and know how you want them wound, a factory-lit tree takes that choice away and ties the tree's lifespan to it. This does neither.

Unlit is often the right answer commercially, because the lighting scheme changes year to year and the tree has to survive being put up and taken down by different people. A metal trunk and an iron stand are built for that.

What we stand behind

• The tree is unlit. The manufacturer marks No Lights Included on its own photograph, and the lights, baubles and gifts shown are not part of the product.
• The 9 ft height, 4.9 ft diameter, 2132 tip count and roughly 36 lb weight are the per size specification figures on this listing. Its own drawing shows the width as 5 ft, which is the same figure rounded.
• One marketing bullet on this listing says 1346 tips. That figure does not match this size's own specification block and is repeated word for word across the range, so we have used the 2132 figure published for this tree.
• Ships from a Canadian warehouse, free shipping over $150, and 14 day returns unused in the original packaging.

Does it come with lights?

No. This is an unlit tree, and the manufacturer prints No Lights Included on its own photograph. Everything shown glowing in the listing images is a separate string someone has added.

Is it 2132 tips or 1346?

2132 for this size. The 1346 figure appears in a marketing bullet repeated word for word on the other sizes in this range, while the per size specification block for this 9 ft tree says 2132. We publish the per size figure.

How many lights should I buy for it?

A common trade rule of thumb is around 100 bulbs per foot of height, so roughly 900 for a nine foot tree, and more if you want it dense or if the tree will be seen from all sides. That is guidance rather than a manufacturer specification.

What ceiling height do I need?

Ten feet. Nine feet of tree plus a stand of a few inches and any topper will meet a nine foot ceiling. The 6 ft version in this range is the answer for a standard room.

Can one person put it up?

Two is much easier. At about 36 lb across three sections nothing is unmanageable, but seating the upper section of a nine foot tree above shoulder height is awkward alone.

How wide is it really, 4.9 ft or 5 ft?

4.9 ft is the published figure and 5 ft is what the manufacturer's own drawing shows, which is the same number rounded. Plan for five feet of floor and you will be right either way.

Is the trunk plastic?

No. The manufacturer describes the trunk and stand as thick metal, which is the part that matters most on a tree this tall.