Sizes and weights
Typical ranges for what we actually meet in Central London rather than one manufacturer's specification. Measure yours before you rely on them.
| Type | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Upright piano | 145 to 155cm wide, 110 to 135cm tall, 55 to 65cm deep180 to 350kg | 180 to 350kg |
| Baby grand | 150cm wide at the keyboard, 140 to 170cm long250 to 350kg | 250 to 350kg |
| Full grand | 150cm wide, up to 275cm long400 to 500kg | 400 to 500kg |
| Digital or stage piano | 130 to 145cm wide, 30 to 45cm deep20 to 60kg | 20 to 60kg |
For reference, a standard UK internal door is 762mm. Older Central London stock is often narrower. Full door and van measurements.
Will it fit?
Will an upright go through a standard door?
Yes. An upright travels on its back edge, so the dimension that has to clear the doorway is its depth, 55 to 65cm, against a standard 762mm internal door. It fits with room to spare. Even a narrow 686mm Victorian door takes most uprights. What stops an upright is never the door, it is the turn immediately after it.
Will it go up a Central London staircase?
An upright will go up a straight flight of almost any width. A half landing that turns through ninety degrees needs about 90cm of clear width on the turn to swing 155cm of piano round it, and a great many Georgian and Victorian conversions have 75 to 85cm. That is the measurement worth taking before you buy the piano rather than after.
Do grands come apart?
The legs and the lyre come off, which is standard practice rather than a last resort, and the body then travels on its straight side on a piano skid. A baby grand with the legs off is a 150cm by 45cm object rather than a 150cm by 170cm one, which is what makes it possible to get round a landing at all.
What if the answer is no?
Then it goes through a window or over a balcony on a hoist, which is a different job with its own equipment and its own permissions, and we will tell you that before the day rather than after two hours on the stairs. It is rare above the second floor and it is not something to discover on a Saturday morning.
How we move a piano
- We look at the staircase and the turn before we quote, from photographs if we cannot visit
- The keyboard lid is locked or taped, and the whole instrument is blanket wrapped and strapped
- An upright goes onto a piano trolley and travels on its back edge, never on its castors
- A grand has the legs and lyre removed and travels on a padded skid on its straight side
- Three crew as a minimum, four for a grand or anything above the first floor
- In the van it is strapped upright against the bulkhead rather than laid down
- At the other end it is reassembled, levelled and left where you want it
When this stops being a routine job
A grand above the ground floor, any piano where the staircase turn is under 85cm, and anything needing a hoist or a window removal. All of those we do, and all of them need a week or two of notice and a proper look at the building first rather than a booking form.
What a piano move costs in Central London
An upright, ground floor to ground floor, with somewhere legal to park at both ends, is £180 to £320. Add a flight of stairs at one end and it is £320 to £480. Above the first floor, or where the staircase turns tightly enough to need four crew, it runs to £480 to £700.
A baby grand starts around £460 and a full grand around £640, because the legs and lyre come off and go back on and the body needs a skid and four people. Every figure includes VAT, the wrapping, the trolley or skid, the crew and the Congestion Charge.
Insurance, and the question worth asking
Our goods in transit cover applies to a piano as it does to anything else, and for an ordinary upright that is the end of the matter. For an instrument worth more than a few thousand pounds, tell us the value when you book so the cover is declared rather than assumed.
The thing to ask any mover, including us, is what happens if the piano is damaged on the stairs rather than in the van. Goods in transit does not always mean goods in the building. Ours does, and it is worth checking that anyone quoting you cheaper can say the same.
Before we arrive
- Measure the narrowest point on the route, which is usually the half landing turn rather than a door
- Clear the whole route including the hallway, so nobody is stepping round a bike
- Take pictures off the wall along the staircase
- Arrange a tuner for a fortnight after the move rather than the same week
- Tell us the floor at both ends and whether either building has a lift
What tends to go wrong
Booking a tuner for the day after
A piano needs to settle to the humidity and temperature of the new room before it is worth tuning. Two weeks is the usual advice and a fortnight of waiting saves paying for the job twice. Moving does not knock a piano out of tune nearly as much as the new room does.
Assuming castors mean it rolls
Upright castors are for shuffling a piano a few inches on a floor, not for moving it. Rolling a 250kg upright across a room on them will gouge floorboards and can shear a castor off, and it does nothing useful for a move. It goes on a trolley.
Nobody measured the turn
Every failed piano move we have been called out to rescue failed at a half landing, not a door. The width of the landing at the point where the staircase turns is the number that matters, and it takes thirty seconds with a tape measure.
Piano moving: common questions
How much does it cost to move a piano in London?
An upright between ground floors is £180 to £320. With stairs at one end, £320 to £480. Above the first floor or with a tight staircase, £480 to £700. A baby grand starts around £460 and a full grand around £640. All including VAT, the crew, the trolley, the wrapping and the Congestion Charge.
How many people does it take to move an upright piano?
Three as a minimum, four above the first floor or where the staircase turns tightly. An upright is 180 to 350kg and the weight is not distributed evenly, so the number of hands is about control on the stairs rather than about lifting capacity.
Will a piano fit through my door?
An upright almost certainly will. It travels on its back edge, so the dimension that has to clear the door is its depth of 55 to 65cm against a standard 762mm door. The thing that stops pianos is the turn on the half landing, which needs roughly 90cm of clear width, and plenty of Central London staircases have less.
Do you move grand pianos?
Yes. The legs and lyre come off and the body travels on a padded skid on its straight side, with four crew. It needs a week or two of notice and a proper look at the staircase rather than a booking form, because a grand above the ground floor is a planned job rather than a scheduled one.
When should I get the piano tuned after moving?
About a fortnight afterwards, once it has settled to the temperature and humidity of the new room. Tuning it the day after means paying for it twice. The new room knocks a piano out of tune considerably more than the journey does.
Can you get a piano out through a window?
Yes, with a hoist, and it is occasionally the only way when a staircase turn is too tight. It needs advance arrangement, sometimes permission from the building, and a lot more notice than a normal move. We will tell you it is needed before the day rather than discovering it on the stairs.
Other single items
Moving more than one thing?
This page is about a piano on its own. The single item and furniture delivery page covers the service generally, and what a move costs prices a whole flat or house.
Across Central London
We move a piano anywhere in the 37 areas we cover. What changes between them is the parking and the staircase, which is what decides where in the band you land.