trees
Stump grinding and removal
£60 to £150 grinds out a stump under 30cm across, £150 to £250 a medium one, and £250 to £500 anything above 60cm. Minimum call-out charges of £80 to £150 apply, so two stumps on one visit cost far less than two separate trips.
What this covers
What it costs. Diameter at ground level sets the grinding price, with UK averages near £225 for a single stump. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Grinding a stump below the surface
- Taking out surface roots that lift paving
- Clearing the chippings or leaving them to backfill
- Checking for services before the grinder goes in
- Preparing the ground for turf or planting
What is involved
Grinding uses a rotating carbide wheel to chew the stump and its main buttress roots into chip, working 150mm to 200mm below ground level on a standard job. Depth is a specification worth agreeing in writing: turf and borders need roughly 200mm, while a footing for a shed base or a new patio needs the grinder taken deeper and the void backfilled with soil rather than chip. Fine roots running out from the stump are left in the ground and rot down over several years.
Machine size follows the gate. A narrow access grinder passes a 750mm opening and suits most terraced gardens; a tracked machine clears a stump three times faster but needs about a metre of clear width and firm ground. Pricing takes one of two shapes. Per stump is the common form, at £60 to £500 by diameter, and per inch of diameter is the alternative, quoted at £2 to £3 by some contractors and £3 to £5 by others, which is a 60 per cent spread on identical work.
Two site checks save money and risk. Buried services sit close to old stumps in front gardens, so a cable avoidance scan before the wheel goes in is reasonable to ask for. Honey fungus and phytophthora survive in stump tissue, so where the tree died of disease the chip should leave site rather than be raked into borders. Grinding produces a large volume of chip, roughly the bulk of the stump again, and quotes vary on whether that stays as a mulch heap or gets carted off.
Choosing someone for the job
How deep will the wheel go, measured in millimetres below ground rather than described as low? Which machine arrives, and does it fit the gate at its narrowest point? Is the chip raked back into the hole, topped with soil, or removed, and at what extra cost? Has a cable and pipe scan been done where the stump sits near a meter box or a drive? What is the price for a second and third stump on the same visit?
Common questions
Can a stump be left to rot instead?
Rotting takes anywhere from five to fifteen years depending on species and moisture, and the decaying wood attracts honey fungus that can spread to nearby shrubs. Grinding is the quicker option where the ground is needed for turf, paving or planting.
Will grinding kill regrowth from the roots?
Suckering species such as poplar, cherry and lilac often push new shoots from roots left in the ground after grinding. Repeated mowing weakens them, and a stump treatment applied to fresh cuts costs £15 to £40 where a contractor offers it.