Tree Cost Calculator

Support

Help with Tree Cost Calculator: getting started, common questions and how to reach us.

Contact us

Email treecostcalculator@googlegroups.com and include your iPhone or iPad model, iOS version and the app version (Settings → Version in the app). Screenshots help. We usually reply within two business days.

Getting started

  1. Set your prices. The first time you open the app, enter your starting fee, price per cubic foot (or cubic meter) and tax rate. You can change them later in Settings.
  2. Create an estimate. Tap New Estimate, then enter the tree's circumference and height. The volume and price update as you type.
  3. Add more trees. Tap Add Another Tree for each additional tree on the job. Use the … menu on a tree to duplicate or delete it.
  4. Add the customer, photos and notes. Fill in the customer's details, attach photos of each tree or the site, and add any notes.
  5. Adjust the price. Add an additional charge (such as stump grinding), a discount, or change the tax rate, or pick a saved tax region, for this job only.
  6. Send it. Tap Preview & Share to review the PDF, then share it by email, message or anything else on your phone.

What's in the app

  • Live pricing from circumference and height, in feet or meters.
  • Multiple trees per estimate, each with its own name, measurements and photos.
  • Starting fee, additional charge, discount and tax, as a fixed amount or a percentage.
  • Professional PDF with your logo, contact details, itemized trees, photos, terms and a signature line.
  • Status tracking (Draft, Sent, Approved, Declined) with totals for open and approved work.
  • Search, duplicate and delete estimates from the main list.
  • Work in more than one state. Save a tax rate (and optional license number) for each state or area, then pick the right one on each estimate.
  • iPhone and iPad. On iPad your estimates sit in a sidebar beside the open estimate, and the app works in Split View and Slide Over.
  • Private, offline and backed up. Everything is saved as files on your device (visible in the Files app), with an automatic copy in your own iCloud Drive. The app works without a connection.

Common questions

How is the volume calculated?

The app treats the trunk as a cylinder: volume = circumference × circumference × height ÷ 12.56. (Circumference is 2π times the radius, so this equals π × radius² × height.) With feet the result is cubic feet; with meters it is cubic meters. Your price is then volume × your rate.

How do I measure a tree?

Wrap a tape around the trunk at about 4½ feet (1.4 m) above the ground for the circumference, and measure the tree's total height from the ground to the top. Enter both in the same unit.

Can I change my prices for one job?

Yes. Every estimate starts from your defaults in Settings, and you can change the starting fee, price per unit, additional charge, discount and tax on the estimate itself. Changing Settings later does not alter existing estimates.

What if I switch between feet and meters?

The unit you choose in Settings applies to new estimates. Existing estimates keep the unit they were created with, so their numbers never change unexpectedly.

How do I put my logo on the PDF?

Open Settings → Your Business, tap Add Logo and choose an image. Add your company name, phone, email and address there too.

I work in more than one state. How do I handle different tax rates?

Open Settings → Tax Regions and add each state or area with its tax rate and, if you like, its license number. Then, on an estimate, choose the region under Tax region in the Pricing section and the tax rate (and license number) switch to match. The PDF shows the region name on the tax line. You are responsible for entering the correct rates for the places you work.

Where does my license number appear?

Add it under Settings → Your Business and it prints under your contact details on every estimate. If you work in several states, give each tax region its own license number; it replaces the main one on estimates that use that region.

Can customers sign the estimate?

The PDF has signature and date lines for a printed copy. The app does not collect electronic signatures or keep signed copies. Whether a signed estimate is binding, and what wording or notices it needs, depends on where you work and the job. Put any wording required in your area under Settings → Estimate PDF → Terms, and consider having a local attorney review it.

Can I edit an estimate after sending it?

Yes. Open it from the list, make your changes and share it again. Use the status menu at the top of the estimate to mark it Sent, Approved or Declined.

How do I share or print an estimate?

Tap Preview & Share at the bottom of the estimate, then use the share button. The share sheet includes Mail, Messages, Save to Files and Print.

Where is my data stored? Will I lose it if I delete the app?

Everything is saved as ordinary files in a folder called TCC on your device (TCC is the app's name on your Home Screen): open the Files app and look under On My iPhone (or On My iPad). Get Info on the folder to see how much space it uses; inside are Estimates, Photos, your logo and your settings. If iCloud Drive is on, the app also keeps a copy in your own iCloud Drive, so deleting and reinstalling the app brings your estimates, photos and settings back automatically. If iCloud is off or unavailable, deleting the app deletes the data, so copy the folder somewhere safe first. You can turn the iCloud copy on or off under Settings → Your Data. The developer never receives your data and can't restore it for you.

How do I remove the iCloud copy?

Deleting the app does not delete the copy in iCloud Drive. Open the Files app, choose iCloud Drive, and delete the TCC folder. You can also go to Settings → your name → iCloud → Manage Storage.

How do I delete an estimate?

Swipe it left in the list and confirm, or open it and choose Delete Estimate from the status menu. Its photos are removed too.

Does it work offline?

Yes. The app needs no internet connection. (Only the Support and Privacy links in Settings need one.)

Troubleshooting

Photos are missing from the PDF

Check that Include photos in the PDF is on in Settings → Estimate PDF, and that the photos appear on the estimate itself.

The totals don't match my calculation

Check the price per unit, starting fee, tax rate, discount and additional charge on the estimate. Percentages apply in this order: additional charge, then discount, then tax on the discounted amount. Each line is rounded to the nearest cent.

The camera isn't working

Go to iOS Settings → Tree Cost Calculator and make sure Camera is allowed. You can also choose photos from your library instead.

I can't find an old estimate

Clear the search box and the status filter at the top of the list. Estimates live only on the device where they were created.

Important disclaimer

Tree Cost Calculator is a calculation tool, provided "as is". All calculations, prices, volumes, tax rates and other figures in the app, its screenshots and its documentation are examples and estimates only. They can vary from real-world results and may be wrong or out of date, and taxes differ by place and change over time. Nothing here guarantees the price of any job or the accuracy of any figure.

You use the app entirely at your own risk and are solely responsible for verifying all measurements, prices, taxes and estimates and for licensing, permits, insurance, contracts and legal compliance. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no responsibility or liability for the app, for any estimate or job, or for any loss of data or money. See the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.