A grand piano cannot be moved like ordinary furniture: it typically needs to be partially disassembled (legs, lyre and often the lid removed), wrapped, moved on a purpose-built skid board, and reassembled and re-tuned at the destination. This is specialist work, not a job for a general moving company or a few strong friends.
What drives the cost
- Distance and whether stairs, tight doorways, or an elevator are involved.
- Whether the piano needs to go up or down a level via a window or balcony (specialist rigging, significantly more expensive).
- A post-move tuning is standard practice, since moving and the resulting temperature/humidity change can pull a piano out of tune even with a careful move.
When budgeting for a used grand piano, always add professional transport (and, for a free or very cheap instrument, factor in that the moving cost can end up exceeding the piano's actual value - see our article on free pianos). Get a quote from a specialist piano mover before finalizing a purchase, not after.
