Specialty item

How Much Does It Cost to Move a Piano?

Transport for a piano over 1,000 miles models at $250–$325, from an assumed 600 lb instrument on our published line-haul rate table. Handling is deliberately unpriced: the board, the leg and lyre removal, stair turns and any hoist are quoted per instrument. That transport figure is model output, not a carrier quote.

Transport component for a piano by distance

Modeled transport component for a piano at an assumed 600 lbs, by distance band. Handling is excluded.
Distance	Rate per 1,000 lbs per mile	Modeled transport
250 miles	$0.74	$100–$125
500 miles	$0.56	$150–$200
750 miles	$0.56	$225–$300
1,000 miles	$0.48	$250–$325
1,250 miles	$0.43	$275–$375
1,500 miles	$0.43	$350–$450
1,750 miles	$0.43	$400–$525
2,000 miles	$0.38	$400–$525
2,500 miles	$0.35	$450–$600
3,000 miles	$0.35	$550–$725

The 600 lb figure is an estimating assumption — the assumption stands in for a full-size upright or a small baby grand, which is what most household moves actually contain. It is not a measurement of your piano. Transport is weight × distance × the published line-haul rate for the band, the same derivation every route page uses.

Weight by piano type

Assumed weight ranges by piano type, with the handling note for each.
Type	Assumed weight	What changes
Spinet or console upright	300–450 lbs	Rolls on its own castors on flat ground; two movers and a dolly on a ground-floor move.
Full-size or studio upright	450–600 lbs	Top-heavy rather than wide; the risk is tipping on a turn, not the doorway.
Baby grand	500–700 lbs	Lyre and legs come off and the case travels on its bass side on a padded board.
Concert grand	900–1,300 lbs	Rarely a household-goods line item; usually a dedicated instrument crew and truck.

What drives the handling cost of a piano

A piano is not heavy for its size so much as badly distributed. The mass sits in the plate and the strings at the back of an upright, and along one side of a grand, so the whole handling problem is about controlling a load that wants to rotate. None of the drivers below have a price in our model, because none of them are a function of weight and distance.

Upright, baby grand or concert grand: An upright travels standing on a four-wheel piano dolly. A grand does not: the lyre and pedals come off, the legs are removed one at a time while the case is supported, and the instrument travels on its bass side on a padded board. That is a different job with a different crew size, not a bigger version of the same one.
Stairs, turns and the landing at the top: Straight stairs with a wide landing are manageable. A quarter-turn with a handrail is the case that adds crew, because the instrument has to be pivoted while it is on the incline. Movers usually price stairs per flight per end, and a piano flight is not costed like a furniture flight.
Whether a board and skid are enough, or a hoist is required: If the instrument cannot leave through a door or down a stairwell, it leaves through a window or over a balcony on a hoist or crane. That brings rigging, a street permit in many cities, and a scheduled window — and it is the single largest step change in the handling cost.
Crating, climate and time in storage: A soft-wrapped instrument is fine for a direct load-and-deliver. A wooden crate is a separate build charge and is normally reserved for long storage, ocean freight, or a valuable instrument where the soundboard cannot be exposed to humidity swings in a warehouse.
Tuning after the move, which is not a moving charge: A piano goes out of tune from the change in humidity and temperature at the destination, not from the drive. Technicians generally want the instrument to sit for a few weeks before tuning. It is a real cost of relocating an instrument and it belongs to a tuner's invoice, not a mover's.

On a household move, or as a standalone piano job

When the piano is leaving with the rest of the house, the instrument's weight is already inside the shipment weight the carrier prices, and the specialty charge appears as a handling line on the estimate rather than as a separate job. This is the cheaper path, and it is the one most interstate moves take, because the truck and the drive are being paid for regardless.

A standalone piano move — the instrument going somewhere the household is not — is priced as its own job: minimum charge, dedicated crew, and often a specialist who does nothing else. Local instrument movers quote this by the flight, the turn and the doorway, and mileage is a minor term in the total.

The practical rule: if the piano is on the same truck as the sofa, ask for the handling to be itemised on the written estimate. If it is travelling alone, you are buying skilled labor, and the distance figure below is the smallest part of what you will pay.

Piano moving questions

How much does it cost to move a piano?

Do movers charge extra for a piano even on a full house move?

Yes. The instrument's weight is already inside the shipment weight, but the handling is a separate line: the crew size, the board, the dolly and any stair or hoist work are charged on top. Ask for that line to appear in writing on the estimate before the survey is signed.

Is a grand piano harder to move than an upright?

It is a different job rather than a harder one. A grand is partly dismantled — lyre, pedals, then legs — and travels on its side on a padded board, while an upright travels upright on a dolly. Crew size, protection and the time on site all change accordingly.

When does a piano need a hoist or crane?

When it cannot pass a door, a stairwell turn or a lift. That decision is made on a site survey, not over the phone, and it usually brings rigging, a permit for the street or sidewalk, and a fixed time window in the schedule.

Will my piano need tuning after the move?

Almost certainly, but because of the humidity and temperature at the new address rather than the drive itself. Most technicians ask for the instrument to settle for two to four weeks first. That is a tuner's charge and it will never appear on a mover's estimate.

Other specialty items

Moving a shed
Most shed moves never reach a road. What it sits on, and whether it fits down the route intact, decide the job.
Moving a pool table
Three slate slabs, bolted and shimmed flat. Disassembly, new cloth and re-levelling are the real purchase.
Moving a hot tub
Light once drained, hard to extract. Gate width, decks and whether a crane is needed decide the price.
Moving a gun safe
Weight on a tiny footprint. Stairs, anchoring and floor loading set the price; the safe always travels empty.

To price the whole move rather than one object, the moving cost calculator carries a specialty-items option that adds a handling allowance to the shipment total.

Moving Cost Editorial Team · Pricing model pricing-v1.0 · Estimates last recalculated 2026-08-01