Most residential stumps in Auckland cost $175 to $500 to grind, and digging a stump out completely with an excavator runs from about $800 to $3,000 or more, all incl. GST. On a small job the figure that decides the price is often the operator’s minimum charge rather than the stump itself. This guide sets out what typical prices look like by stump size, what pushes a quote up, and how to keep the bill down when you book stump grinding in Auckland.
Quick answer
- Per stump: $175–$500 for most residential stumps, by diameter and access
- Minimum charge: commonly about $175–$290, so one tiny stump is rarely cheap
- Extra stumps, same visit: from $80 each
- Three to five medium stumps in one visit: roughly $575–$1,150
- Full excavation: $800–$3,000+ per stump
- Cheapest way to pay for it: grind it while the tree crew is on site. All figures incl. GST.
On this page
- Stump grinding prices by stump size
- Why one small stump costs nearly as much as a big one
- What moves a stump grinding quote
- Clean-up, grindings and other extras
- What full stump removal costs, and when it’s worth it
- The cheapest way to get rid of a stump
- How to get an accurate stump quote without a visit
Stump grinding prices by stump size
Diameter is the best single predictor of a stump grinding price, because a wider tree stump simply has more wood for the cutter wheel to chew through. Most Auckland garden stumps fall between 300 and 600 mm across and cost $200–$350 to grind to lawn depth. Smaller stumps are cheaper but bump into the minimum charge; very large ones are priced one by one.
| Stump diameter | Typical cost (incl. GST) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Under 300 mm | $175 – $220 | Usually under half an hour of grinding; the minimum charge often applies |
| 300 – 600 mm | $200 – $350 | The most common size in residential gardens |
| 600 – 900 mm | $300 – $500 | Longer on site; a bigger machine helps |
| Over 900 mm | $450+ | Priced individually |
| Each extra stump, same visit | From $80 | The machine is already set up |
| Full excavation (stump and main roots dug out) | $800 – $3,000+ | Excavator, backfill and compaction |
Indicative NZD ranges for the Auckland market, incl. GST. Not a quote. Where a single small stump is the whole job, the operator’s minimum charge usually sets the price instead of this table.
How to measure your stump
Run a tape measure across the widest point of the stump at ground level, including any flare where the roots spread out, rather than across the cut top. Note how high it stands above the soil. A photo with the tape laid across it, and a second photo of the path the machine would take from the street, answers most of the questions an operator would otherwise need a site visit for.
Why one small stump costs nearly as much as a big one
Every stump job carries a fixed cost before any wood is cut: loading the grinder onto a trailer, driving across Auckland, unloading, setting up, cleaning up and leaving. Operators recover that through a minimum call-out charge. Published Auckland price guides put it at $150–$250 plus GST, which is about $175–$290 incl. GST, and it applies whether the stump is the size of a dinner plate or a car tyre.
That is why a single small stump often costs close to what a medium one does, and why the per-stump price falls sharply once there are several. Some operators charge by the hour instead, with published rates of roughly $140–$210 an hour incl. GST plus travel. Either way, ask what the minimum is before you book a one-stump visit.
What moves a stump grinding quote
Beyond diameter, five things decide how long the machine is on site, and time is what you pay for. Two stumps of the same width can be priced very differently if one is a soft, low pine stump in an open lawn and the other is a tall gum stump at the bottom of a bank, surrounded by roots and sitting on rock.
1. Height and size
A stump left knee-high takes far longer to grind than one cut close to the ground. If the tree is still standing, ask for the stump to be cut low when it comes down. A wide root flare also adds time, even when the trunk itself was slim.
2. Species and hardness
Dense hardwoods such as eucalyptus (gum) generally grind more slowly than softer wood like pine, and they wear the cutter teeth faster. Old, partly rotted stumps can go quickly; green, freshly cut hardwood is usually the slowest.
3. Access
A narrow-access grinder fits through a standard side gate, but steps, retaining walls and slopes slow everything down. On steep or soft sites, a tracked machine may be needed, and on a few sites the machine has to be carried in pieces or the stump worked by hand.
4. Depth
Lawn and garden beds need roughly 150–300 mm below the surface; paving, a driveway or a fence line needs 300–450 mm. Going deeper means more passes and more time. Our comparison of how deep to grind for lawn, paving or a build explains which depth suits which end use.
