Stump grinding is a small, self-contained job, which is exactly why it is worth thinking about when you book it rather than after.
The figures
MyJobQuote gives £60 to £400. The bottom of that range is a small stump on an accessible site as part of a larger job. The top is a large-diameter hardwood stump reached with difficulty.
What drives the number
Diameter. Grinding time rises sharply with the width of the stump, because the machine removes material in passes across the face. A 60cm oak stump is not twice the work of a 30cm one, it is considerably more.
Access. This is the factor people forget. Grinders come in sizes: narrow pedestrian machines that pass through a standard 75cm gateway, and larger tracked units that work far faster but need proper access. A rear garden on a terraced street usually means the small machine.
Species and age. Dense hardwoods such as oak and beech grind slowly. A softwood conifer stump of the same size comes out much faster. A stump that has been in the ground several years and started to decay is easier than a fresh one.
Buried obstacles. Stones, rubble, old foundations and hidden services in the root plate all slow the work and risk damaging cutting teeth. Contractors price cautiously where the ground is unknown.
Book it with the felling
This is where the money is. A contractor already on site with a crew, having just felled the tree, can bring the grinder as part of the same visit.
Calling someone out weeks later for the stump alone means a separate visit, separate travel and a minimum call-out charge that MyJobQuote puts at £150 to £250 for tree work generally. A £60 stump can easily become a £200 job purely through being booked separately.
If you are unsure whether you want the stump out, get it priced both ways at the quoting stage. The marginal cost is far lower than the standalone cost.
Before the machine arrives
Establish what is buried near the stump. Drains, water supply, gas, electricity and telecoms are all vulnerable, and grinding is blind work: the operator cannot see what the wheel is about to hit. A contractor who asks you about services is doing their job properly.
Clear the area and move anything fragile well back. Grinding throws chip and small stones with considerable force, and greenhouses, car paintwork and windows are all at risk. Good operators use screens, but distance is better.
Expect noise and expect mess. It is a short job but not a quiet one.
Afterwards
You are left with a hole full of wood chip and soil, usually mounded above ground level because ground-up stump occupies more volume than the solid stump did.
Decide in advance whether the arisings are being taken away or left. If you are re-turfing, the chip needs removing and replacing with topsoil, because grass will not establish in wood chip. If you are planting a border, the same applies. Chip left in place will also sink over the following year as it settles and decays, so expect to top the level up.