Before any piano moves, someone has to answer a simple question: will it fit? Through the front door, around the turn at the top of the stairs, into the lift, and into the spot you have picked out in the living room. Here are typical piano sizes, and how we use them when we plan a move.
Upright piano dimensions
Uprights are almost always about the same width, because they all carry an 88 note keyboard. What changes is the height and, to a lesser degree, the depth.
- Width: around 140 to 155 cm for most uprights
- Depth: around 55 to 65 cm
- Spinets and small consoles: about 90 to 105 cm tall
- Studio uprights: about 110 to 120 cm tall
- Full size and older uprights: about 120 to 135 cm tall, sometimes more
Pianolas are similar in size to a tall upright, and heavier. Our upright and pianola moving page covers how they are handled.
Baby grand and grand dimensions
Grands are measured by length, from the front of the keyboard to the curved tail. The width stays close to 150 cm whatever the length.
- Baby grands: roughly 145 to 170 cm long
- Parlour and living room grands: roughly 170 to 210 cm long
- Concert grands: up to around 275 cm long
The good news for a grand is that it never travels at full size. We remove the legs, pedal lyre and lid prop and stand the piano on its straight side on a padded skid board. On its side, a grand is about as tall as its width and only as thick as its body, which lets most grands through a standard internal doorway. See baby grand piano moving for more.
How to measure your access
- Measure every doorway on the route at its narrowest point, including the front door and any security door.
- Measure hallways and note every turn. A turn is often tighter than the doorways either side of it.
- On stairs, measure the narrowest width and note any landings and turns.
- For lifts, measure the door opening and the inside depth and height of the car.
- Measure the spot where the piano will live, and leave a little space behind it for air and for the tuner.
Our guide on what to measure before moving a piano goes into more detail, and moving a piano into an apartment covers lifts and building rules.
Real world fits
Measurements are where most surprises are avoided. We have carried uprights up a tight second floor stairwell, through apartment lifts, and into a home where the only way in was a laneway, a 1 m concrete step and a steep grassy slope. Each one went in because the access was understood before the truck arrived.
Send us your measurements or a few photos when you request a quote and we will tell you honestly whether it fits.
Questions
Piano sizes: FAQs
How wide is an upright piano?
Most uprights are around 140 to 155 cm wide and 55 to 65 cm deep.
Will a baby grand fit through a standard door?
Usually, yes. With the legs off and the piano on its side on a skid board, most baby grands pass through a standard internal doorway. We confirm it when you book.
What if the piano will not fit?
We tell you before moving day. Sometimes a different route or taking a door off its hinges solves it, and sometimes it does not, so it is better to know early.
Ready when you are