Short answer
Price hedge trimming from crew-hours. Crew-hours = fixed drive and setup + trimming (linear feet ÷ your feet per crew-hour, slower above head height) + cleanup. Cost them at a loaded wage plus overhead, add equipment and haul-away, divide by (1 − margin). Example: 100 ft of hedge under 6 ft, two people, 3.5 crew-hours = $249.81.
- 100 ft of hedge under 6 ft is 3.5 crew-hours on this page's assumptions and prices at $249.81.
- The same 100 ft over 6 ft, with ladder work, is 6 crew-hours and prices at $439.23.
- Every crew-hour has to bill at least $52.69 before equipment and dump fees.
- Per foot falls with length: $3.49 at 50 ft and $2.20 at 200 ft on the same rates.
- All figures are example assumptions. Replace them with your own timed jobs, wage and dump fees.
On this page
- How do you work out what to charge for hedge trimming?
- Hedge trimming cost calculator: try 100 ft of hedge
- Hedge trimming price per foot by length and height
- How much to charge for shrub and bush trimming: the per-shrub method
- Hedge trimming per hour and minimum charge
- How to price a hedge maintenance plan (two or three trims a season)
- Common hedge trimming pricing mistakes
- Hedge trimming calculator, app or bid sheet?
- What to put on your hedge trimming price sheet
- Step-by-step
- FAQ
How do you work out what to charge for hedge trimming?
Charge what the visit costs you, divided by one minus your target margin. The visit is paid crew time on the clock, the trimmers and ladders for those hours, the haul-away, and a share of your yearly overhead. Price per foot, per shrub and per hour fall out at the end.
Several results for this search are forum threads swapping per-hedge numbers that carry someone else's wage, crew and dump fees. I'm not a landscaper - I build pricing maths, so this page shows the arithmetic and labels every input as an assumption you replace.
- Crew-hours = fixed drive and setup + linear feet ÷ your trimming rate + cleanup.
- Labour = crew-hours × loaded rate (wage × (1 + burden %)).
- Materials = equipment cost per clock hour × hours + dump loads or bags.
- Overhead share = crew-hours × (yearly overhead ÷ sellable crew-hours).
- Price = (labour + materials + overhead) ÷ (1 − margin), never below your minimum.
Hedge trimming cost calculator: try 100 ft of hedge
On the assumptions below, 100 ft of hedge under 6 ft, trimmed on both sides and the top, prices at $249.81 at a 35% margin.
The calculator opens on this example: two people for 1.75 hours on the clock. Where the 3.5 crew-hours come from, all assumed:
| Task | Basis | Crew-hours |
|---|---|---|
| Drive and setup | 0.5 clock hours × 2 people | 1.0 |
| Trim sides and top | 100 ft ÷ 50 ft per crew-hour | 2.0 |
| Rake, tarp and load clippings | 0.5 per 100 ft | 0.5 |
| Total | 3.5 |
Worked example: 100 ft of hedge under 6 ft, sides and top: two people for 1.75 hours on the clock (3.5 crew-hours); materials = $10 equipment per clock hour ($17.50) + one $25 dump load (all assumptions)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $20.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $42.50 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $29,040.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 10 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 1.75 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $26.00 |
| Crew-hours | 3.5 |
| Labour cost | $91.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $8.25 |
| Overhead share | $28.88 |
| Break-even cost | $162.38 |
| Price to quote | $249.81 |
| Profit on the job | $87.43 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $219.21 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $30.60 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $15,912.75 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
The working: 3.5 crew-hours at a loaded $26.00 (a $20 wage plus 30% burden) is $91.00. Overhead of $29,040 a year over 2 people × 220 days × 8 hours is $8.25 a crew-hour, so $28.88. Add $42.50 of equipment and dumping and break-even is $162.38. Divided by 0.65, the price is $249.81.
Hedge trimming price per foot by length and height
Height changes the price more than length: above about 6 ft the crew works from ladders or with pole trimmers, so this page halves the trimming rate (25 ft per crew-hour instead of 50) and doubles the cleanup and the haul.
| Hedge | Crew-hours | Equipment + dump | Break-even | Price | Per foot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft, under 6 ft | 2.25 | $36.25 | $113.31 | $174.33 | $3.49 |
| 100 ft, under 6 ft | 3.5 | $42.50 | $162.38 | $249.81 | $2.50 |
| 200 ft, under 6 ft | 6 | $80 | $285.50 | $439.23 | $2.20 |
| 50 ft, over 6 ft | 3.5 | $42.50 | $162.38 | $249.81 | $5.00 |
| 100 ft, over 6 ft | 6 | $80 | $285.50 | $439.23 | $4.39 |
| 200 ft, over 6 ft | 11 | $155 | $531.75 | $818.08 | $4.09 |
Per foot falls as the hedge gets longer because the fixed crew-hour of drive and setup spreads over more feet. Quote the job, then divide by feet to talk to the customer.
