What counts as a large tree stump?
A large tree stump is anything 36 inches (900mm) or more in diameter measured at ground level. Most are old oak, beech, sweet chestnut, or mature sycamore, typically 60 to 150 years old. Below 24 inches the job is medium; 24–36 inches sits in the large bracket; 36 inches and up needs heavy-duty kit.
Diameter alone does not tell the full story. A 40-inch oak with a buttressed root flare can present 60 inches of grinding width once the flares are included. Sweet chestnut and beech grow with broad bases that easily double the visible stump width once the disc reaches grade.
Age matters too. A 36-inch leylandii is 30 years of soft wood — a fast grind. A 36-inch oak is 120 years of dense, mineralised heartwood that dulls teeth in minutes. The pricing and time figures on this page assume hardwood, because that is what most large-stump enquiries actually involve.
| Diameter | Bracket | Typical species | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 24" | Small / medium | Birch, pine, leylandii | 30–60 min |
| 24"–36" | Large | Sycamore, ash, mature conifer | 1–2 hr |
| 36"–48" | Extra-large | Oak, beech, chestnut | 2–4 hr |
| 48"+ | Veteran | Old oak, beech, lime | 4–6 hr |
What equipment do you need for big stumps?
Big stumps need a tracked stump grinder with a 50–80hp diesel engine, a 600–900mm cutting wheel, and hardened carbide teeth such as Greenteeth 900 or Sandvik. The machine weighs 1 to 3 tonnes, runs on rubber tracks for stability, and grinds 200–300mm below grade in heavy hardwood without bogging.
Three things separate a heavy-duty machine from the 13–27hp wheeled grinders used on domestic jobs:
- Engine power. A 50–80hp Kubota or Kohler diesel delivers the torque needed to keep the disc spinning through dense oak heartwood. A petrol 27hp machine stalls in the same wood within seconds.
- Tracks, not wheels. Rubber tracks spread the 1–3 tonne machine weight, anchor it on uneven ground, and let the operator work close to walls without sinking the lawn.
- Hardened carbide teeth. Greenteeth 900-series or Sandvik teeth use thicker carbide tips and harder pockets than standard domestic teeth. They cost £15–£25 each and we burn through 3–8 on a single veteran oak.
Operator skill matters as much as the machine. A large stump is ground in horizontal slices of 25–50mm, never plunged. The disc sweeps side to side, the operator listens to the engine note, and the depth drops only when the wood is clear. Forcing the cut overheats the teeth and shears the carbide off the steel.
How much does large stump removal cost?
Large tree stump removal costs £300 to £800 plus in the UK. A 36-inch oak typically lands at £300–£450; a 48-inch beech sits at £450–£600; anything over 60 inches with root flare can reach £800 or more. Pricing reflects 2–6 hours on site, tooth wear on dense hardwood, and the tracked machine premium.
Three factors push the price up the bracket: hardwood species, restricted access, and depth requirement. Oak and beech grind 30–40% slower than sycamore at the same diameter. A site that needs the tracked grinder offloaded 30 metres from the stump adds 15–25%. Grinding to 300mm for replanting costs more than 150mm for turf.
| Diameter | Soft / mid wood | Hardwood (oak, beech, chestnut) |
|---|---|---|
| 36" | £280–£380 | £300–£450 |
| 42" | £350–£480 | £400–£550 |
| 48" | £420–£560 | £450–£600 |
| 60"+ | £550–£700 | £600–£800+ |
Because the majority of large stumps we quote are oak — and oak has its own grinding profile — the detail on heartwood density, tooth wear, and replanting depth lives on our oak stump grinding page. For the full residential price grid by size, wood type, and access, see the UK stump grinding cost guide.
How long does large stump removal take?
Large stump removal takes 2 to 6 hours on site. A 36-inch hardwood stump grinds out in 2–3 hours; a 48-inch stump runs 3–4 hours; 60-inch and bigger jobs reach 5–6 hours including breakdown, refuelling, and cleanup. Multiple large stumps on one visit can stretch the day to 8 hours.
The time split on a typical 48-inch oak looks like this: 20 minutes to offload the tracked grinder and set ground protection, 15 minutes for site checks and CAT scanning, 2.5–3 hours of grinding in 50mm passes, 20 minutes for a tooth change at half depth, and 30 minutes to rake the chips back into the void and sweep the area.
Weather changes the maths. Heavy rain turns chips into mush that clogs the discharge chute and adds 30–60 minutes. Frost-hard ground is faster on top but slower at depth. A specialist will time the job to the forecast rather than the calendar.
Large stumps almost always make sense as a single-visit booking — mobilising a 3-tonne tracked machine is the expensive part, so two large stumps on the same site are cheaper per stump than splitting them across two visits. Send a photo, a postcode, and a rough diameter through the free quote form and we return a fixed price within the hour. No deposit, no callout fee, and you only pay when the area is clean.
