What is stump grinding for trees?
Stump grinding for trees is the mechanical removal of a felled tree's stump using a rotating cutting disc with carbide teeth. The grinder reduces the stump and surface roots to wood chips, working 150mm to 300mm below ground level. A small stump takes 15 minutes; an extra-large oak can take 2 hours.
The same machine handles every species and every size — the variable is time, not technique. A 4-inch hawthorn from a hedge line and a 50-inch oak from a felled veteran both come out the same way: top-down passes of the cutting wheel until the wood is below ground level, then backfill with the chips. If you want the full mechanical detail, see how stump grinding works.
Why is stump grinding different from felling a tree?
Felling removes the trunk and crown above ground; stump grinding removes what is left below. Felling costs £150 to £1,500 depending on tree size and access. Stump grinding then costs a further £85 to £300+ per stump. Most tree surgeons quote the two jobs separately because the equipment is different.
A chainsaw and a climbing rig are useless underground. A stump grinder cannot fell a standing tree. That is why specialist grinders exist: tree surgeons fell, we follow on with a tracked grinder and finish the job at ground level. Plenty of customers find us six months after a felling, finally tired of mowing around the leftover stump.
What size trees can a stump grinder handle?
A professional grinder handles tree stumps from 4 inches to 60+ inches in diameter. Small stumps under 12 inches take 15 to 30 minutes at £85 to £120. Medium 12 to 24 inch stumps take 30 to 60 minutes at £120 to £200. Large 24 to 36 inch stumps need 60 to 90 minutes at £200 to £300. Extra-large stumps over 36 inches take 90 to 120+ minutes at £300 and up.
| Size tier | Diameter at ground | Time on site | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Up to 12" (≤30cm) | 15–30 min | £85–£120 |
| Medium | 12"–24" (30–60cm) | 30–60 min | £120–£200 |
| Large | 24"–36" (60–90cm) | 60–90 min | £200–£300 |
| Extra-large | 36"+ (90cm+) | 90–120+ min | £300+ |
Full per-inch and per-job breakdowns sit on the main stump grinding cost page, including the 35% multi-stump discount that kicks in after the first stump.
Small stumps (up to 12 inches)
Small tree stumps cover hawthorn, blackthorn, young birch, ornamental cherry, and most hedge-line conifers. A 6-inch leylandii stump is a 15-minute job. We back the grinder up to it, drop the wheel, and the stump is below ground level before the kettle has boiled. The chips backfill the hole flush with the lawn.
Medium stumps (12 to 24 inches)
Medium covers most garden trees a homeowner inherits: silver birch, rowan, plum, apple, sycamore saplings, willow that was kept pollarded. Time on site is 30 to 60 minutes. The grinder makes 6 to 12 horizontal passes, each one taking 50mm to 80mm of wood off the top, until the cutting wheel is sitting 200mm below grade.
Large stumps (24 to 36 inches)
Large stumps are mature garden trees and street-line specimens: oak, beech, ash, sycamore, lime, horse chestnut. 60 to 90 minutes on site, often two or three repositioning moves of the grinder to attack the stump from different angles. Surface roots radiating out to 1.5 metres are usually ground at the same time to remove trip hazards.
Extra-large stumps (36 inches and above)
Extra-large means veterans: ancient oak, parkland beech, dieback ash that was a landmark tree, multi-stem chestnut coppice. 90 to 120+ minutes on site, occasionally a half-day for true giants. We use a 35hp tracked grinder with high-flow hydraulics for these. The chip volume from a 48-inch oak fills a 1-tonne builder's bag — disposal is built into the fixed quote.
How deep does a stump grinder go below ground?
A professional stump grinder works 150mm to 300mm below the surrounding ground level. That is enough for re-turfing, re-planting flowers, or laying a lawn. For new tree planting in the exact same spot, you need 400mm to 600mm clearance, which means a second grinding pass at a small additional cost.
Most customers do not need the deeper pass. If you intend to lay paving, build a shed base, or pour a concrete footing over the old stump, mention it when you book and we will quote for the deeper grind from the start.
Can you grind an extra-large hardwood stump in one visit?
Yes. A 36-inch oak or beech stump is ground in 90 to 120 minutes on a single visit using a tracked grinder with 35hp or more. Multi-stem stumps over 48 inches sometimes need a half-day. The fixed price covers the full grind regardless of how long the wood takes.
The risk on extra-large jobs is access, not the wood itself. A 35hp tracked grinder is 900mm wide and weighs around a tonne. A standard side gate at 760mm will not let it through. Where access is tight we either dismantle the grinder, route through a neighbouring property, or step down to a smaller machine and budget more time.
Does the tree species affect grinding time?
Yes. Hardwoods like oak, beech, yew, and sweet chestnut grind 20% slower than softwoods like pine, willow, or sycamore. A 24-inch oak takes around 60 minutes; a 24-inch pine takes around 45 minutes. The hardness is built into our fixed quote — you do not pay extra for slow wood on the day.
What does affect the on-the-day quote is hidden steel or stone. Old fence wire grown into a hedge stump, builders' rubble buried at the base of a Victorian garden tree, or a forgotten wash-line post embedded in a sycamore — these damage carbide teeth and add £30 to £80 to the cost. We check with a metal detector on any stump near an old boundary before starting.
What happens to the tree's roots after grinding?
Surface roots within 300mm of the stump are ground as part of the job. Deeper lateral roots are left in place and decay naturally over 5 to 10 years. The roots become humus and feed the surrounding soil. They do not re-sprout once the stump itself has been ground out.
The one exception is sucker-prone species — sycamore, willow, cherry, and false acacia can throw suckers from severed roots for 12 to 24 months after grinding. A spot treatment with a stump killer at the moment of grinding stops suckers cold. We carry the chemical on the van and apply it on request at no extra charge.
Get a fixed price for your tree stump
Every job above is quoted as a fixed price before we arrive. Send a photo of the stump next to a spade or shoe for scale, plus your postcode, and we return a price within the hour. Request a free no-obligation quote — no callout fee, no deposit, you only pay when the stump is below ground level and the area is clean.
