How to price stump grinding
Stump grinding prices at $3 to $7 per inch of diameter measured at ground level, with a $100 to $175 job minimum. A typical 14 to 24 inch stump lands $100 to $300.
The formula
(Diameter in inches × rate) + access adjustment + chip removal, floored at your minimum.
A 20-inch stump, gate access wide enough for the machine, grind to 8 inches, chips left on site:
- 20 × $4.50 = $90
- Below the $125 minimum → $125
That is about 25 minutes of grinding and 40 minutes of loading, towing and manoeuvring. The minimum is doing the work here, which is correct — moving the machine is the job.
Now three stumps at the same property:
- 20in + 16in + 12in = 48 inches × $4.50 = $216
- One trip, one setup
- $216
Same travel cost spread over three stumps. This is why multi-stump jobs are worth discounting slightly to win and single small stumps are worth declining.
Price a stump grinding job
Your numbers, the formula above. Nothing is sent anywhere — this runs in your browser.
$90 base (20 inches of diameter × $5) · raised to your $125 minimum
This is a starting number, not a bid. Walk the property before you send it.
Measure at ground level
Root flare means a stump is nearly always wider at the base than at the cut face. Measuring across the top is a consistent, predictable way to underprice, and it is the most common estimating error in this work.
Measure across the widest point where the stump meets the ground.
Chips are a separate service
A ground stump produces a mound of chips substantially larger than the stump appeared to be, because grinding aerates the material. Customers are routinely surprised.
State it on the quote: chips left on site as standard, removal and topsoil backfill at $50 to $200 depending on volume. Most customers who want to replant will buy it, and the ones who do not have been warned.
What changes the price
Access. The dominant factor. A stump reachable with a tow-behind is one job; a stump behind a 30-inch gate needing a narrow-access machine is another entirely.
Rocks and buried debris. Teeth are expensive. A stump in a rockery or near a old wall footing carries real risk and should be priced for it.
Proximity to services. Anything near a gas line, water service or irrigation needs locating first and grinding carefully.
Depth required. 4 to 6 inches for turf, 8 to 12 inches if they want to replant a tree in the same place.
Number of stumps. Travel amortises. Price the trip once.
The mistakes
No minimum. The most common. Small stumps at a per-inch rate lose money on travel every time.
Measuring the cut face. Underprices nearly every stump.
Including chip removal silently. Either charge for it or exclude it clearly.
Not asking about rocks. One hidden rock can cost more in teeth than the job earns.
Quoting sight-unseen. Access decides this job and access cannot be described over the phone.
Quoting and scheduling
Stump grinding is usually an add-on to tree work, and the easiest upsell in the trade — you are already there with a customer looking at a stump.
QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo lets you check access on satellite imagery before committing to a visit. Jobber at $49/mo handles the quote-to-invoice loop and lets you attach grinding to an existing tree job. Housecall Pro adds five seats at $189/mo for a crew.
Questions operators actually ask
How much should I charge for stump grinding?
$3 to $7 per inch of stump diameter measured at ground level, with a job minimum of $100 to $175. A typical 14 to 24 inch stump comes to $100 to $300. Chip removal and backfill are a separate charge.
How do I measure a stump for pricing?
Across the widest point at ground level, not at the cut face. Root flare makes stumps considerably wider at the base than they look from above, and pricing off the cut face is a consistent way to underquote.
Should chip removal be included?
No, and say so. Grinding a stump produces a surprising volume of chips — often a mound larger than the customer expects. Removing it and backfilling with topsoil is a separate service at $50 to $200, and customers who are not told assume it is included.
Why does the minimum matter so much?
Because the cost is transporting the grinder, not grinding. Loading, towing, unloading and reversing a machine into a back garden takes far longer than the actual grinding on a small stump. One stump twenty minutes away is not a $60 job at any rate.
What increases the price?
Access above everything — a stump behind a narrow gate needs a small machine or hand work. Then rocks and buried debris that destroy teeth, proximity to services, root flare, and how deep the customer needs it ground for what they plan to do with the space.