Diameter drives the price, but most Lake Country pros quote by stump size band, not a flat per-inch rate. Measure your stump and you'll know which band you're in.
Real pricing for Lake Country residential stumps. Shows the size band each diameter falls into plus the typical out-the-door price with small extras.
| Stump diameter | Size band | Typical total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6"–9" | Small | $60–$150 | Ornamental and sapling stumps |
| 10"–14" | Medium | $150–$220 | Most common Lake Country job |
| 16"–20" | Medium | $200–$280 | Mid-size residential |
| 24"–28" | Medium | $260–$300 | Larger residential |
| 30"–36" | Large | $300–$450 | Heritage stump territory |
| 40"–48" | Large | $450–$600+ | Custom quote, multi-session possible |
Above 48", quotes become custom, the grinder may need multiple sessions, and access logistics dominate the price.
Size-band pricing keyed to diameter is the practical standard because diameter is what determines grinding time on standard-depth (4–6 inch) jobs. Hourly pricing would penalize the operator for using better equipment, a slower machine making the same stump take 90 minutes shouldn't cost more than a faster machine doing it in 30 minutes. Pricing by size is fair to both sides.
The math behind the bands: a typical 14-inch stump produces about a wheelbarrow of chips and takes 25–35 minutes including setup and cleanup. At $200, that's roughly $400/hour of operator-and-machine time. Subtract drive time, fuel, tooth wear, and insurance overhead, and the operator's net works out to a reasonable hourly rate. Grinders pricing well below the small-stump band are usually uninsured or new operators undercutting the market for portfolio.
Big legacy stumps are the most common reason a quote comes back higher than people expect, so they deserve their own answer. Lake Country has plenty of old maple, oak, and cottonwood, and a 30-inch-plus stump is a different job from a 14-inch one. In our size-band model a large stump over 30 inches usually runs $300 to $600 and up. Nationally the same stumps run higher, often $400 to $800 for a 30 to 36-inch grind and $800 to $1,500 for the genuinely oversized old-growth ones, because the chip volume and grinding time climb fast with diameter.
Species is the other lever. Oak, hickory, and ironwood are dense hardwoods that grind slower and wear teeth faster than soft maple or pine. That usually adds $50 to $150 to a large-stump quote versus a softwood of the same diameter. An old oak also tends to have a wide, buttressed root flare, so the grinder has to work several feet beyond the visible stump, which is why a "24-inch" oak measured at the trunk can price like a 30-inch stump once the flare is included.
Three things push a large oak job toward the top of the range or into custom-quote territory:
For a large oak, measure the widest point including the root flare, note the species, and send a photo. We quote off photos in a few minutes and tell you up front if a stump is large enough to need a custom number rather than a band price.
People search "cost per inch," but in Lake Country we price by stump size rather than a flat per-inch rate. Diameter is what sets the size band, measured at ground level on the widest part of the stump including the root flare. Small stumps under 10 inches run $60–$150, medium stumps from 10 to 30 inches run $150–$300, and large stumps over 30 inches run $300–$600 and up. A 14-inch stump (most common residential size in Lake Country) lands in the medium band around $150–$200.
In Lake Country and most of Waukesha County, small stumps under 10 inches run $60–$150. That covers travel time (usually 15–30 minutes each way), unloading the grinder, setup, basic cleanup, and packing up. A 6-inch stump and a 9-inch stump both sit in the small band because the mobilization cost is the same either way.
Because grinders work horizontally across the top of the stump, not vertically. A 14-inch tall stump and a 4-inch tall stump of the same diameter take roughly the same time to grind down to grade. What changes the volume is diameter, every additional inch of diameter is more wood for the cutting wheel to chew through. Height above grade just gets cut flush by chainsaw before grinding starts.
Sometimes, especially over 24" diameter. Oak, hickory, and old maple grind 30–50% slower than pine, willow, or cottonwood. A dense hardwood stump trends toward the top of its size band. For a 14-inch oak or maple, the price is usually the same as softwood. For a 36-inch oak, expect a quote near the upper end of the large band.
Common add-ons in Lake Country: chip haul-away (+$5/inch), topsoil + grass seed restoration (+$10/inch), deep grinding for replanting (+$30–$80 flat), backyard-only access through a narrow gate (+10–25%), and lakefront/shoreland slope premiums (+10–20%). The base size-band price covers grinding to 4–6 inches below grade with chips left on-site.
Measure at ground level across the widest visible part of the stump, including the root flare. Use a tape measure or piece of string + ruler. If the stump has a noticeable bulge at the bottom (oaks and maples often do), include that in the measurement, that's the part the grinder has to cut through. Round up to the nearest inch. A photo with a tape measure in frame is the easiest way to send a quote request, most Lake Country grinders quote off photos in 5–10 minutes.
Hiring Lake Country Stump Grinding starts with a free written quote. Send a photo + ground-level measurement, get pricing back within 60 minutes. Priced by stump size, most jobs $150–$300, no surprise add-ons.
Most quotes back within 1 business hour, 7am–7pm Mon–Sat. We'll text you a price estimate.
Last updated: May 30, 2026.
