Piano movers: moving a piano by man and van

Typical jobs

• Moving an upright piano from a terraced house to a ground-floor flat in the same town
• Taking a baby grand out through French doors, with the legs and lid off and the body strapped to a piano board
• Carrying an upright down a flight of stairs in a converted house and loading it with a tail lift
• Collecting a secondhand upright from a private seller and delivering it to a school hall
• Moving a digital piano and its stand to a new flat as part of a small move

Upright or grand. An upright travels standing, on a piano trolley or skates, and is strapped against the side of the van. Its iron frame puts the centre of gravity near the back, so it tips easily, and the Pianoforte Tuners' Association (PTA) warns that the small castors on many uprights are not built for wheeling it across a room. A grand goes on its side: the legs, pedal lyre and lid come off, and the body is strapped to a padded piano board for carrying. The PTA says a grand should be lifted rather than pushed, and never moved by fewer than three people.

Weight. Wikipedia's piano article gives about 136 kg for a small upright and 480 kg for a Steinway Model D, with the largest piano on the general market at 570 kg. That is why a grand needs at least three people under the PTA's guidance, and why piano movers bring their own skates, boards, straps and ramps. A tail lift or ramp matters more than the size of the van.

Stairs and access. Every flight adds time and people, and a staircase with a tight turn may not take an upright at all. AnyVan names a piano going up five flights of stairs as one of the factors in its price. Measure the narrowest door, the turn at each landing and every step between the house and the van, and send the figures with photos. Where stairs will not work, some firms hoist through a window or take out a door frame, which is quoted separately.

Tuning after the move. A journey and a new room both affect tuning. The PTA says tuning time depends on the piano's condition and the tuner, so ask a local tuner for a price and book the visit once the piano is in its new place. Check the mover's cover against the piano's value: AnyVan includes up to £50,000 compensation cover per booking, subject to its terms (October 2026).

Tell each firm the make and type: upright, baby grand, grand or digital, and for a grand the length from keyboard to tail. Add every step, flight and turn at both addresses, with measurements and photos. Stairs change a piano quote more than anything else, so give them even if the firm does not ask.

Ask how many people will come, what equipment they bring (skates, a piano board, straps, ramps or a tail lift), and whether they remove and refit a grand's legs and lid themselves. Ask for the cover limit in writing, and whether a claim is paid at repair cost or the piano's market value.

Ask how often the firm moves pianos and what it brings for the job. The PTA recommends a professional piano mover for any piano. A general man and van suits a digital piano or a small upright on a level route; a grand on a staircase is a job for a specialist piano mover.

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