Worked example: The same 100 ft over 6 ft, ladder work: two people for 3 hours (6 crew-hours); $30 equipment + two $25 dump loads (assumptions)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $20.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $80.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $29,040.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 10 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 3 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $26.00 |
| Crew-hours | 6 |
| Labour cost | $156.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $8.25 |
| Overhead share | $49.50 |
| Break-even cost | $285.50 |
| Price to quote | $439.23 |
| Profit on the job | $153.73 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $385.43 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $53.81 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $27,979.00 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
How much to charge for shrub and bush trimming: the per-shrub method
For foundation shrubs and single bushes, count them and time one: price = (fixed time + shrubs × minutes each + cleanup) at the same rates.
Example: 18 foundation shrubs at an assumed 10 crew-minutes each is 3 crew-hours, plus 0.5 cleanup and 1 fixed, so 4.5 crew-hours.
Worked example: 18 foundation shrubs at 10 crew-minutes each: two people for 2.25 hours (4.5 crew-hours); $22.50 equipment + one $25 dump load (assumptions)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $20.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $47.50 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $29,040.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 10 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 2.25 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $26.00 |
| Crew-hours | 4.5 |
| Labour cost | $117.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $8.25 |
| Overhead share | $37.13 |
| Break-even cost | $201.63 |
| Price to quote | $310.19 |
| Profit on the job | $108.57 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $272.19 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $38.00 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $19,759.25 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
That is $310.19 for the visit, or $17.23 a shrub. The per-shrub figure only holds for a similar count; 6 shrubs carry the same fixed hour and cost more each.
Hedge trimming per hour and minimum charge
Per crew-hour, the floor is (loaded rate + overhead) ÷ (1 − margin) = ($26 + $8.25) ÷ 0.65 = $52.69, before equipment and dumping. One clock hour for two people with $10 of equipment is $120.77.
Set the minimum from the smallest visit worth the drive: one clock hour for two people with $10 of equipment and one $25 dump load prices at $159.23. A single small hedge never prices below that.
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How to price a hedge maintenance plan (two or three trims a season)
Price a maintenance plan as the per-visit price times the number of visits you agree, then decide whether to bill per visit or spread it into equal monthly payments. Each visit is a separate job with its own drive, setup and cleanup, so do not discount the second trim just because the hedge is smaller by then unless your own timing shows fewer crew-hours.
| Visits agreed | Price per visit | Season total | Billed over 5 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $249.81 | $249.81 | $49.96 |
| 2 | $249.81 | $499.62 | $99.92 |
| 3 | $249.81 | $749.43 | $149.89 |
Two checks before you send a plan. First, time a follow-up visit on a hedge you trimmed earlier in the season: if it really takes fewer crew-hours, put that lower figure into the calculator rather than guessing a percentage discount. Second, if you spread the season into monthly payments, the last payment should land before the last visit, so you are never working on credit. A plan also fills the schedule: the visits are booked when the client signs, which is the reason to offer it, not a lower price.
Common hedge trimming pricing mistakes
- Trim time only. Leave out the cleanup on 100 ft under 6 ft and the price falls to $219.62, $30.19 short of $249.81.
- Free haul-away. Drop the dump load and it is $211.35, $38.46 short. Clippings are bulky; count the loads.
- Markup instead of margin. Adding 35% to the $162.38 break-even bills $219.21 and keeps 25.93%. That is $30.60 a job, $15,912.75 a year at 10 jobs a week. See the markup vs margin calculator.
- Tall hedges at the short-hedge rate. 100 ft over 6 ft at the under-6 ft rate is $249.81 instead of $439.23.
Hedge trimming calculator, app or bid sheet?
For one quote, the free lawn care pricing calculator is enough: enter the clock hours, crew and the equipment and dump dollars as materials.
