A wood chipper is a powered machine that feeds branches and garden waste through a rotating blade drum or turbine, reducing them to mulch or woodchip. The best wood chippers in Australia handle between 40mm and 150mm of branch diameter, run either a corded electric motor of around 2200W to 2400W or a petrol engine from 7HP to 20HP, and use reversible blades so each edge can be turned before replacement.
Three designs cover the range. Electric impact shredders suit soft green waste such as prunings, hedge clippings and leaves. Electric drum and turbine chippers take woody material up to around 80mm and run quietly enough for a suburban street. Petrol chippers start near 70mm and reach 150mm, going anywhere on a block without a lead.
Branch capacity is the number that decides everything, and the spread here is large: 42mm at the electric end against 150mm from the biggest petrol machine, which is more than three times the diameter and roughly ten times the cross-section. Throughput is the second figure to read, quoted either in kilograms per hour for shredders or cubic metres per hour for chippers, and it ranges from 90 kg/h to 7 cubic metres an hour across this guide.
This guide compares ten machines on branch capacity, electric or petrol power, throughput, start type and whether each is built for a suburban garden, a large block or paid work.
Best Wood Chippers in Australia Compared
| Product | Link | Type | Best For | Key Spec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch AXT Rapid Electric Garden Shredder | Check price | Electric impact | Prunings and leaves | 2200W, 90 kg/h throughput |
| Bosch Quiet Turbine Shredder | Check price | Electric turbine | Suburban blocks | 2300W, 42mm, 215 kg/h |
| Forestwest Electric Wood Chipper | Check price | Electric drum | Gum and hardwood | 2200W, 80mm, 2-4 cbm/h |
| Matrix Tools Electric Garden Shredder | Check price | Electric shredder | Occasional garden use | 2400W, overload protector |
| 7HP Petrol Wood Chipper Shredder | Check price | Petrol | Stepping up from electric | 7HP, 76mm capacity |
| Michigan Raptor Petrol Wood Chipper | Check price | Petrol direct drive | Larger suburban blocks | 7HP 212cc, direct drive |
| Key Electric Start Petrol Wood Chipper | Check price | Petrol, electric start | Anyone who hates pull-starts | 212cc 7HP, 70mm, key start |
| BWM Pro Wet Dry Combi Wood Chipper | Check price | Petrol combi | Acreage and small farms | 13HP GX390, 102mm, tow bar |
| Michigan Ravenger Commercial Wood Chipper | Check price | Commercial petrol | Contractors | 15HP 420cc 4-stroke |
| Forestwest Petrol Chipper with Electric Start | Check price | Commercial petrol | Thick limbs | 20hp Rato, 150mm, e-start |
1. Bosch AXT Rapid Electric Garden Shredder – Best for Soft Green Waste
Twenty-two hundred watts drives Swiss laser-cut blades through soft green waste at a rated 90 kilograms an hour. Bosch builds it in Europe and quotes the highest motor torque in its class.
Green waste is the bulk of what a suburban garden actually produces. Hedge clippings, prunings, soft stems and leaves make up most of a green bin, and they clog a chipper designed for branches because there is nothing solid for the blades to bite. An impact shredder with a fast-feed hopper and a plunger handles that material without jamming, which is the opposite problem to the petrol machines further down.
It will not touch a thick hardwood branch, and feeding it woody material is how the blades get damaged. For a household clearing hedges and beds rather than felling trees, it does the job most people actually have.
Pros
- Rated 90 kg per hour on soft green waste
- Swiss laser-cut blades
- Fast-feed hopper with plunger
- High motor torque for the class
- Made in Europe
Cons
- Not suited to thick woody branches
- Corded, so limited to lead reach
Key specs: 2200W corded electric, impact shredder, 90 kg/h throughput, laser-cut blades, fast-feed hopper and plunger
CHECK ON AMAZON2. Bosch Quiet Turbine Shredder – Best Quiet Electric
A turbine cutting system replaces the blade disc here, taking 42mm material at up to 215 kilograms an hour with an automatic feed that pulls branches in on its own.
Noise decides whether a shredder gets used on a Sunday in a suburban street. Turbine systems run considerably quieter than impact or drum designs, and Bosch has built this one specifically around low sound emission. Automatic feeding matters just as much in practice, because it removes the plunging and the standing over the hopper, and it handles palm fronds and hard wood that jam a soft-waste shredder.
