What Does Stump Grinding Cost?
Stump grinding typically costs between $100 and $600 per stump on a standalone visit, with an average around $225. Most services price by the stump’s diameter, with a minimum fee that applies even to small stumps, and a stump ground while the crew is already on site for the tree removal skips that minimum. Here’s how the cost breaks down and what drives it.
Per-Inch Pricing: $2 to $7 per Inch of Diameter
The standard pricing structure for stump grinding is per inch of diameter, usually $2 to $7 per inch. The diameter is measured across the widest part of the stump at ground level, so a 20-inch stump at $3 per inch would run about $60 in raw grinding, before the minimum fee. This per-inch model is why a wide stump costs far more than a narrow one, the grinding wheel has more wood to chew through. Diameter is the single biggest driver of the price. The wider the stump, the more it costs to grind. The per-inch model tracks the work closely because a grinder removes wood across the whole face of the stump, so the material to be chewed away grows fast as the diameter rises, and measuring across the widest point at ground level, rather than the narrower part higher up, is how services capture the true amount of grinding a stump will demand. (For more on this, see When to Grind vs. Leave a Stump: The Decision Framework.)
Minimum Job Fee: $100 to $150
Because a service has to travel to your property and set up equipment, most charge a minimum job fee of $100 to $150 that applies even to a small stump. A tiny stump that would only cost $30 by the per-inch math still triggers the minimum, since the cost of getting the grinder to you doesn’t shrink with the stump. This minimum is why grinding a single small stump can feel expensive per inch, and why bundling several stumps into one visit is more economical. The minimum fee covers the trip and setup. The economics of a single small stump are dominated by fixed costs rather than the grinding itself, since loading the machine, driving to your property, unloading, and setting up take the same time whether the stump is six inches or sixteen, so the minimum exists to make a one-stump trip worthwhile and is exactly why several stumps handled in a single visit spread that overhead and cost far less apiece. (For more on this, see What Makes Stump Grinding Cost More (or Less)?.)
Large Stumps: $300 to $800 Each
A big hardwood stump runs $300 to $800, with an extra-large one reaching the top of that. Large-diameter stumps, especially dense hardwoods like oak, take longer to grind and wear the equipment harder, pushing them to the top of the range. Each additional stump on the same visit is far cheaper, $30 to $150, since the trip and setup are already covered by the first. Large stumps cost the most; multiple stumps often earn a per-stump discount. Size drives cost up, but volume can bring the per-stump price down. Dense hardwood stumps sit at the top of the range for two compounding reasons, their width means more wood to grind and their hardness means each pass goes slower and wears the cutting teeth harder, whereas the bulk discount on multiple stumps works the opposite way, rewarding you for concentrating the fixed trip-and-setup cost across several stumps done back to back in one visit.
What Else Moves the Number
Beyond diameter and quantity, cost depends on the wood’s hardness (dense hardwoods grind slower), the stump’s accessibility (a tight or sloped spot is harder), the root system (extensive surface roots you want ground add cost), the grind depth, and whether debris and chip cleanup is included. A wide hardwood stump with sprawling roots in a hard-to-reach corner costs far more than a small, accessible softwood stump.
Getting an Accurate Price
Because stump grinding is priced by diameter with a minimum fee, an accurate quote depends on the stump’s size, wood, access, and how many you’re having done. A single small stump sits near the minimum; a large hardwood stump or several stumps runs higher. Because the per-inch math and the minimum fee interact, the cheapest jobs are governed by the floor price while the priciest are governed by diameter and wood hardness, so an accurate figure really does depend on the crew seeing the stump, measuring across its widest point, and knowing what you want done with the roots, the depth, and the chips. When you’re ready for a real quote, connect with a local pro below. A quick on-site measurement is all it takes to turn the per-inch rate and minimum fee into a firm price for your particular stumps. (For more on this, see Alternatives to Stump Grinding: Chemical and Natural Methods.)
Cost figures on this page were checked against published pricing on August 26, 2026. How we source cost data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically $100 to $600 per stump on a standalone visit, averaging around $225. Most services price by diameter at $2 to $7 per inch, with a minimum job fee of $100 to $150 that applies even to small stumps. A large hardwood stump runs $300 to $800, while each additional stump on the same visit is only $30 to $150.
Usually per inch of the stump's diameter, measured at ground level, at about $2 to $7 per inch, plus a minimum job fee of $100 to $150 that covers travel and setup. So a wide stump costs more than a narrow one, and even a tiny stump triggers the minimum fee.
Because the service has to travel to your property and set up equipment regardless of stump size, so a minimum of $100 to $150 covers that fixed cost. A tiny stump that would only cost $30 by the per-inch math still triggers the minimum, which is why bundling several stumps into one visit is more economical.
A big hardwood stump runs $300 to $800. Large-diameter stumps, especially dense hardwoods like oak, take longer to grind and wear the equipment harder, pushing them to the top of the range. Diameter and wood hardness are the main reasons a large stump costs so much more than a small one.
Often, yes. Each additional stump on the same visit runs only $30 to $150, since the trip and setup are already covered by the first. Grinding multiple stumps together is far more economical per stump than separate visits, so it's worth doing them all at once.