How much does stump removal cost? What price and considerations should you make?

This article covers:

• • Factors impacting the price of stump grinding services
  • Advice for what to charge your customers
  • Quotes from Woodland Mills stump grinder owners who do paid stump grinding
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With a PTO-driven stump grinder, you have the ability to make money by grinding away tree stumps for your customers, neighbors and friends.

But how much should you charge for these tree stump removal services? It’s a difficult question to answer, and many in the Woodland Mills Facebook community differ on what is a fair price for offering stump grinding.

But here are just a few of the considerations you should think about for your tree stump removal fee.

Using Woodland Mills Stump Grinder gives you the ability to remove entire stumps, making them virtually disappear and leaving a space that can be used for gardening, building or just filled and covered in grass seed.

Plenty of folks in the Woodland Mills community have taken up the role of paid tree stump removal for others.

Thomas, one community member, says he always charges differently for each job, depending on the size of the stump, location and other factors.

“Some places are harder to access. Tree species makes a difference too. I learned early that not seeing the job in person can cost you more than rolling out to the job unprepared,” says Thomas.

So know what tree species you're dealing with and how much that affects the removal process.

Caleb says he charges “$100-$300 (US) depending on size, location, depth of grind, etc. Figure out what you have in it and be honest and fair with the pricing. Don’t forget to pay yourself, this ain’t a hobby.”

The stump diameter and height are important, as bigger stumps take more time.

Remember, you're proposing a lot of value for your customers, not only offering to remove the stump but also tree root removal, freeing up a lot of real estate on their property for a new garden, driveway or a place to build. So think about what that those tree stump removal costs are worth to them and to you.

This can be a hard question to answer since each person charges differently.

Some charge:

• • Per stump

  • Per inch

  • Per hour

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Regardless of your pricing model, others in the Woodland Mills Facebook community suggest a minimum fee to ensure you always make something for your effort.

Benjamin says his tree stump removal prices are “$50 per stump with a $100 minimum to make it worth the trip. It’s worked out well for me. Gain on some and lose a little on a few.”

Other product owners like Terry say they charge an hourly rate and include costs like travel time.

Picking a fair price can be challenging, but as long as you choose a fair amount, you’re still saving your customers time over using chemical rotting or attempting to pull the stumps out themselves.

On top of the size of the tree stumps, you may find yourself stump grinding away multiple trees. In these cases, the number of stumps will affect your price.

Micah says he charges “$5 per inch on the first tree stump. It goes down per inch if I have multiple stumps. Measure the width at the ground level of what is showing, not where the stump is cut off.”

Most people doing this casually don't work for a professional stump removal company, so it's fine to come up with a price on the spot as you chat with your customer.

Just think of what is a decent average price per stump to make some money and make your customer happy.

When a friend says he’s got a few quick tree stumps to grind, and then you spend hours getting lost on his property, driving over uneven dirt roads and getting stuck in the mud, sometimes you wish you quoted him a little bit more.

Make sure you’re making money for the effort, and that you’re still making profit even after spending so much time driving out to the job site and performing the removal process.

“What do you want for an hourly rate? How long did it take? How long did it take you to load the tractor, go to jobsite, unload, reload, go home and unload again? Multiply that amount of time to the desired hourly rate and add something for fuel costs and equipment wear,” suggests Rocky, another Woodland Mills stump grinder owner.

While it can be great to do someone a favor and remove a tree stump, some jobs can become hours of work, so it's preferred to determine the best tree stump removal cost for your customers that's also fair to you.

While you could work for free, if you want to make money stump grinding then discussing price with your clients is important.

Tree services and other property maintenance companies often offer a number of different options to their customers, and you can do the same.

While tree removal should typically be handled by professionals, there are a lot of services you could offer as a hobbyist landscaper. If you have a wood chipper you can offer debris removal or other landscaping services. Own a portable sawmill? You can offer to make lumber out of a customer’s felled trees.

By offering the whole package, from shrub or brush removal, to stump and root removal as well as cleanup, you handle the whole landscaping process.

The more tools you have on offer, the more comprehensive services you can have on top of tree stump removal, and you can package services together to make a better deal for your customers. Depending on how comprehensive your services become, you could even transform into a stump removal professional.