Throughput is high but 42mm is still a garden capacity rather than a tree-felling one. On a suburban block where the neighbours are close and the waste is mixed green and woody, it is the most usable machine in this guide.
Pros
- Turbine-Cut system takes hard and soft material
- Up to 215 kg/h throughput
- 42mm cutting capacity
- Automatic feed pulls material through
- Low noise design for suburban use
Cons
- 42mm ceiling rules out large branches
- Corded operation
Key specs: 2300W corded electric, Turbine-Cut system, 42mm capacity, up to 215 kg/h, automatic feeding, low-noise design
CHECK ON AMAZON3. Forestwest Electric Wood Chipper – Best Electric for Hardwood
Eighty millimetres of log capacity from a 2200W electric motor, driven through a belt-driven drum with twin reversible double-edge blades.
Australian hardwood is the reason most imported shredders disappoint here. Gum and yellow box are dense enough to stall machines rated on European softwoods, and Forestwest states this one has been tested locally on exactly those species. A drum system with reversible blades gives you two cutting edges per blade before replacement, and the drum opens for cleaning, which matters because sap builds up fast on eucalypt.
Two to four cubic metres an hour is modest next to the petrol machines, and it still needs mains power. For a suburban or semi-rural block dealing with hardwood prunings rather than whole trees, it is the electric machine that will not bog.
Pros
- 80mm maximum log diameter
- Tested in Australia on gum and yellow box
- Twin reversible double-edge blades
- Belt-driven drum opens for cleaning
- 2 to 4 cubic metres per hour
Cons
- Lower throughput than the petrol machines
- Requires mains power
Key specs: 2200W electric, 80mm max log diameter, belt-driven drum, twin reversible dual-edge blades, 2-4 cubic metres per hour
CHECK ON AMAZON4. Matrix Tools Electric Garden Shredder – Best Budget Electric
Twenty-four hundred watts and an overload protector, in the least expensive machine in this guide.
Overload protection is the feature worth having at this end of the market. Cheap shredders die when someone feeds a branch thicker than the motor can manage and the motor stalls under load; a cut-out trips instead of cooking the windings. It is a simple electric shredder otherwise, without drum or turbine complexity to go wrong.
Build quality and throughput both sit below the Bosch and Forestwest machines above. As the option for someone who shreds a few barrow-loads a year and cannot justify a serious machine, it is priced for that reality.
Pros
- Overload protector guards the motor
- 2400W input
- Least expensive machine here
- Simple design with little to fail
Cons
- Lower throughput than the premium electrics
- Not built for sustained or heavy use
Key specs: 2400W corded electric garden shredder, overload protection
CHECK ON AMAZON5. 7HP Petrol Wood Chipper Shredder – Best Mid-Size Petrol
Seven horsepower of petrol engine feeding a 76mm chipping throat, in a compact frame rather than the tow-behind builds further down. It carries the most user reviews of any chipper in this guide.
Moving from electric to petrol roughly triples what a machine will swallow, and 76mm covers most of what comes off a suburban tree short of a limb. Losing the lead matters more than it sounds, because the material is usually at the back of a block and dragging branches to a power point is most of the work. A compact frame keeps it storable in a normal shed.
Petrol brings servicing, fuel and pull-starting that electric machines do not. For anyone who has outgrown a 40mm electric shredder but does not need commercial capacity, this is the sensible next step.
Pros
- 76mm chipping capacity
- 7HP petrol engine, no lead required
- Compact enough for normal shed storage
- Most reviewed chipper in this guide
- Chips and shreds in one machine
Cons
- Requires fuel, oil and servicing
- Recoil start rather than electric
Key specs: 7HP petrol engine, 76mm maximum chipping capacity, combined chipper and shredder, compact frame
CHECK ON AMAZON6. Michigan Raptor Petrol Wood Chipper – Best Entry Petrol
A 212cc engine producing 7HP drives this one through a direct-drive layout, with 12 inch pneumatic wheels underneath for moving it over rough ground.
Direct drive removes the belt, and with it the belt slip that robs power exactly when a branch loads the drum. Fewer wearing parts also means less to service on a machine that lives outside. Pneumatic wheels are the other practical detail, because solid wheels on a heavy chipper stop dead at the first tree root and this is a machine you move to the waste rather than the reverse.
Michigan positions it as commercial but 7HP is entry level in petrol terms, so continuous heavy work will find its limit. On a larger suburban block with established trees, the direct drive and the wheels earn it a place over a cheaper belt machine.
