Abstract The present article deals with the influence of planting espacement on the rate of growth of Pinus patula in the spacing trial Mac-Mac in the eastern Transvaal. The Richards growth equation was applied to express basal area- and volume production as a function of age. The estimates of the parameters of the equation were regressed on stand density, the objective being to produce two sets ofgrouitti curves, for live basal area and live volume respectively. In order to study the effect of spacing on stem form and branch characteristics by means of destructive sampling, 400 sample trees were felled. The stem form factor was determined for each tree separately, branch diameter, branch length and branch volume were measured in a subsample of branches of the first order. The statistical analysis discloses that initial spacing influences stem form and branch volume per tree significantly, but total branch volume per hectare was not related to initial density.