How much does it cost to move a piano?

The four things that set the price

Almost every piano quote comes down to the same four inputs. Everything else is detail.

• Piano type. An upright, spinet, or console is a fundamentally different job from a baby grand or grand, which has to be dismantled and moved on a skid.
• Stairs at each end. Not just whether there are stairs, but how many flights, whether there are landings or turns, and whether there's a banister in the way.
• Access and clearances. Doorway widths, tight corners, thresholds, and how far a truck can park from the door. A long carry costs time.
• Distance. Across town is priced differently from across the state, though for local moves access matters far more than mileage.

Why a grand costs more than an upright

An upright piano is moved as a single unit. It gets strapped upright to a piano board or heavy dolly and steered, never rolled on its own casters, which are decorative and will gouge a floor or snap off entirely.

A grand is taken apart. The lid and music desk come off, then the legs and the pedal lyre, and the body travels padded on its side on a skid board. That's more crew, more time, and reassembly at the other end. It's also usually the only way the instrument clears a standard doorway, so it isn't optional or an upsell.

Stairs are the biggest variable

If one number is going to move your quote, it's the stair count. Pianos on stairs need more people, not more effort from the same people, because control on a descent is a function of how many hands are on the instrument.

Turns matter as much as flights. A straight run of twelve steps is more predictable than two short flights with a tight landing between them, because the landing is where the piano has to be repositioned mid-carry. Mention landings when you ask for a quote. Most people don't, and it's the detail most likely to change the price on the day.

What's normally included

A professional piano move should include the padding and equipment, protection for the route the piano travels, and placement at the far end, rather than delivery to the nearest open floor space.

• Blankets, straps, piano board or skid, and dollies rated for the weight
• Floor runners, doorframe padding, and banister protection along the route
• Disassembly and reassembly for grands
• Positioning the instrument where you want it

Budget for tuning, separately

Your piano will very likely need tuning after a move, and that's normal rather than a sign something went wrong. Tuning drifts from the vibration of transport and, more significantly, from the new room's temperature and humidity.

Most technicians suggest letting the instrument settle in its new home for a few weeks before tuning, so it acclimates first. Tuning it the day after a move often means paying to do it twice. Tuning is a separate trade, so budget for it alongside the move rather than expecting it to be included.

How to get a quote that doesn't change

The quotes that shift on move day are almost always the ones given without enough information. Movers who quote a piano over the phone in thirty seconds are guessing, and the guess gets corrected when they see the staircase.

Photos are worth more than descriptions. A picture of the piano, the staircase, the doorway, and where a truck can park answers most of a mover's questions at once and gets you a number that holds.

• Piano type and rough age
• Full address at both ends
• Stairs and flights at each end, including landings and turns
• Door widths and any tight corners
• How close a truck can park to the door