Pros
- Direct-drive design avoids belt slip
- 7HP 212cc engine
- 12 inch pneumatic wheels for rough ground
- Chips branches and shreds leaves
- Fewer wearing parts to service
Cons
- Entry-level power for a petrol machine
- Not suited to continuous commercial work
Key specs: 7HP 212cc petrol engine, direct-drive transmission, dual branch chipping and leaf shredding, 12 inch pneumatic wheels
CHECK ON AMAZON7. Key Electric Start Petrol Wood Chipper – Best Electric Start
A key turns this one over. The 212cc DUCAR engine keeps a recoil cord as backup, but the electric start is the reason to choose it, and the throat takes 70mm branches.
Pull-starting a cold petrol engine is the single most common reason a chipper stays in the shed. A key start removes that entirely, which matters for anyone with a shoulder injury, limited strength, or simply a low tolerance for yanking a cord twelve times. The engine meets Euro V emissions and runs an overhead valve four-stroke design, so it is quieter and more economical than older side-valve units.
Electric start adds a battery to keep charged, which is one more thing to neglect over winter. Where the barrier to using a chipper is starting it, this removes that barrier completely.
Pros
- Key electric start with recoil backup
- 70mm chipping capacity
- 212cc DUCAR engine, Euro V certified
- OHV four-stroke runs quieter and cleaner
- 3,600 RPM maximum output
Cons
- Starter battery needs charge maintenance
- 70mm capacity below the commercial machines
Key specs: 7HP 212cc DUCAR OHV four-stroke, key electric start with recoil backup, 70mm chipping capacity, 3,600 RPM, Euro V
CHECK ON AMAZON8. BWM Pro Wet Dry Combi Wood Chipper – Best for Acreage
A Japanese GX390 13HP engine drives this one, chipping to 102mm, and it handles wet material as well as dry. A tow bar and feeding rod come with it.
Wet material is where most chippers fail. Green sappy growth and damp prunings gum a dry-only drum until it packs solid, which is why acreage owners end up burning what they cannot chip. A two-in-one design that takes both means the whole clean-up goes through one machine regardless of what the weather did that week. The tow bar matters at this size, because a 13HP chipper is not something you push across a paddock.
It is a large machine that needs storage and genuine maintenance, and it is more chipper than a suburban block will ever justify. On acreage, the four inch capacity and the wet-dry handling turn a burn pile into mulch.
Pros
- Chips branches up to 102mm
- Japanese GX390 13HP engine
- Handles both wet and dry material
- Tow bar and feeding rod included
- Alloy steel chipping knives
Cons
- Large machine needing real storage space
- Overspecified for a suburban garden
Key specs: 13HP GX390 OHV petrol engine, 102mm maximum chipping capacity, wet and dry combi function, alloy steel knives, tow bar
CHECK ON AMAZON9. Michigan Ravenger Commercial Wood Chipper – Best Commercial Petrol
Fifteen horsepower from a 420cc four-stroke puts this into contractor territory, built as a combined chipper, mulcher and shredder.
Engine displacement is what separates a machine that works all day from one that works for an hour. At 420cc there is enough reserve that feeding a solid limb does not drag the drum down to a stall, and recovery between branches is quick enough to keep a two-person crew feeding continuously. That is the difference between clearing a block in a morning and spending a weekend on it.
It is heavy, thirsty and needs a trailer to move between sites. For anyone chipping as part of paid work rather than garden maintenance, the extra displacement pays for itself in time on the first serious job.
Pros
- 15HP 420cc four-stroke engine
- Enough reserve for continuous feeding
- Combined chipper, mulcher and shredder
- Built for commercial workloads
Cons
- Heavy and needs a trailer to relocate
- Higher fuel use than the smaller machines
Key specs: 15HP 420cc four-stroke petrol engine, commercial chipper, mulcher and shredder
CHECK ON AMAZON10. Forestwest Petrol Chipper with Electric Start – Best for Large Branches
One hundred and fifty millimetres is the largest capacity in this guide, fed by a 20 horsepower Rato engine with electric start and rated at 5 to 7 cubic metres an hour.
Capacity at 150mm changes what counts as waste. Limbs that would otherwise be cut into rounds, split and burned go straight through, which removes an entire step from clearing a block. Two reversible blades keep the running cost down, and Forestwest states the machine has been tested with Australian customers rather than only on softwood abroad.
