The short answer
We grind stumps to about 200 mm below ground level, so the spot can be turfed, planted or paved. The bands below show how that kind of job is priced by other sites. Several of them earn money from leads or advertising, and What’s The Damage calls its figures “estimates”.
Price bands by stump size
Each band runs from the lowest to the highest figure the three guides give for that size of stump: What’s The Damage (Brisbane, updated October 2026), Yakka Labour (published 1 October 2026) and Yellow Pages Australia (national, updated May 2026). Yellow Pages sizes stumps as small, medium and large, without widths.
What’s The Damage (under 30 cm): $150 to $300. Yakka Labour (up to 30 cm): $150 to $250. Yellow Pages (small): $80 to $150.
What’s The Damage: $250 to $500. Yakka Labour: $250 to $450. Yellow Pages (medium): $150 to $300.
What’s The Damage (60 cm and over): $400 to $900. Yakka Labour (60 to 100 cm): $450 to $900. Yellow Pages (large): $300 to $500+.
One guide only: Yakka Labour.
One guide only: Yakka Labour, for full stump and root extraction.
One guide only: Yakka Labour says many operators charge this minimum.
These are not our prices. They are published by other websites and none of them is a quote. Yellow Pages’ figures look close to What’s The Damage’s, so don’t read the agreement as separate confirmations.
The figures behind the bands
Swipe sideways to see every column →
| Stump size | What’s The Damage (Brisbane, Oct 2026) | Yakka Labour (1 Oct 2026) | Yellow Pages (national, May 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Under 30 cm: $150 to $300 | Up to 30 cm: $150 to $250 | Small: $80 to $150 |
| Medium | 30 to 60 cm: $250 to $500 | 30 to 60 cm: $250 to $450 | Medium: $150 to $300 |
| Large | 60 cm and over: $400 to $900 | 60 to 100 cm: $450 to $900; over 1 m: $900 to $1,500+ | Large: $300 to $500+ |
Other guides group stump work with the rest of the job. Blue Collar News Services (reviewed September 2026) gives $100 to $800 for stump grinding and removal, ServiceSeeking (2024) gives $150 to $1,200, and Airtasker’s Brisbane Bayside page (October 2026) lists stump removal tasks at $150.
How stump grinding works
A stump grinder uses a spinning cutting wheel to chew the stump away from the top down, until it is below the soil line. What is left is a patch of wood chips, not a hole.
Here is how it works with us:
- Depth: normally about 200 mm below ground level.
- The ground afterwards: deep enough to roll out turf, plant a garden bed or lay pavers where the tree used to be.
- Grindings: taken away, unless you would like to keep them for your garden beds.
- Roots: roots below the ground-out depth stay in the soil.
- The quote: free, after a look at the stump and how the crew can get to it.
Our stump grinding service page has the cross-section diagram and the rest of the detail.
Grinding or digging it out?
Grinding and digging out are different jobs with different prices, so make sure a quote says which one it is.
Swipe sideways to see every column →
| Stump grinding | Digging the stump out | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The stump is ground down below the soil line. | The whole stump and its roots are removed from the ground. |
| Roots | Roots below the ground-out depth stay in the soil. | Removed with the stump. |
| What is left | A patch of wood chips and no big hole to fill. | A hole to fill. |
| Published price | About $80 to $900 by width, as above. | $500 to $1,500 (Yakka Labour, full stump and root extraction). |
| With us | Stump grinding, normally about 200 mm below ground level. | Ask at the quote if you need the roots out too. |
What changes the price
| What changes it | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Width of the stump | The guides size stumps by their width across the top. A wider stump is more to grind, so a quick measure helps when you ask for a quote. |
| Root spread | Wide surface roots may need grinding too. What’s The Damage, Yakka Labour and Yellow Pages all name root spread as a factor. |
| Access | Whether a grinder can reach the stump through a gate or along a side path, and how steep the ground is. |
| How many stumps | Yakka Labour says many firms charge a minimum of $150 to $200 a visit, so a single small stump may cost more per stump than several in one visit. |
| Doing it with the tree | Most guides quote stump grinding separately from the tree. Mention it when you ask for your quote and it is priced with the rest of the work. See the tree removal cost guide. |
| Clean-up | Whether the grindings are taken away or left is worth settling up front. We take them away unless you want them. |
Questions
How much does stump grinding cost in Brisbane?
Published Brisbane-area guides put it at about $150 to $300 for a stump under 30 cm across, $250 to $500 for 30 to 60 cm and $400 to $900 for wider ones. They are market ranges, not our prices. Ask for a free quote for yours.
How deep do you grind a stump?
Normally about 200 mm below ground level, so the spot can be turfed, planted or paved.
Are the roots taken out too?
No. Grinding takes out the stump and the wood just under it. Roots below that depth stay in the ground. If you need something different, say so when you ask for your quote.
What happens to the grindings?
They are taken away, unless you would like to keep them for your garden beds.
Can the stump be done with the tree removal?
Yes. Mention it when you ask for your quote and it can be part of the same job. See tree removal.
Do you charge for quotes?
No. Quotes are free, we are open 7 days a week, and there is a pensioner discount: ask when you book.
Sources
- What’s The Damage, Tree removal cost Brisbane (updated October 2026): stump grinding per stump.
- Yakka Labour, Tree removal cost Australia 2026 (published 1 October 2026): stump grinding, extraction and minimum charge.
- Yellow Pages Australia, Tree removal cost in Australia (2026 guide) (last updated May 2026).
- Blue Collar News Services, Tree removal cost (reviewed September 2026).
- ServiceSeeking, How much do arborists charge in 2024? (modified 23 July 2024).
- Airtasker, Tree removal, Brisbane Bayside (updated 17 October 2026) and Tree removal cost guide (17 March 2025): stump work priced separately.
Also worth a read: the benefits of stump grinding and removal and tree removal in the Redlands.
