Piano moving insurance, without the sales pitch
Almost every page explaining moving insurance is published by a moving company. We do not move pianos and we are not paid by the companies we list, so here is the part those pages leave until the bottom: the cover that comes as standard would pay a few hundred dollars for an instrument worth tens of thousands, and you are the one who signs it away.
The one sentence that matters
Carrier liability is not insurance. It is the amount a mover owes you under the transport contract. For interstate household goods moves the federal rules set two levels, and the cheap one is settled by weight.
- Full value protection
- The mover is liable for the replacement value of anything lost, damaged or destroyed, up to the declared value of the shipment.This is the default level under 49 CFR 375.201(b). It costs money and is quoted as a rate against the value you declare.
- Released value — $0.60 per pound per article
- Free, and worth roughly what it costs. You get 60 cents for every pound the article weighs, whatever it was worth.You only get this level if you waive full value protection in writing (49 CFR 375.201(c)); 60 cents per pound per article is the rate named in 49 CFR 375.203(b).
Source: 49 CFR Part 375, Subpart B, via the electronic Code of Federal Regulations —ecfr.gov/current/title-49/part-375. Read 3 August 2026.
What $0.60 a pound really pays
These are not illustrations. Each weight below is the figure the manufacturer publishes, taken from our piano weight database, multiplied by $0.60.
| Piano | Published weight | Released-value payout | Weight source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha b1 | 384 lb | $230.40 | Yamaha Corporation of America |
| Yamaha U1 | 502 lb | $301.20 | Yamaha Corporation of America |
| Kawai GX-2 | 714 lb | $428.40 | Kawai America |
| Steinway & Sons B | 802 lb | $481.20 | Steinway & Sons |
| Steinway & Sons D | 1,064 lb | $638.40 | Steinway & Sons |
| Bösendorfer 290 Imperial | 1,217 lb | $730.20 | Bösendorfer |
A new Steinway Model D sells for well over a hundred thousand dollars. If it is dropped down a stairwell under a released-value contract, the mover owes you $638.40. That is not a loophole or bad practice — it is exactly what the contract says, and it is legal. It only becomes a problem because nobody reads the box they ticked.
The third-party insurance trap
A common piece of advice is to buy your own instrument policy and let the mover take released value, because the policy will pick up the difference. Sometimes that works. Often it does not, for three reasons that are easy to check in advance and painful to discover afterwards.
- Care, custody and control exclusions. Many instrument policies exclude loss that happens while the instrument is in the hands of a common carrier, on the reasoning that the carrier is the one who should be liable. Search your policy wording for "carrier" and for "transit".
- Packing conditions. Where transit cover does exist, it frequently applies only if the instrument was professionally crated. Crating runs $700–$1,200 on a piano move. Buying the policy and skipping the crate can leave you with neither cover nor a claim.
- Subrogation into a $0.60 wall. If your insurer pays out, it will usually try to recover from whoever caused the damage. When you signed a released-value waiver, the most it can recover from the mover is 60 cents a pound. Some policies reduce or refuse a payout where the insured has contractually limited a third party's liability. That clause is the one to read.
Do not take the mover's word on any of this and do not take ours. Send your insurer the two questions in writing: does this policy cover damage while the piano is being moved by a commercial carrier, and does it change anything if I accept the carrier's released-value liability level? Keep the answer.
Certificates of insurance
A certificate of insurance is the document your building manager will demand and the document a rogue mover cannot produce. It comes from the insurer, names the policies, the limits and the dates, and can be issued with your building listed as an additional insured. Two things are worth knowing. A COI proves cover exists on the day it was issued, and nothing more — it is not a guarantee of a payout. And it is a separate matter from the federal insurance filings a carrier must have on record, which you can check for free on our mover verification page.
Common questions
- Do piano movers include insurance?
- No. What comes as standard is carrier liability, which is not insurance. Under 49 CFR 375.201 an interstate household goods mover's default liability is full value protection — replacement value up to the declared value of the shipment. But you can waive that in writing, and the alternative released-value level pays 60 cents per pound per article (49 CFR 375.203(b)). Movers offer that waiver because it is free, and many customers sign it without understanding what they gave up.
- How much does released value pay for a piano?
- Weight times $0.60, regardless of what the piano is worth. A 502 lb Yamaha U1 pays $301.20. A 1,064 lb Steinway Model D pays $638.40. If the piano is destroyed, that is the whole settlement.
- What is full value protection?
- Under 49 CFR 375.201(b) the mover is liable for the replacement value of goods lost, damaged or destroyed, up to the declared value of the shipment. It is the default for interstate household goods moves and it costs money, quoted as a rate against the declared value. It is the level you want for a piano.
- What is a certificate of insurance and when do I need one?
- A certificate of insurance, usually called a COI, is a one-page document from the mover's insurer confirming that their general liability and cargo policies are live, with the limits and the dates. Most apartment buildings and many condo boards require one naming the building as an additional insured before they will let a crew use the elevator or the loading dock. Ask for it a week before the move, not on the day, because it has to be issued by the insurer and not by the mover.
- Will my own instrument insurance policy cover the move?
- Read the transit clause before you assume so. Many specialist instrument policies either exclude damage that happens while the instrument is in the care, custody and control of a common carrier, or require professional crating for transit cover to apply. Buying an instrument policy does not change the mover's liability, and the mover's released-value contract does not wrap around your policy. If your insurer will cover the move, ask for that in writing and give a copy to the mover.
- How long do I have to make a claim?
- Your bill of lading sets the deadline, and federal law bars a carrier from allowing less than nine months to file (49 U.S.C. 14706(e)). Once you file, the carrier must acknowledge the claim in writing within 30 days (49 CFR 370.5) and must pay, decline or make a firm settlement offer within 120 days (49 CFR 370.9). Every interstate household goods mover must also run an arbitration program for loss and damage disputes (49 CFR 375.211).
Before you sign anything
- Ask, in writing, which valuation level the quote assumes and what full value protection would add.
- Declare a value for the piano that matches an appraisal or a purchase invoice, and keep that document.
- Ask for a COI naming your building, at least a week ahead, if either address has a manager.
- Photograph the piano from every side, including the legs, lyre and pedals, with the date on, before the crew arrives.
- Note any damage on the delivery paperwork before you sign it, then file the claim in writing.