Indicative ranges
The figures below are the ranges published in this site's own tree care guidance. They are indicative for straightforward suburban work, not quotes, and any of the factors in the next section can move a job outside them entirely.
| Job | Indicative range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree lopping or removal | $200 – $500 | Low, open-access trees. Assumes the chipper can park nearby. |
| Medium tree, basic trim | $150 – $400 | Clearance and deadwooding rather than a full reduction. |
| Medium tree, full reduction or shaping | $400 – $800 | Climbing work, cuts placed to laterals, more material to chip. |
| Large tree removal | $800 – $2,000+ | Sectional dismantling, rigging, multiple tipper loads. |
| Stump grinding | Quoted per stump | Driven by diameter, ground conditions and gate width. |
| Arborist report for a council application | Separate engagement | Consulting work by a qualified arborist, priced on its own. |
Anything unusual — a fifty-metre blue gum over a heritage roof, a crane lift on a closed street, a multi-day clearance — sits well above the top of that table, and honest operators will say so at the inspection rather than after.
What actually moves the number
Access, first and always. The single biggest variable in Sydney. A tree the chipper can park beside is a different job from one behind a terrace with a 900mm side gate where every piece is carried by hand. Battle-axe handles through the Hills, cliff-side blocks in the Eastern Suburbs and gully blocks on the North Shore all add hours. Where a truck-mounted elevated work platform or a crane can reach, a two-day dismantle can become a half-day lift — cheaper overall despite the higher hourly rate.
What is underneath. Open lawn allows a straight fell. A pool, a pergola, a glass roof, a neighbour's colorbond fence or a shed means everything is rigged and lowered on rope. That is the difference between hours and days.
Species and timber. Eucalypt timber is dense and heavy; a blue gum produces far more weight per metre than a camphor laurel of the same height. Camphor, though, produces a far greater volume of wet chip, which means more tipper loads. Palms are quick. Figs are slow and often protected.
Ground conditions. Sandstone locks roots into rock and slows stump work; shale clay means deeper stumps and more material. Both are covered in more detail on the stump removal page.
Council requirements. In strict areas — Ku-ring-gai, Woollahra, Mosman, Willoughby — you may need a permit fee and a paid arborist report before a crew can be booked at all. That is real cost and it sits outside the tree quote.
Waste handling. Chip removed versus mulch left on site. Trunk rounds carted versus stacked for firewood. These are cheap to vary and expensive to assume.
Where cheap quotes hide the money
A quote that is far below the others is usually excluding something: green waste removal, the stump, the trunk wood, or insurance. Ask specifically whether the price includes carting all material away and whether the contractor holds current public liability cover. An uninsured crew dropping a limb through your roof is the most expensive saving available.
Read cheap tree removal in Sydney for the legitimate ways to bring a price down.
Getting a real number
Ring (02) 9000 1943 or send photos and an address. Quotes and site inspections are free. For method detail, see tree removal and tree lopping; for longer reading, the cost of tree lopping article goes further into the factors.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't anyone quote over the phone?
Because the method is the price, and method depends on things you cannot describe reliably over a phone — how far a chipper can park from the base, whether a limb overhangs a neighbour's glass roof, whether the side gate is 800mm or 1.1 metres. A phone figure that later doubles on site is worse than no figure. Photos from two angles get you a much closer estimate.
Is it cheaper to do several trees at once?
Yes, substantially. A large part of any quote is getting the crew, the chipper and the tipper to your street and setting up. Two trees in one visit cost far less than two separate visits, and neighbours who book together on the same street often do better again. Ask about it if the trees are adjacent.
What is usually excluded from a tree quote?
Stump grinding, unless it is itemised. Removal of the trunk rounds, on some cheaper quotes. Council application fees and any arborist report the council requires. Traffic control where a street closure is needed. Get all four confirmed in writing before accepting, because they are the usual source of a final invoice that does not match the quote.