How To Ship A Piano Keyboard? – Guidance & Useful Tips

Everyone knows, from kids to adults & professional pianists, that the pianola is quite an expensive pleasure and musical instrument. Sometimes, we need to transport the piano to another location.

How To Ship A Piano Keyboard?

Nonetheless, how to protect and secure the pricey instrument? What are the requirements for packing to ensure safe piano moving? What courier service to choose, and what are the shipping costs?

Meet the answers to these and akin questions in this post to avoid damage and ship the digital piano safely!

What Is The Best Way To Pack A Piano Keyboard For Shipping? – Step-By-Step Guidance

Most people, who intend to transport musical instruments to a new home or just a new place, become confused about the aspect of properly packing and releasing the delivery procedure. And truly, the digital piano shipment has many nuances you should be aware of.

However, my step-by-step guide below will answer on most of your questions according to the instrument packing and delivery.

Step 1: Prepare The Box

Half of the deal for providing safe shipping is choosing the right side of the box, and this point may become a real issue. Make the dimensions of your instrument and prepare the appropriate box. Add 5 inches (13 cm) to each side of the instrument, and you will get the appropriate dimensions for the size of the piano box.

Most likely, you wouldn’t find the appropriate size of boxes in the local post office, so, you should explore the internet and order it online. Otherwise, if you have kept the original box, you may reuse it for delivery.

We recommend to print or buy the caution stickers and using them on a box. Remember to leave a space for cutting flaps.

Step 2: Care On Wrapping Your Keyboard Carefully

After you found the box of the right size, you should look for packaging material to make the keyboard protected. For such purposes, you can use bubble wrap as the packing peanuts, which will ensure strong protection. Wrap at least 3 layers to protect the keyboard of the piano. More layers – more quality of protection of a package.

If you have a digital piano, remember to pack & wrap the power cord, cables, and other equipment. Then, wrap it on top of the wrapped keyboard of the pianola using bubble wrap. Ensure that the package of your keyboard is reliable to back up a secure transit of the instrument.

Step 3: Make Padded Ends

To support the piano instrument with additional protection, especially if you aim to transport an upright or grand piano, you should look for and buy foam corners. After you wrapped the instrument fully, you should put the foam pads on the angles of the piano and bubble wrap it one time again.

In such a way, you will properly pack the acoustic piano or digital piano and, as the result, the instrument will move to a new home safely.

Step 4: Pack Your Box

After passing this trio of essential steps, you are close to the final and almost ready to order shipment. Put the wrapped keyboard into the box, and use the packing peanuts from the foam to fill the available space.

This packing material, you can buy in any store or carrier point, or local factory. This kind of packaging wouldn’t cost a lot of money and you, for its part, wouldn’t have to worry about the package and its safety.

Step 5: Finally Make Your Box, Weight It & Ship

And, finally, as soon as you slide the keyboard or piano into the box, you will be ready to send it to the new location. But before, tape the box flaps and ensure their reliability. Make the essential markers (for example, you can mark where is the top of the box), print the special label “fragile” and use it on your box to warn the carrier. Then, weigh it and send it.

The Most Useful Tips For Transporting Digital Pianos

Do you have left questions after reading the step-by-step guidance? So, meet my recommendations for transporting the different types of pianos, and you will definitely find answers to all the topics!

1) Check The Weight & The Dimensions Of Your Instrument

The first thing you should pay attention to in choosing the type, of delivery is the weight of your piano. The simplest in moving are digital pianos, keyboards, and console pianos (this type you will have to send in disassemble condition), which you can send to the nearest post office. In this case, you should care only about packaging material and the necessary marking & cautions.

Interestingly, most digital keyboards from internet shops are sent by national post office companies, which is one of the cheapest and most useful ways.

The dimensions of the piano are important as well and are very significant factors in choosing the shipping method. Performance grand pianos and upright items aren’t as simple in delivery as digital pianos. In most cases, you will have to use the services of a car or van delivery.

For antique and other specific models of piano, you may even use the services of plane delivery, which will support you and your instruments with reliable worship and send your packaging safely. Otherwise, you risk damaging the melody of the music of your piano.

2) Disconnect Any Portable Pedals, Power Adapters, Or Stands

There is a thing, that may damage your digital keyboard instrument: missing the step of disconnecting the cables from your instrument. In such a position, there is a high possibility of cord damage.

It’s better to wrap all the cables using the corresponding packaging materials, like bubble wrap. Otherwise, the music may sound different and be completely distorted.

3) Disassemble Digital Console Pianos Before Moving

As we already mentioned, the kind of piano influences on selecting the method of delivery. However, the owners of the digital console piano are the favorites of good luck because they can use the most democratic way to transport the digital piano even to foreign countries using the services of the international post.

Notwithstanding, it’s not as portable as traditional keyboards, and you will have to slide it into the box in the disassembly position. It’s also a good idea to explore the official website of your piano brand because they may offer a discount and cooperate with a shipping company. They may also sell the equipment for a secured ship or own car delivery.

4) Protect The Keys!

Do you know that piano keys are the most precarious part of the piano, despite is it a digital piano or a traditional one? So, care about the right protection of this part of the piano. For such a purpose you can use a special case for transporting, blankets, etc.

5) Consider On Purchasing A Case For Moving Portable Digital Pianos

Digital pianos are the simplest in transporting. In some cases, you don’t even have to use the services of delivery and transport of digital instruments on your own. It will be relevant to buy a special case for moving digital keyboards. In the main compartment, you can input the keyboard of the digital piano and slide the stand into an additional pocket.

6) Load-In & Load-Out Piano Warily

All the steps of the preparation procedure for piano transporting are very careful: boxing, packing, positioning, etc. You should care about the loading step (load-in & load-out) as cautiously as never before. Despite, you are an owner of a grand piano or digital keyboard and other digital keyboard instruments, your piano may catch an injury.

In some cases, if the piano is very expensive, unique, or an item for performance, it’s better to contact the group of specialists, that will carry out the shipping.

7) Answer On A Question: When To Hire A Professional?

If you are an owner of a console piano or digital keyboard, it’s unnecessary to hire a team of loaders. However, we insistently recommend contacting a professional if you have an upright or grand piano, which have a sophisticated and tender mechanism and must be lifted with particular care. The ace will also advise you on what type of transport it will be better to decide on: van, car or lorry.

How To Ship A Piano Keyboard? – FAQ

What Are The Shipping Policies Of The Major Shipping Companies Regarding Acoustic Digital Piano Keyboards?

Most digital pianos are transported by such companies as UPS and FedEx according to the fact that they propose a reasonable price. These shipping companies are well-orientated and know how to deliver the keyboard instruments and even purpose their own guidance, where the topic of preparation and packing is revealed in detail.

The main term of FedEx is the maximum limit of piano weight: 150 Ibs. For its part, UPS supports the delivery of weights over 150 Ibs (68 kg) and up to 108 inches (274 cm) long

Conclusion

So, the procedure of pianola transporting is hassle enough, however, in our post I mentioned some tips, which may simple this issuance. Pass step by step and you will transport your pianola carefully. But I insist on hiring professionals for this deal (if you have such a possibility) because the safety of your instrument will be guaranteed.

After transportation, an acoustic piano always needs to be tuned. How much does it cost to tune an acoustic piano? – Find out in this article!

If you are interested in the question of how to fix broken keys on a digital piano, I recommend reading this article.

You can learn more about moving a piano in the following video.