5. Ground and roots
Basalt close to the surface in central suburbs such as Mt Eden blunts teeth and can limit depth. Buried pipes, cables and irrigation slow the work while they are located. Surface roots that ripple across a lawn can be ground out along their length, and that is charged on top of the stump itself.
Clean-up, grindings and other extras
The base price normally includes leaving the grindings in the hole and raking them level. The most common extra is carting the grindings away and backfilling with topsoil, which adds roughly $80–$200 incl. GST depending on the volume. Grinding surface roots, return visits and after-hours work are priced separately, so ask for each to be listed on the quote.
- Grindings: a mix of woodchip and soil, and usually more of it than the hole will hold. Many people keep the surplus as mulch for paths and established shrub beds.
- Topsoil: worth paying for if you plan to turf or plant straight away, because fresh grindings tie up nitrogen as they break down.
- Surface roots: priced by length and thickness.
- Return visits: a second trip later costs another minimum charge, so group the work where you can.
What full stump removal costs, and when it’s worth it
Digging out a residential stump with its main roots typically costs $800–$3,000 or more incl. GST, several times the price of grinding. It is worth it only when the ground underneath has to carry something structural or be dug: a building platform, a slab, a service trench, or a new tree going into the same spot. For a lawn, garden bed or most paving, grinding does the job.
The cost comes from the excavator and its access, the size of the root plate that has to be lifted, carting away the spoil, and then backfilling and compacting the hole so it doesn’t sink later. Where several stumps are coming out ahead of a build, it is usually priced as part of site clearing with stump excavation rather than stump by stump.
The cheapest way to get rid of a stump
The cheapest option is to leave the stump where it is, if it is out of the way, because that costs nothing. After that, the cheapest paid option is having it ground at the same time as the tree comes down, while the machine and crew are already there. Grouping several stumps into one visit comes next. DIY methods cost the least in cash but the most in time.
- Leave it. A stump at the back of a section will rot away over years. Fine if nobody mows or walks around it.
- Grind it with the tree removal. You avoid paying the minimum charge twice.
- Batch the stumps. Save them up for one visit, or share the call-out with a neighbour who has stumps too.
- Do it yourself. A small stump can be dug out by hand, and several small ones can make hiring a machine worthwhile. Our guides cover whether hiring a grinder is cheaper and removing a small stump without a machine.
How to get an accurate stump quote without a visit
Most straightforward stumps can be priced from photos and a few measurements. Send the diameter at ground level, the height, a photo of the stump with a tape across it, a photo of the route from the street, and what the ground will be used for afterwards. With that, an operator can give a firm price instead of a range.
- Number of stumps, and the diameter of each
- Height above the ground
- Photos of the stump and of the access path, including gates and steps
- What is going over the top: lawn, garden, paving, a fence or a build
- Any known pipes, cables, irrigation or garden lighting nearby
- Whether you want the grindings left, levelled or taken away
When you have those together, send us your stump details for a quote and we will come back with a written price.
Figures in this guide are indicative NZD ranges for the Auckland market as at October 2026, incl. GST. Minimum-charge, hourly and multi-stump figures are converted from published prices quoted plus GST. See our disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to grind a 600 mm (24 inch) stump?
On a normal residential section in Auckland, a stump around 600 mm across usually costs about $300–$500 incl. GST to grind to lawn depth. Expect the upper end, or more, for a dense hardwood such as gum, rock close to the surface, roots running under paving, or a steep or awkward path for the machine. It comes in lower when it is one of several stumps ground on the same visit.
Is there a minimum charge for stump grinding?
Most operators have one. Published Auckland price guides put minimum call-outs at $150–$250 plus GST, which is roughly $175–$290 incl. GST. That covers getting a machine, a trailer and an operator to your address, so a single small stump often costs much the same as a medium one. Grouping stumps into one visit, or adding them to a tree job, spreads that fixed cost.
Why is stump grinding so expensive for one small stump?
Because most of the cost is getting there, not the grinding. Loading the machine, towing it across Auckland, unloading, setting up, cleaning up and leaving takes far longer than chewing out a 250 mm stump, which can be done in twenty minutes. Book it while the tree crew is already on site, save up several stumps for one visit, or share the trip with a neighbour who has stumps too.