What this calculator works out
This calculator estimates the loose volume of clippings from a hedge cut, from the hedge's length, height and how much you are taking off.
Hedge cuttings are bulky and light. A modest trim produces a surprising heap, which is worth knowing before the job rather than while standing in it.
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Before you cut
- Trim thickness is how much you are removing from each face, in centimetres. A light tidy is 5 to 10 cm; a hard cut back is considerably more.
- The estimate is loose volume before any compression or shredding.
- Check for nesting birds first. It is an offence to damage an active nest, and the main nesting season runs from March to August.
- Plan where the cuttings will go before starting.
All wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act while in use. Hedge cutting during the nesting season risks committing an offence. The usual advice is to avoid trimming between March and August, and to check carefully if a cut is unavoidable.
How this calculator works
A volume from the cut surface and depth:
Litres = length × height × trim thickness × 10
Length and height in metres, thickness in centimetresThe factor of ten is the same conversion used throughout: a square metre one centimetre deep is ten litres. The calculation covers a single face — cutting both sides of a free-standing hedge produces roughly twice the figure.
Worked example: a 10 metre hedge
Using the default figures — 10 m long, 1.8 m high, taking 15 cm off:
- Volume: 2,700 litres
2,700 litres from one face of a modest hedge — over eleven council green bins, or roughly 30 garden sacks loose. Cut both sides and it doubles. This is exactly the sort of figure worth having before booking a collection, and it is a strong argument for shredding: the same material chipped would occupy around a quarter of the volume and could go straight back on the beds as mulch.
Common mistakes
- Cutting during the nesting season. Check first; it is a legal matter.
- Underestimating the volume. Hedge cuttings are far bulkier than they look on the hedge.
- Cutting into old wood on conifers. Most will not regrow from bare wood.
- Trimming with vertical sides. A slight batter, wider at the base, keeps the bottom growing.
- Leaving cuttings on the lawn. They kill the grass underneath within days.
Frequently asked questions
When should I cut a hedge?
Formal hedges are usually trimmed two or three times through the growing season, with the last cut before the end of August so new growth hardens before frost. Avoid the March to August nesting season where possible. Renovation cuts on deciduous hedges are done in winter while dormant.
Why should a hedge be wider at the base?
So the lower part gets light. A hedge with vertical or inward-sloping sides shades its own base, which thins out and eventually goes bare — and bare hedge bottoms rarely recover. A slight batter of a few degrees keeps growth dense all the way down.
Can I cut conifers hard back?
Yew tolerates hard pruning and regrows from old wood. Most other conifers, including leylandii, thuja and cypress, do not — cutting back into brown wood leaves a permanent bare patch. Keep them trimmed within the green growth, and accept that a neglected conifer hedge often cannot be reduced without damage.
What should I do with the cuttings?
Shred them for mulch if you can — chipped hedge trimmings make excellent path or bed covering. Otherwise a habitat pile in a corner supports wildlife and rots down over a couple of years. Green waste collection or a tip trip is the fallback for large volumes.
Is what I enter stored?
No. Measurements are processed in your browser and never transmitted or retained.
Related tools
References
- GOV.UK — wildlife protection, nesting birds, hedgerow rules and high hedges
- Royal Horticultural Society — hedge pruning, timing and renovation
Sources are checked at publication and can change — how I choose and check references.