The economic advantages of two planting distances (5 x 5 m and 5 x 2.5 m) were compared for three different varieties of almonds (Supernova, Tuono and Ferragnes). The trial orchard was located at the 'Pantanello' experimental field station at Metaponto in the Basilicata region (southern Italy). One-year-old scions were planted in 1983-84 and after ten years half the plants were removed from the orchard planted at 5 x 2.25 m to obtain an overall 5 x 5 m planting distance. Cumulated crop production was higher in the training phase for the 5 x 2.5 m plants, but when the plants reached full maturity the difference was attenuated and at the end of the tenth year was higher for the 5 x 5 m plants. No significant difference between cultivars was revealed, hence confirming their reported validity. Comparison of the main costs (planting, training, etc.) to evaluate the economic advantages demonstrated that high-density planting in almond culture is of very limited interest.