Wood Chipper Cost: What You'll Pay by Type in 2026

A wood chipper costs $150 to $4,000. An electric chipper/shredder runs $150 to $500, a homeowner gas chipper $500 to $1,500, and a larger gas machine $1,500 to $4,000. What you pay tracks the branch diameter it can swallow: the bigger the wood, the bigger the engine and the price.

Chipper capacity is rated by the largest branch it handles, usually 1.5 to 5 inches for homeowner machines. That single number decides most of the cost.

Which size do you need

An electric chipper/shredder ($150 to $500) handles branches up to about 1.5 inches plus leaves and light garden debris. It’s quiet and cheap, right for a small lot with a few trees. A homeowner gas chipper ($500 to $1,500) steps up to 3-inch branches and real storm cleanup on a wooded property. A larger gas machine ($1,500 to $4,000) takes 3- to 5-inch limbs and runs long enough for regular clearing on acreage.

Be honest about branch size. Most yard debris is small, and an electric shredder or a small gas chipper covers it. Buying a 4-inch-capacity machine for occasional 1-inch branches is money spent on capacity you’ll rarely use.

Buy or rent?

Chippers are a classic rent-versus-buy call. A gas chipper rents for roughly $80 to $150 a day, so if you’re clearing a storm’s worth of debris once or twice a year, renting the big machine beats owning it and finding somewhere to store it. Buy a chipper only if you generate branches regularly, and match the capacity to your typical limb, not the worst one you’ve ever cut. For most homeowners, an inexpensive electric shredder for routine debris plus an occasional rental for big jobs is the cheapest path.