When people call us about a house move, they'll often mention the piano almost as an afterthought. "Oh, and we've got a piano too." It usually comes at the end of the sentence, slipped in after the beds and the dining table and the boxes of books.

We understand why. From the outside, a piano looks like a large piece of furniture. It's not. Moving a piano is a completely different job from moving a wardrobe, and treating it like one is how pianos, and people, get hurt.

This isn't a scare piece. It's an honest explanation of what's actually involved, so you know what to expect, what questions to ask, and why the quote for moving your piano is what it is.

More Australians Own Pianos Than You Might Think

Before we get into the logistics, here's some context. According to research by the Australian Music Association, approximately 4.25 million Australian households, around 53% of the total, own at least one musical instrument. The upright piano is among the most commonly played instruments in the country, sitting alongside the acoustic guitar at the top of the list.

That's a lot of pianos. And every time one of those households moves, the piano comes too, whether the reputable removalist is ready for it or not.

First, What Kind of Piano Are We Talking About?

Not all pianos are the same, and the type you have determines almost everything about how it needs to be moved.

• Upright pianos are the most common in Australian homes. They stand vertically against a wall and typically weigh between 150kg and 300kg, depending on the brand and age. They're a single, solid structure, no disassembly required, which makes them more manageable than their horizontal cousins, though still far heavier and more awkward than any other household item most people own.
• Baby grand pianos sit horizontally on three legs and weigh anywhere from 200kg to 400kg. Unlike an upright, a baby grand needs to be partially disassembled before it can be moved. The legs come off. The pedal lyre comes off. The lid is removed or secured. All of these pieces are wrapped separately and reassembled at the destination. It requires skill, the right equipment, and time.
• Grand and concert grand pianos are in another category entirely. A full grand piano can weigh up to 650kg. Moving one often requires a team of four or more people, specialised dollies and skid boards, heavy protective padding, and in some cases, if the piano needs to go up stairs or through a window, a crane. This is not an exaggeration. It happens more often than you'd think.
  
  
  

What Makes a Piano So Difficult to Move

Weight is the obvious answer, but it's not the only one. There are three things that make pianos genuinely different from other heavy furniture.

• The shape. A piano's weight is unevenly distributed. On an upright, the heaviest part is the cast iron plate inside, which sits roughly in the middle of the instrument. On a grand, the mass is concentrated at one end (the keyboard end) while the body extends outward. This uneven distribution makes the instrument unpredictable to carry, especially on stairs or through tight doorways.
• The fragility. A piano contains thousands of individual components, hammers, strings, dampers, keys, pedal mechanisms, and many of them are sensitive to impact, vibration, and sudden movement. You can drop a heavy box and replace the contents. If you drop a piano, or tip it at the wrong angle, the damage can be extensive and expensive to repair. Some of it is irreversible. A piano that arrives at its destination needing its action rebuilt is not a minor inconvenience.
• The finish. Most pianos have a high-gloss lacquer finish that marks and scratches extremely easily. A single contact with a door frame, a railing, or another piece of furniture can leave a visible scar on the casing. Professional piano movers use thick moving blankets and purpose-built padding that regular furniture wrap simply isn't designed for.
  
  
  

What Professional Piano Moving Actually Looks Like

When a trained team moves a piano properly, here's what happens.

They arrive having already asked you the right questions: the type and model of piano, the layout of both properties, whether there are stairs, lifts, narrow corridors, or tight corners. Nothing about the move should surprise them on the day.

For an upright piano, the team, usually a minimum of three people, often four, will use a piano skid board (a padded wooden board that the piano is carefully tilted onto) and a purpose-built furniture dolly. The piano is wrapped in heavy moving blankets and secured. If it needs to go up or down stairs, one person controls the top, one the bottom, and others guide from the sides. Nothing is rushed.

For a grand piano, the legs and pedal assembly are removed first, each piece wrapped and labelled individually. The body of the piano is placed on its side on a padded board, secured, and moved on a dolly. At the destination, the whole process happens in reverse, and the piano is reassembled, levelled, and checked before the team leaves.

The Stairs Question

This is where most piano moves get complicated, and where costs can increase significantly.

Every flight of stairs adds time, complexity, and physical demand to a piano move. A ground-floor-to-ground-floor move is straightforward. Add a staircase at either end and the difficulty increases substantially. A staircase with a tight landing or a turn in the middle is harder still.

If you're moving into or out of an apartment building, the lift dimensions matter enormously. Not all lifts can accommodate an upright piano, let alone a baby grand. This is something to check before your move day, not on it.

In situations where neither the stairs nor the lift can be used, the only option may be a crane lift through a window or balcony opening. It's less common, but it happens, particularly in older buildings where lifts are small or stairwells are narrow. If you think this might apply to your move, raise it when you call for a quote so it can be assessed properly.

What Does It Cost in Australia?

Piano moving is priced separately from your general removalist quote, and the cost reflects the specialised nature of the work.

For a local move within the same city, an upright piano typically costs between $250 and $600 to move, depending on access conditions at both ends. A baby grand runs from around $400 to $800. A full grand piano, particularly with challenging access or stairs, can be $800 to $1,500 or more.

Interstate piano moves are priced differently, usually based on weight, distance, and access, and will be quoted specifically once the details are known.

These figures assume the work is done properly, with the right equipment and enough people. Cheaper quotes, from general removalists who "can do pianos too" but don't specialise, often reflect fewer people, less appropriate equipment, and less care. When something goes wrong with a $15,000 piano, the saving on the quote looks very different in hindsight.

What You Can Do to Help

The most useful thing you can do before a piano move is give your trusted Brisbane removalist accurate information upfront.

Tell them the make and model if you know it. If you don't, measure the height, width, and depth. Tell them about any stairs, whether at the current address or the new one, how many steps, whether there's a landing, and how wide the staircase is. Tell them about doorway widths, tight corners, and lift access. The more detail you provide, the more accurate your quote will be and the fewer surprises there'll be on moving day.

One more thing: plan for the piano to be tuned after the move. Any instrument that's been transported, even carefully, will need a tuning check once it's settled in its new location. This is normal and expected, and most piano tuners can visit within a few weeks of the move.

The Short Version

A piano is not a piece of furniture. It's a heavy, fragile, expensive instrument that requires the right people, the right equipment, and a proper plan. When it's moved well, you won't think much about it. When it's moved badly, you'll think about it every time you look at the scratch, or hear the note that no longer sounds quite right.

If your move involves a piano, tell us early. We'll make sure it arrives the way it left.