Tree Stump Grinding & Removal Costs UK 2026 — What to Charge per Stump and Day Rate

What Stump Grinding Costs in the UK

Most stump grinding is priced one of two ways: per stump (sized by diameter) or on a day rate. Per-stump pricing suits one or two stumps; a day rate almost always works out cheaper for the customer once you're dealing with several stumps in one visit. Here are the current UK ranges.

Per Stump, by Diameter

Diameter is measured across the cut face at ground level — not the trunk higher up. The wider the stump, the more material the grinder has to remove and the longer the job takes, so price climbs with size.

• Small stump (under 30cm diameter): £60–£120
• Medium stump (30–60cm diameter): £100–£200
• Large stump (60cm+ diameter): £200–£400+

Very large or multi-stemmed stumps — old oak, mature conifer clumps, or hedge lines — can run well above £400 each. Price these on site after you've seen the cut face, the species and the access, not over the phone.

Day Rate Grinding

For multiple stumps, a day rate is usually the cheapest route for the customer and the most efficient for you. You've already paid to transport the machine to site, so each additional stump after the first carries very little marginal cost.

• Stump grinding day rate: £300–£600/day
• Minimum call-out charge (single small stump): £80–£150

A minimum call-out protects you on small single-stump jobs where the per-stump price doesn't cover travel, fuel and machine wear. If a customer has one small stump twenty minutes away, the call-out floor is what makes the job worth doing. For anything more than three or four stumps, quote the day rate and let the customer see the saving — it's an easy upsell when they've a garden full of them.

Stump Grinding vs Full Removal (Dig-Out)

This is the single most important thing to explain to customers, because the price difference is large and most people don't understand the distinction.

Grinding uses a rotating toothed wheel to chew the stump down to roughly 15–30cm below ground level. The visible stump disappears, the hole is backfilled with the arisings (wood chippings) or topsoil, and the remaining roots are left in the ground to rot down naturally over a few years. It's quick, far less disruptive, doesn't require heavy excavation, and is by far the most common method.

Full removal — a dig-out — physically excavates the entire root ball and root system out of the ground. It needs a mini-digger or heavy manual digging, leaves a large hole that must be filled with imported soil, and is considerably more expensive and disruptive. It's only genuinely necessary when you're building over the area, laying foundations or a driveway, installing services, or where the roots themselves must be gone rather than left to decompose.

• Grinding (per stump): £60–£400+ depending on size
• Full dig-out / root ball removal: £250–£800+ per stump, plus spoil disposal and soil to backfill

For the overwhelming majority of domestic jobs, grinding is the right answer and the cheaper one. Recommend a dig-out only where there's a real reason for it — and make sure the customer understands they're paying a premium for the roots to physically leave the site.

What Drives the Price

Two stumps of the same diameter can cost very different amounts depending on the conditions on site. These are the factors that move your quote up or down.

• Diameter and number of stumps: The headline driver. Bigger stumps take longer; multiple stumps in one visit lower the per-stump cost and push you toward a day rate.
• Hardness and species: Dense hardwoods like oak, beech and elm grind slower and wear teeth faster than softwoods. Old, seasoned stumps are harder than freshly felled ones.
• Access for the grinder: The biggest variable after size. A narrow-access pedestrian grinder (around 60–75cm wide) fits through a standard side gate but works slower; a large tracked machine grinds fast but can't reach a back garden through a 70cm gate. If only a small machine fits, the job takes longer and costs more.
• Depth required: Standard grinding goes 15–30cm below ground. If the customer wants to re-turf, lay a lawn or plant, you may need to go deeper — more depth means more time.
• Proximity to walls, services and utilities: Stumps tight against a wall, fence, patio or near buried pipes, cables, gas or water services need careful, slower work and sometimes hand-finishing. Always ask about and visually check for services before grinding near a boundary.
• Arisings — removed or left: Leaving the chippings to backfill the hole is included in most quotes. Carting the grindings away and bringing in topsoil to finish level is an extra.

Extras and Add-Ons

The headline grind price normally covers reducing the stump below ground and backfilling the hole with the resulting chippings. The following are legitimately chargeable extras — quote them as separate lines so the customer sees the value.

• Removing the grindings and backfilling with topsoil: £40–£150+ per stump depending on volume and tip charges. Grinding produces a surprising amount of material — a large stump fills several barrows.
• Surface roots: Lateral roots radiating from the stump can be ground or chased back at extra cost where they're lifting paving or in the way of new planting.
• Multiple stump discount: Once the machine is on site, additional stumps should be priced down. A second and third stump in the same garden typically cost less per stump than the first — pass some of that saving on and it closes the job.

What Grinding Does NOT Include

Stump grinding is the removal of a stump that already exists — it does not include felling the tree. Felling is a separate job, priced separately, and on many sites needs its own risk assessment, climbing or sectional dismantling, and waste removal. If a customer asks for a price to "get rid of the tree", clarify whether they want it felled, the stump ground, or both, and quote each element on its own line.

Be aware too that tree work can be restricted: trees in conservation areas or with a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) need permission from the local authority before felling. Stump grinding an already-felled stump is generally fine, but check before you take a saw to a standing tree.

Aftercare — Reusing the Ground

One of the selling points of grinding is that the ground is usable again quickly. Once the stump is ground out and the hole is backfilled and levelled — with chippings, or with topsoil if the chippings have been removed — the area can be turfed, seeded or planted.

A practical caveat worth mentioning to customers: wood chippings left to backfill rot down over time and can rob the soil of nitrogen as they decompose, so a fresh lawn directly over chippings may struggle initially. If the customer wants to re-turf straight away, recommend grinding deeper, removing the bulk of the arisings and backfilling with imported topsoil. That's the upsell that gets them a usable lawn rather than a sunken, sawdust-filled patch a season later.

Quoting Tips — What to Check Before You Price

Stump grinding quotes go wrong when the operator prices off a phone description rather than seeing the stump. Before you commit a price, check the following:

• Diameter at the cut face: Measure across the widest point at ground level — not the trunk above.
• Species and age: Hardwood and old seasoned stumps grind slower. Factor in tooth wear.
• Access route and width: Can a large machine reach the stump, or does a side gate force you onto a slow pedestrian grinder? This is the single biggest hidden cost.
• Proximity to walls and services: Check for pipes, cables, gas and water before grinding near a boundary. Slow, careful work near structures takes longer.
• Backfill expectation: Confirm whether the customer wants chippings left to backfill, or grindings removed and topsoil brought in.
• Number of stumps: If there's more than one, work out whether a day rate beats per-stump pricing — and show the customer the saving.

Quick Reference: Stump Grinding Prices UK 2026