The cost to remove a tree can vary quite drastically depending on the scale of the job.
Felling a small to medium-sized standard tree with easy access will cost around £400 – 700 and take between half a day and a day to complete based on two labourers.
For a large tree with restricted access or bad health, the cost runs into several thousand pounds and a timeline of two to three days based on a bigger team of people.
The jump in price reflects the scale of the work. A large tree requires more planning, equipment and manpower and is also more difficult to remove.
In this guide, we cover:
- The average tree removal cost and relevant cost factors
- How to tell if a tree needs to be removed
- Permission and Tree Preservation Orders
- What removing a tree involves
- Frequently asked questions
Average cost to cut down a tree
Below are some rough tree removal costs based on size. Always make sure to check what a quote includes (in particular whether it includes the cost to remove the stump as well).
Size | Cost |
Small | £150 – 500 |
Medium | £500 – 1,500 |
Large | £1,500 – 2,500 |
Extra large | £2,500+ |
The cost to remove a tree depends on the following factors:
Tree size
The larger a tree is, the more expensive it will be to cut down. Felling a large tree usually requires a tree surgeon to climb the tree. This involves more equipment, more time and a bigger team of labourers to assist the process of felling the tree, removing it and ensuring safety protocols are followed.
The species and number of trees
Tree removal is generally priced at an hourly or daily rate. The more trees to be removed, or the more difficult the species is to work with, the longer the job will take.
Accessibility
If a tree is near a building, a powerline or is otherwise difficult to access in some way, it will need more effort and time to remove. This is because the tree surgeon can’t simply cut the tree down. Greater care will have to be taken to organise the felling zone to ensure no one is harmed.
What’s more, the tree surgeon will have to cut the tree into smaller pieces to be roped down (where a rope is tied around the branch and lowered to the ground rather than tossed down as is standard). This will take more labour and time, resulting in a higher price.
Location
Labour costs vary across the country, with London and the south-east costing more than the north.
Company
A large tree surgery firm with an established reputation may charge more than a small company. For example, the average cost for a two to three-person team is £400 per day. However, it is not uncommon for bigger companies to charge a daily rate of over £700.
Smaller companies are often under the VAT threshold, meaning they don’t add 20% to the cost.
Tree health
Diseased or otherwise unhealthy trees are particularly dangerous to work on because they become brittle and therefore more difficult to control. Greater care has to be taken to remove them which means longer on the job.
Waste removal
Make sure to ask if the removal of waste is included in a quote. While most do, others charge it as a fee on top of the job. The cost to remove waste begins at around £100.
Stump removal
Tree stumps can be removed at any time, but organising stump removal alongside tree removal is the most convenient option and will generally cost upwards of £100 depending on the diameter of the stump.
Read our tree stump removal cost guide for more information.
Root removal
Trees with a large root system require a lot more work to remove. Cherry trees, for example, are known for having problematic roots that can take longer to remove than other species.