Tree service
Tree Removal Cost Calculator
Prices a removal, where what is underneath the tree matters as much as the tree.
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 and disposal, and the call-out. Size drives the base figure, but the cost is really about the drop zone. A tree with clear ground beneath it can be felled or sectioned and dropped, which is fast. A tree over a house, a fence, a driveway or a neighbour's garden has to be rigged and lowered piece by piece, which can take several times as long with more crew and more equipment, for an identical tree.
What moves the number
- What is beneath and around the tree, which determines rigging against felling.
- Height and diameter, which set the sectioning work and the debris volume.
- Access for a chipper, a crane or a bucket truck.
- Whether the stump, the debris and the wood are included.
Where this one goes wrong
Energised conductors change the job entirely. Work within the minimum approach distances to power lines is restricted to qualified line-clearance arborists with specific training and equipment, and a general tree crew taking on a tree touching or near a service drop is taking a lethal risk. The correct answer is contacting the utility, which will often clear or de-energise, rather than working around it. Separately, be explicit about what the price covers: whether the stump is ground, whether the debris is hauled, and whether the wood is left cut or taken away. Those three are the most common source of disagreement on a removal.
Before you quote
- Refer any work near energised conductors to a qualified line-clearance arborist.
- Contact the utility rather than working around a service drop.
- State explicitly whether stump, debris and wood are included.
- Walk the drop zone and plan rigging before quoting.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why do removal quotes vary so much for similar trees?
Because of what is underneath. A tree with clear ground beneath can be felled or dropped in sections quickly. The same tree over a house, fence or driveway has to be rigged and lowered piece by piece, which takes several times the hours with more crew and equipment.
What about a tree near power lines?
Work within the minimum approach distances to energised conductors is restricted to qualified line-clearance arborists with specific training, and a general crew taking it on risks electrocution. The right step is contacting the utility, which will often clear or de-energise the line.
Does the price include the stump and the wood?
Only if it says so, and this is the most common misunderstanding on removals. Stump grinding, hauling the brush, and whether the trunk wood is left cut or taken away are three separate items. Getting them stated in the quote avoids the argument afterwards.
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.