Published ranges
These are the indicative figures published for this service. They are starting points for a conversation, not a quote, and every job is priced on site.
| Job | Indicative Brisbane cost |
|---|---|
| Small tree, open access, straightforward | from about $250-$265 |
| Typical residential removal | around $882 average |
| Most residential removals | $800 - $1,200 |
| Full spread across most jobs | $265 - $4,200 |
| Two large trees, or one large difficult tree | up to about $4,000 |
| Crane-assisted removal, no rear access | $5,000 - $6,000 |
| Stump grinding | quoted separately, by machine access and depth |
The spread is wide for a reason. A tree is not priced by species or height, it is priced by how many crew hours it takes to get it safely off your property, and that can vary by a factor of five on identical trees.
The six things that move the number
Access
The single biggest factor. Can a chipper park within a few metres of the tree, or does every piece get carried up a flight of steps and down a side path a metre wide? Flat suburbs like Sunnybank and Chermside sit at the cheap end. Gully blocks at Indooroopilly, The Gap and Ashgrove sit at the expensive end, often for the same tree.
Size
Bigger trees take longer, produce more material and need more people. That is straightforward, but size matters less than people expect compared with access.
What is underneath
A tree over open lawn can be dropped in large sections. A tree over a roof, a pool, a glasshouse, a neighbour's fence or a parked car must be rigged and lowered piece by piece. That is the difference between hours and days.
Crew size
Large removals need three or four people: a climber, a groundie on the ropes, and crew clearing and feeding the chipper. Every one of them is on the clock.
Tree condition
A structurally sound tree can be climbed. A rotten, split or storm-damaged one cannot be safely climbed at all, so it needs an elevated work platform or a crane — and the crew cannot rig off a trunk they do not trust. Damaged trees are more expensive, not less.
Waste and disposal
Tip fees, truck time and whether the material can be chipped. Some species produce chip nobody wants, which means paying to dispose of it. Leaving mulch or firewood on site trims the total.
Where crane work becomes the cheap option
Counter-intuitively, the crane quote is sometimes the lower one. If a large tree sits behind a house with no vehicle access, a climbing crew might spend two days rigging and carrying. A crane parked on the street can lift sections straight over the roof in a morning. Once the day rate is spread over that much saved labour, the crane can come out ahead — which is why you should ask for both options priced on a big, awkward tree.
Costs nobody mentions until later
Council approval, where a protected tree is involved, takes time and may require an arborist report — see the permits page. Traffic management and kerb occupation permits apply on narrow inner-city streets. Stump grinding is normally a separate line, and full stump removal is a different job again. Ask what is and is not in the number before you agree to it.
For what each service involves, see the services page. To describe a job, use the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Why will nobody give me a price over the phone?
Because the two things that decide the price are invisible from a phone call: what is underneath the tree and how material gets off the site. The same twelve-metre gum is a two-hour job in an open front yard and a two-day job behind a high-set Queenslander with one narrow side path. Anyone who quotes firmly over the phone is either guessing high or planning to revise it on the day.
Is it cheaper to remove several trees at once?
Usually yes, per tree. A large share of the cost is mobilising: getting the crew, the chipper and the truck to your address and setting up. Doing four trees in one visit spreads that across four jobs instead of one. The same applies to booking the stump grinding at the same time as the removal rather than as a second visit.
Does the firewood or mulch reduce the price?
It can, a little. Tip fees and disposal time are a real line in the cost, so leaving the chip on site as mulch or keeping the larger rounds for firewood saves the contractor a trip. Do not expect a large discount, and do not expect rounds to be split or stacked unless that is written into the scope.
What makes a quote change after work starts?
Legitimately: hidden defects found once a climber is in the tree, concealed services, or a structural problem that changes the method. Illegitimately: things that were visible at the quote and should have been priced. That is why a written scope matters, and why a quote should state the conditions under which the price can move.