For quoting several services per property, the landscaping bid sheet ($14.99) has eight service lines, each taking hours and material dollars. Enter hedge trimming as one line. It adds your loaded labour rate and its equipment cost per hour ($15 default), marks up materials by the percentage you set, spreads overhead per crew-hour ($8.25 on its defaults) and shows break-even and the price at your margin. Because it charges equipment per labour hour and marks up materials, its figure will differ from this page unless you set those to match.
Fall visits to the same properties are priced in how much to charge for leaf removal; spring beds in mulch installation pricing.
What to put on your hedge trimming price sheet
Your own rates, so any hedge becomes a sum. Layout: B2 = linear ft, B3 = ft per crew-hour, B4 = fixed crew-hours, B5 = cleanup crew-hours per 100 ft, B6 = crew size, B7 = loaded rate, B8 = overhead per crew-hour, B9 = equipment per clock hour, B10 = dump loads, B11 = dump fee, B12 = margin %, B13 = minimum, B14 = break-even, B15 = price.
Crew-hours
=B4+B2/B3+B2/100*B51+100/50+100/100*0.5 returns 3.5.
Break-even
=(B4+B2/B3+B2/100*B5)*(B7+B8)+(B4+B2/B3+B2/100*B5)/B6*B9+B10*B11Crew-hours × (loaded + overhead) + clock hours × equipment + dumping. Returns about 162.38 on the example.
Price with minimum
=MAX(B14/(1-B12),B13)B14 = break-even, B12 as a percent.
Price per foot (a check)
=B15/B2B15 = price.
- Trimming rate under and over 6 ft, timed on your jobs.
- Minutes per shrub for counted work.
- Cleanup per 100 ft and dump loads per 100 ft.
- Equipment cost per clock hour, minimum charge, and a note on access (ladders, slopes, near power lines priced separately or declined).
For the same properties in summer, see how to price lawn care jobs. Prefer the rates in a file you keep? The lawn care and landscaping estimate template holds them as input cells.
Step-by-step: How Much to Charge for Hedge Trimming: Per Foot, Per Shrub and Per Hour
- Measure and sort. Measure hedge length, note which runs are over head height, and count single shrubs.
- Convert to crew-hours. Fixed drive and setup + feet ÷ trimming rate + cleanup, slower rates for tall hedges.
- Add equipment and haul-away. Equipment per clock hour × hours, plus dump loads × your dump fee.
- Find break-even. Crew-hours × (loaded rate + overhead per crew-hour) + equipment and dumping.
- Divide by one minus margin. Price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin), never below your minimum charge.
Skip the setup: Landscaping & Lawn Care Estimate Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $14.99, no subscription, instant download.
See the Landscaping & Lawn Care Estimate Calculator →Buy now — $14.99All 7 templates — $49Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip. Want to try the maths first? Use the free calculator — no signup.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for trimming a hedge?
Work it out from crew-hours, equipment, haul-away, overhead and margin. On this page's assumptions 100 ft of hedge under 6 ft takes two people 1.75 hours, 3.5 crew-hours, and prices at $249.81 at a 35% margin.
How much do landscapers charge per hour to trim bushes?
Build your own floor: (loaded wage + overhead per crew-hour) ÷ (1 − margin). At a $20 wage, 30% burden, $8.25 overhead and 35% margin that is $52.69 per crew-hour, or $120.77 per clock hour for two people with $10 of equipment.
Should I charge per foot for hedge trimming?
Quote per job and use per foot as a check. On identical rates, 50 ft under 6 ft is $3.49 a foot and 200 ft is $2.20, because the fixed drive and setup spread over more feet. Tall hedges roughly double it.
How much to charge for shrub trimming?
Count the shrubs and time one. At an assumed 10 crew-minutes each, 18 foundation shrubs plus cleanup and setup is 4.5 crew-hours and prices at $310.19, about $17.23 a shrub. Fewer shrubs cost more each.
Why is hedge trimming expensive?
Because the visit carries more than trimming time: drive and setup, cleanup, haul-away and overhead. On the 100 ft example, cleanup and setup are 1.5 of the 3.5 crew-hours, and the dump load adds $25.
Do tall hedges cost more to trim?
Yes, if they need ladders or pole trimmers. This page assumes half the trimming rate and double the cleanup above about 6 ft, which takes 100 ft from $249.81 to $439.23. Time your own tall work.
I'm not a contractor, landlord or accountant. I build the pricing maths, and every number on this page shows its working so you can check it instead of trusting it. Guides are drafted with AI assistance; every worked figure is computed by the same code as the free calculators. How these guides are made → · Watch the breakdowns on YouTube →