Tree service
Tree Cutting Cost Calculator
Prices cutting work, where the felling plan is the thing being bought.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus equipment, disposal and the call-out. Cutting a tree down is a sequence rather than an act: assessing lean, defects and the hinge, establishing an escape route, making the notch and back cut to control direction, and sectioning what cannot be felled whole. Where a tree cannot be dropped in one piece because of what surrounds it, it is taken down in sections from the top, which is a different and slower operation.
What moves the number
- Whether the tree can be felled whole or has to be sectioned.
- Lean, defects and decay, which affect how predictably it will go.
- Obstacles in the intended drop direction.
- Debris handling, which is most of the time on a large tree.
Where this one goes wrong
A tree with decay, included bark, heavy lean or dead wood in the crown does not behave predictably when cut, and that unpredictability is what injures people. Assessing defects before cutting, and using rigging or a crane where the tree cannot be trusted to fall as intended, is the professional judgement being paid for. Dead and hazardous trees in particular should not be climbed, because the structure holding the climber is the thing that has failed. Hazard assessment belongs before pricing rather than after, and some trees are a crane job rather than a climbing job regardless of cost.
Before you quote
- Assess decay, lean and crown condition before planning the cut.
- Do not climb a tree whose structure is the defect.
- Plan and clear an escape route before making the back cut.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Can any tree be felled in one piece?
Only where there is a clear drop zone and the tree is sound enough to behave predictably. Trees with decay, heavy lean, included bark or dead crown wood do not fall as intended, and ones surrounded by structures have to be sectioned from the top instead, which is slower work.
Why won't an arborist climb a dead tree?
Because the structure supporting the climber is the thing that has failed. Dead and decayed wood breaks without warning, and a climber relying on it has no second chance. Those trees are taken down from a crane or bucket, or dismantled from outside, which costs more for good reason.
What makes a tree dangerous to cut?
Decay in the trunk or root plate, included bark at a union, heavy lean, dead wood in the crown, and anything that has already partly failed. Those make the direction of fall unpredictable, which is what causes the injuries. Assessing them is the judgement the price is actually buying.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 5 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $145.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 5 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $145 |
| Parts and materials | $60 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $880 |
| Labour | $725 |
| Before tax | $880 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $880: $725 of labour, $60 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $73 | $520 |
| $109 | $700 |
| $145 example above | $880 |
| $218 | $1,245 |
| $290 | $1,605 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 5 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $145.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.