Cost by piano type
| Piano type | Typical weight | Local move | Long distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinet or console | 300 to 400 lbs | $150 to $400 | $450 to $1,200 |
| Full-size upright | 500 to 800 lbs | $300 to $550 | $700 to $1,500 |
| Baby grand | 500 to 700 lbs | $250 to $650 | $1,000 to $2,000 |
| Grand | 700 to 1,000 lbs | $400 to $800 | $1,200 to $2,300 |
| Concert grand | 1,000 to 1,300 lbs | Quote only | Quote only |
Vertical pianos are measured floor to lid. Grands are measured from the front of the keys to the far end of the curve. A baby grand is usually under six feet. A concert grand can exceed nine.
What actually drives the price
Stairs
Stairs are the single biggest variable. Expect $40 to $100 per flight, or $5 to $10 per step on a longer run. A 500-pound upright down two flights is a different job from the same piano rolling across a level garage, and the price reflects that.
Distance from the door to the truck
A long carry costs money for the same reason stairs do. If the truck cannot park within about 75 feet of the door, or if the street is too narrow or steep for a full-size vehicle, the crew needs either a longer carry or a shuttle. Both add hours.
Mileage
Local moves are generally figured at $1.50 to $3.00 per mile on top of a base rate. Long-distance moves run higher per mile and are usually quoted as a flat rate based on distance, weight, and access at both ends.
Disassembly
Grand pianos almost always need partial disassembly to get out of a house. The crew removes the legs, the lyre or pedal box, and the music rack, moves the body on its side on a piano board, and reassembles at the destination. Budget around $150 for this. Reassembly is normally included in the quote.
Crating
Custom crating is not standard, but it becomes worth it for high-value instruments, international shipments, or anything going into long-term storage. A crated grand runs $700 to $1,600. If your piano is worth more than $10,000, ask about crating and about additional transit coverage.
Timing
Rush and same-day jobs carry a premium, frequently $300 to $700. Bay Area demand concentrates between May and September and at the end of every month.
How California pricing works differently
Most piano moving cost articles quote flat rates. That is not how a licensed California household goods carrier bills a local move.
Intrastate moves in California are priced hourly under Maximum Rate Tariff 4, which is administered by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services. So a Bay Area quote for a piano move is built from crew size, truck, and the hours the job takes, not a flat per-piano fee. Stairs, long carries, and shuttles all show up as hours rather than as separate line items.
You are also entitled to a written estimate before the work starts, carrying a not-to-exceed price that your final invoice cannot exceed. Any California mover who will not put that in writing is a problem.
Interstate piano moves work the other way. Those are priced on weight and distance under federal rules, not hourly.
Bay Area access problems that change the number
Three local conditions come up constantly and all of them affect the hour count.
Hillside homes in Oakland, Kensington, Montclair, El Cerrito, and much of Marin put long stair runs between the curb and the front door, sometimes 20 steps or more. Some are reached by footpath with no vehicle access at all.
Narrow hill streets often cannot take a full-size van, which means the crew loads a shuttle at the house and transfers to the main truck on a wider street.
Older housing stock across Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda means narrow doorways and switchback stairwells. A full-size upright will not clear some of these without the door coming off its hinges first.
Tell your mover about all three when you request the estimate. It is the difference between an accurate quote and a surprise on moving day.
Why moving a piano yourself is a bad trade
An upright weighs 300 to 800 pounds. A grand weighs 500 to 1,300. The weight is unevenly distributed, the casters on most pianos are decorative rather than functional, and the legs and lyre on a grand snap under lateral load.
Renting a piano dolly and recruiting friends saves a few hundred dollars and risks a five-figure instrument, a broken foot, and a stairwell wall. Professional crews use piano boards, skid boards, hump straps, and ramps, and they carry cargo coverage that actually applies to the instrument.
One thing worth knowing: standard released-value coverage on a household goods move pays 60 cents per pound. On a 500-pound baby grand, that is $300 regardless of what the piano is worth. If your instrument has real value, ask specifically about full value protection rather than assuming you are covered.
What to tell the mover when you call
Have these ready and your quote will be accurate:
- The make and model of the piano
- Whether it is vertical or horizontal, and the measurement
- The number of steps at both the pickup and the delivery address
- Whether a full-size truck can park within about 75 feet of each door
- Any tight doorways, landings, or turns between the piano and the street
- Whether the piano is going into storage at any point
After the move: tuning
Every piano goes out of tune when it moves. It is not a sign the crew did anything wrong. The instrument responds to the change in humidity and temperature at the new location.
The Piano Technicians Guild recommendation is to wait two to four weeks after the move before tuning, so the piano acclimates first. Tuning it the day after delivery means paying for it twice.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to move a piano as part of a full house move?
Usually, yes. The crew and truck are already on site and already billing hourly, so the piano adds labor time rather than a separate call-out.
Do you tip piano movers?
It is optional. Where people do tip, the common range is 10 to 25 percent of the job, or $20 to $40 per crew member.
Can a general moving company move a piano?
Some can and some cannot. Ask directly whether the crew has piano boards and skids and has done it before, rather than assuming.
How long does it take?
A local upright move with no stairs is typically one to two hours with a two or three person crew. A grand with stairs at both ends takes considerably longer.
Can a piano go into storage?
Yes, in a warehouse vault. Ask about humidity conditions, since large swings are hard on the soundboard and pinblock.
Get a quote on your piano
Johnson & Daly Moving & Storage has moved pianos across the Bay Area since 1979, from spinets to concert grands, in flatland homes and hillside houses with 30 stairs. Tell us the make, the model, and the stairs, and you get a written estimate with a not-to-exceed price.
