How Much Does A Tree Stump Weigh?

Removing or preserving a tree stump can be quite intimidating especially if you have to remove it from the ground. There are a few variables that you will be needed to figure out before you start estimating the weight. Let’s take a look at how you can determine the weight of your stump.

The method for calculating the weight of your stump is simple, you will need to measure the diameter of the stump, calculate its volume and multiply that with the wood density. Once you have the stump weight, you can also add the root ball weight to get a better estimate.

You can also estimate the average weight of a stump of a specific species and diameter using the chart below.

How to Calculate the Weight of a Tree Stump?

One of the factors which determine the weight of a tree stump will be of course the species of the tree you are dealing with. Each species has a different wood density which will, in turn, determine the weight per volume for that wood. The other factors would of course be the dimension of the stump.

If you get to know the species of your tree stump, and its dimensions, namely its length and average diameter you can easily estimate its weight.

The formula which you will be using is called Huber’s formula and although it sounds complicated is quite easy.

All you need is the density of your tree stump and its volume. I will include a density chart for different tree species below, so you don’t need to worry about that. keep in mind that the densities stated below are known as the ‘green density’ and it represents the density of a freshly cut wood.

As the wood stays out in the open for a longer period of time, its moisture content reduces and therefore its density reduces. So, if your tree stump has been left out for some time, your final weight estimate will be lower.

To find out the volume (V) of the tree stump, you will need to measure its length (L) and its diameter (d).

V = 3.14*L*d²/4

And once you have the V, the stump’s weight (W) will be

W=V*D (where D equals its density)

Once you know this formula, you can calculate the weight of any log of wood.

One more thing to keep in mind is that you should use the dimensions in one measurement only. So, if you are using cm, use only cm for the rest of the calculations. The same applies to m, ft, etc.

Densities of Different Tree Species

Below is a list of wood densities per cubic feet for some of the most common tree species.

Species	Weight per Cubic Ft.
Apple	55
Ash, White	48
Basswood	42
Beech	54
Birch, Paper	50
Birch, Yellow	57
Butternut	46
Cherry, Black	45
Chestnut	55
Cottonwood	49
Elm, American	54
Gum, Black	45
Gum, Red	50
Hackberry	50
Hickory	64
Honey Locust	61
Magnolia, Ev	59
Maple, Red	50
Maple, Silver	45
Maple, Sugar	56
Oak, California	66
Oak, Live	76
Oak, Red	63
Oak, White	62
Pecan	61
Persimmon	63
Poplar, Yellow	38
Sassafras	44
Sycamore	52
Walnut, Black	58
Pine, white	36
Spruce, Red	34

How Much Do Different Sized Tree Stumps Weigh?

If you don’t want to calculate the weight of your tree stump, here is a list of the average weight of 1-foot-long tree stumps depending on their average diameter. The estimated weight here is in pounds.

Species	10”	12”	14”	16”	18”	20”	22”	24”	26”	28”
Apple	30	43	59	77	97	120	145	173	203	235
Ash, White	26	38	51	67	85	104	126	150	177	205
Basswood	23	33	45	59	74	92	111	132	155	180
Beech	29	42	58	75	95	118	142	169	199	231
Birch, Paper	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	214
Birch, Yellow	31	45	61	80	101	124	151	179	210	244
Butternut	25	36	49	64	81	100	121	144	170	197
Cherry, Black	25	35	48	63	79	98	119	141	166	192
Chestnut	30	43	59	77	97	120	145	173	203	235
Cottonwood	27	38	52	68	86	107	129	154	180	209
Elm, American	29	42	58	75	95	118	142	169	199	231
Gum, Black	25	35	48	63	79	98	119	141	166	192
Gum, Red	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	214
Hackberry	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	273
Hickory	35	50	68	89	113	140	169	201	236	261
Honey Locust	33	48	65	85	108	133	161	192	225	252
Magnolia, Ev	32	46	63	82	104	129	156	185	217	214
Maple, Red	27	39	53	70	88	109	132	157	164	192
Maple, Silver	25	35	48	63	79	98	119	141	166	239
Maple, Sugar	31	44	60	78	99	122	148	176	206	282
Oak, California	36	51	70	92	116	144	174	207	243	324
Oak, Live	41	60	81	106	134	166	200	238	280	269
Oak, Red	34	49	67	88	111	137	166	198	232	265
Oak, White	34	48	66	86	109	135	163	194	228	261
Pecan	33	48	65	85	108	133	161	192	224	269
Persimmon	34	49	67	88	111	137	166	198	232	162
Poplar, Yellow	21	30	40	53	67	83	99	119	150	188
Sassafras	24	34	47	61	78	96	116	138	162	222
Sycamore	28	41	55	72	92	113	137	163	191	248
Walnut, Black	32	45	62	81	102	126	153	182	213	250
Pine, white	20	28	38	50	64	78	95	113	128	145
Spruce, Red	19	27	36	47	60	74	90	106	125	154

What Is the Weight of The Root ball?

Sometimes you might have to calculate the weight of the tree trunk, stump along with its root ball. This can be important if you have to uproot the entire stump along with its root ball and knowing the approximate weight is very important while hiring the machinery and the transportation.

The following table gives an estimate of the root ball weight of trees depending on their trunk diameter at breast height and the average diameter of the root ball itself. Keep in mind that these are only estimates and the real weight can vary depending on the tree.

Average diameter at breast height	Rootball size	Weight lbs
2-2.5”	24-28”	400
2.5-3”	28-32”	650
3-3.5”	32-36”	850
3.5-4”	36-40”	1200
4-4.5”	40-45”	1500
4.5-5”	50-55”	2500
5-5-5”	55-62”	3000
5-5-6”	62-66”	4000
6-7”	66-72”	5000-6000
7-8”	72-76”	6000
8-10”	84-90”	7000-8000

Conclusion

The weight of a tree stump depends on factors such as the height of the stump, its diameter, the species of the stump, and the size of its root ball. Multiply the volume of the stump with the wood density to get a weight estimate (V = 3.14*L*d²/4)

If you don’t want to calculate the weight yourself, you can also refer to the estimated stump weights above.