This is the largest and most expensive machine here, and a suburban garden will never load it properly. Where there is genuine acreage and thick limbs coming down, nothing smaller in this guide will take them.
Pros
- 150mm maximum log diameter, the largest here
- 20hp Rato engine with electric start
- 5 to 7 cubic metres per hour
- Two reversible blades, easy to clean
- Tested in Australia with local customers
Cons
- Largest and heaviest machine in this guide
- Far beyond suburban garden requirements
Key specs: 20hp Rato petrol engine with electric start, 150mm maximum log diameter, 5-7 cubic metres per hour, two reversible blades
CHECK ON AMAZONHow to Choose a Wood Chipper
Measure the thickest branch you actually cut, then add a margin. Manufacturers quote a maximum diameter reached under ideal conditions with a sharp blade and straight timber. A forked or knotty branch at the stated limit will jam. Buying capacity 20mm above your usual maximum is the difference between feeding continuously and clearing blockages.
Australian hardwood is the reason imported ratings mislead. Gum, yellow box and other local hardwoods are far denser than the European softwoods most machines are rated against, so a chipper quoted at 80mm abroad may struggle at 60mm here. Look for a machine the seller states has been tested locally, and treat overseas capacity figures as optimistic.
Match electric or petrol to where the waste is. Electric machines are quieter, need no fuel or servicing and suit a suburban block near a power point. Petrol goes to the back paddock, takes far larger material and keeps working through a full day. The lead is usually the deciding factor, since most garden waste is nowhere near an outlet.
Check whether the blades are reversible. A reversible double-edged blade can be turned when the first edge dulls, halving the running cost of the machine. Blades are the main consumable on any chipper and Australian hardwood blunts them faster than softwood, so this detail shows up in the ownership cost within the first year.
Treat a chipper as the most dangerous tool in the shed. Feed rollers and blade drums pull material in faster than you can let go, and the great majority of serious injuries come from reaching into the hopper or wearing gloves and loose sleeves near the intake. Use the push rod supplied, never reach in with the engine running, keep bystanders well clear, and wear eye and hearing protection every time.
Plan for the fuel and the clean-up. A petrol chipper on acreage often runs well away from mains power, so one of the portable generators in our guide is worth having alongside it for other equipment. The blades, spanners, fuel cans and spare shear bolts also need somewhere organised to live, which is what the tool boxes guide covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size wood chipper do I need?
Match it to your thickest regular branch plus a margin. Around 40mm suits hedge clippings and prunings, 70mm to 80mm covers most suburban tree work, and 100mm or more is acreage and contractor territory. Forked or knotty branches jam at the stated maximum, so buy above your usual size rather than at it.
Can a wood chipper handle Australian hardwood?
Only if it is built for it. Gum and yellow box are considerably denser than the softwoods most imported machines are rated against, so a chipper quoted at 80mm overseas may bog at 60mm on local hardwood. Look for machines the seller states have been tested in Australia, and expect blades to dull faster.
Is an electric or petrol wood chipper better?
Electric is quieter, needs no fuel or servicing and suits a suburban block within reach of a power point, but tops out around 80mm. Petrol takes far larger material, works anywhere on a property and runs all day. Where the waste sits relative to mains power usually decides it.
Are wood chippers dangerous?
They are the most dangerous machine in most sheds. The intake pulls material faster than you can release it, and serious injuries come from reaching into the hopper, wearing gloves or loose sleeves near the feed, or clearing a blockage without shutting down. Always use the push rod and stop the engine before clearing anything.
What can you not put in a wood chipper?
Soil, rocks and stones, which destroy blades; metal of any kind including wire and nails in old timber; and wet leaves or grass in a dry-only machine, which pack the drum solid. Palm fronds and stringy material also bind in some designs, so check the machine is rated for them.
How often do wood chipper blades need sharpening?
On Australian hardwood, expect to turn or sharpen blades far sooner than the manual suggests, often after several hours of solid work. Reversible double-edged blades let you turn them once before regrinding. A chipper that suddenly needs pushing rather than pulling material in is telling you the edge has gone.
Verdict
For a suburban block the Bosch turbine shredder is the one to buy, because 42mm covers ordinary garden waste and it is quiet enough to run without annoying the street. Anyone dealing with hardwood prunings rather than soft green waste should take the Forestwest electric instead, since it is the machine in this guide explicitly tested on gum and yellow box. On genuine acreage the BWM combi handles wet and dry material through a 102mm throat, which turns a burn pile into mulch in one pass.
