How much does stump grinding cost?
Stump grinding is priced on three things: the diameter measured at grade, the depth required, and whether a machine can reach the stump. It is not a flat rate per stump. Grinding takes the stump below grade; pulling the root ball out is a different, costlier job.
Why there is no average price on this page
LandWorkPro does not publish an average price for this work. We only publish figures drawn from closed, paid jobs, and our anonymity floor requires at least five contributing operators before a number goes out. As of 2026-09-04 the number of closed, paid jobs in our data carrying a stump line item is zero, so there is no figure of ours to give you. What is below is how the price is built, so you can check any quote you are handed against it.
What actually drives the number
- Diameter, measured at grade
- Price follows the cut face, and the cut face grows faster than the diameter does. A stump twice as wide is well over twice the work, which is why a per stump rate quoted sight unseen is a guess.
- Depth below grade
- A lawn needs a few inches. A driveway, a pad or anything structural needs the root ball out entirely, which is grubbing rather than grinding and is priced separately.
- Access
- A stump a machine can drive to and a stump behind a gate that needs a walk behind grinder are different prices for the same stump. Gate width is worth measuring before you call.
- What is in the ground
- Rock, old fencing, wire and buried concrete destroy teeth. Anyone who has hit them prices for the risk, and a contingency line for it is a fair thing to see rather than a red flag.
- The grindings
- The work produces a surprising volume of chip and soil. Whether it is raked back in, left in a pile, or hauled away is a separate line and should be stated in writing.
- Number of stumps and how close together
- Most of the cost of a single stump is getting the machine there. Several stumps in one visit are much cheaper each than the same stumps booked separately.
Work out your own number
The free crew day calculator takes your rate, your acreage and the site conditions and returns your crew days and your break even. No account needed.
Open the crew day calculatorCommon questions
What is the difference between grinding and full removal?
Grinding takes the stump down below grade and leaves the root system in the ground. Full removal extracts the root ball. If anything structural is going on that spot you need the root ball out; if it is lawn, pasture or landscaping, grinding is enough and costs considerably less.
Will the hole need filling?
Usually yes. What is left is a depression full of chip that settles as the material breaks down over the following months. Ask whether backfill with soil is included or whether the grindings are simply raked back, because the two settle very differently and only one of them ends level.
Why are my quotes so far apart?
Most often because they are not quoting the same job. Check three things: the depth, whether the grindings are hauled away, and whether the price assumes a machine can reach the stump. Those three account for most of the spread between quotes on the same stump.
Does the price go down for several stumps?
Per stump, almost always. The mobilisation is the fixed part, so a second and third stump in the same visit cost much less than the first. If you have more than one, get them quoted together rather than one at a time.
Does LandWorkPro publish an average price?
No. We publish figures only from closed, paid jobs, and our anonymity floor requires at least five contributing operators before any number goes out. As of 2026-09-04 we hold no closed job with a stump line item, so we have no figure to publish and will not estimate one.