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How to price stump grinding (by stump count, diameter, access and haul-away)

A single 10-inch pine stump in an open yard and three 30-inch oak stumps behind a fence are not the same afternoon. A flat "grind the stump" price hides that. Here's a structure that separates them: a rate per stump, diameter as a multiplier, a hard-access factor, haul/backfill as its own add-on, and a minimum ticket—all built from your own jobs.

About the numbers here: every figure in the examples is hypothetical and only shows the method. They are not market rates. Check your local market and your own costs.

Why price per stump (with diameter tiers)

Homeowners count stumps, not cubic inches of wood. What drives your time is how many stumps you grind on one visit, each stump's diameter at ground level, and whether the machine can roll up to it. Ask for stump count and a rough diameter (or a photo with a tape), and confirm on arrival. Same-visit multi-stump jobs usually share mobilization, which the minimum ticket already covers.

Step 1: Log your next 10 grinds

For each stump (or each visit), note diameter at ground, access (open path vs. fence/slope/hand-carry), whether you hauled chips and backfilled, and crew minutes on the grinder. Keep travel separate so it doesn't distort the per-stump pace.

Hypothetical log for illustration.
Job	Stumps	Typical diameter	Crew minutes	Minutes per stump (12–24 in equiv.)
A	1	18 in	45	45
B	2	14 in	70	35
C	1	28 in	75	50
D	3	10 in	60	28
E	1	40 in	110	50

In this made-up log, mid-size (about 12–24 in) open-yard stumps land around 35–45 crew minutes each once setup is included. Bigger diameters and bad access stretch that; small open stumps go faster.

Step 2: Turn the mid-size pace into a per-stump range

Use the 12–24 in open-yard stump as the base, because diameter becomes a multiplier in step 3. Divide your hourly target per crew hour (see the general method) by your fast and slow mid-size pace, then add a wear/fuel allowance per stump.

Hypothetical example. Hourly target $90 per crew hour. Mid-size pace 80–100 minutes? Better: 35–45 minutes = about 1.3–1.7 stumps per hour. $90 ÷ 1.7 ≈ $53/stump (fast). $90 ÷ 1.3 ≈ $69/stump (slow). Teeth, fuel and trailer wear add about $15–$25/stump in this example, so a mid-size base lands roughly $70–$95 per stump before diameter, access and haul. Widen it if your machine or species mix varies more. (The template's sample numbers are different on purpose—replace them with yours.)

Step 3: Diameter is a multiplier, not a flat add

A 36-inch stump is not "one stump plus a surcharge"—it slows every pass and every reposition. Put diameter in the calculator as a select with factors (for example under 12 in ×0.7, 12–24 in ×1, 24–36 in ×1.5, 36 in+ ×2.2). Derive factors from your log: if mid-size averaged 40 minutes and 30-inch jobs averaged 60, the factor is 60 ÷ 40 = 1.5.

Step 4: Hard access multiplies the grind line

Fence gaps, slopes, soft lawns and "no machine path" jobs change setup and every cut. A checkbox multiplier (for example ×1.35) scoped to the grind line keeps open-yard work cheaper without inventing a separate price list. If you truly cannot reach a stump with the machine, say so up front and quote on site rather than forcing the calculator.

Step 5: Haul grindings and backfill as a flat add-on

Leaving a chip mound is a different deliverable from hauling chips and backfilling the hole. That extra work is closer to a fixed task than to stump diameter, so a flat add-on (haul grindings / backfill) stays visible. Customers who want chips left for mulch see the lower range.

Hypothetical example. Loading and dumping one trailer of chips plus a bag of fill: about 45 crew minutes × $90/h ≈ $68, plus dump fees. A rounded $75 add-on in the template is a sample starting point—set yours from timed haul-aways.

Step 6: The minimum ticket

Loading the grinder, driving and setting up cost nearly the same for one small stump as for three. Set the minimum at your shortest realistic visit × hourly target.

Hypothetical example. Shortest realistic visit: 1.5 crew hours × $90 = $135. A single under-12-inch stump at ×0.7 on a $70–$95 base can fall below that, so the customer correctly sees the minimum instead of a money-losing stop.

Step 7: Check it against reality

Run three past jobs through the calculator: stump count × diameter band, plus access and haul if used. If the ranges cover what you actually charged and earned after teeth and fuel, publish. If they land well below your invoices, your pace or wear assumption is optimistic—fix the inputs. Tree cutting itself is a different job; keep it on the tree trimming template.

The result, as a customer sees it

This is the stump grinding template with sample numbers (not the hypothetical ones above). Open it in the builder to enter your per-stump range, diameter factors, access factor, haul add-on and minimum.