How a piano appraisal works
A piano appraisal is an estimate of what a specific piano would sell for today, built from evidence rather than the asking price the owner has in mind. There are three ways to get one, and they answer slightly different questions.
Comparable listings (what this page does)
The same method a piano dealer or technician uses to price a trade: find instruments of the same make, model and size from a similar era that are for sale or recently sold, adjust for condition, rebuild history and finish, and land on a range. Our estimator runs that comparison against the live inventory on this site plus a web search for the same piano elsewhere, so the range moves with the market instead of with a printed guide.
Price guides and blue books
The Piano Book, its annual supplement and the online blue books list new prices and suggested used ranges by brand and size. They are useful for placing a brand in its tier, but they cannot see a specific instrument: a guide cannot tell a well-kept 1970s grand from one that spent forty years by a radiator. Useful as a floor and a ceiling; rarely the number a piano actually trades at.
Technician inspection and written appraisal
A registered piano technician goes through the instrument in person — soundboard and bridges, pinblock and tuning stability, hammers and action, the case and finish — and a written appraisal states a value. An inspection usually costs about the price of a tuning, and a formal written appraisal is what insurers, courts, estates and the IRS accept. An online estimate is where you start; the inspection is what closes a claim or a donation.
What to have ready
Make and model are enough for a first number. Each item below narrows the range, and all of them are what an inspector or buyer will ask for anyway.
- Serial number
- Stamped on the plate near the tuning pins on a grand, or inside the top on an upright. With the brand it gives the year of manufacture, which is what every comparable is matched on.
- Brand, model and size
- The model name and the length of a grand or height of an upright. A 6'2" grand and a 5'1" grand of the same brand sit in different price brackets.
- Condition, honestly graded
- Cracks in the soundboard, loose tuning pins, worn or grooved hammers, sticking keys, and the state of the finish. Cosmetic wear costs a little; a failed pinblock or soundboard costs most of the value.
- Rebuild and service history
- New strings, hammers or a restrung and refinished instrument change the number; so does a regular tuning record. Keep the technician's invoices.
- Where it has lived
- A climate-controlled room versus a garage, basement or a house on the coast. Humidity swings are what crack soundboards and loosen pins, and buyers ask.
- Bench, cover and player system
- An original matching bench, a humidity-control system or a player system (Disklavier, Spirio, PianoDisc) each move the number when they work and the buyer wanted them.
Where appraisals land by brand, 2026
The live comparables behind the estimator. For each brand with at least five priced pianos listed on US Piano Connection right now: how many are for sale, the median asking price, and the spread from the cheapest older example to the newest and best equipped. Refreshed hourly.
| Brand | Listed | Low | Median asking | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | 465 | $400 | $8,399 | $85,995 |
| Steinway & Sons | 390 | $1,500 | $58,950 | $250,000 |
| Kawai | 192 | $648 | $8,992 | $185,000 |
| Baldwin | 136 | $10 | $8,994 | $54,385 |
| Roland | 71 | $400 | $2,995 | $18,650 |
| Schimmel | 52 | $6,500 | $30,495 | $172,363 |
| Young Chang | 51 | $1,500 | $5,990 | $19,996 |
| Samick | 47 | $999 | $3,995 | $15,380 |
| Boston | 37 | $4,795 | $14,200 | $49,200 |
| Mason & Hamlin | 37 | $1,495 | $24,800 | $68,500 |
| Casio | 36 | $650 | $2,799 | $7,500 |
| Wurlitzer | 34 | $100 | $2,488 | $9,990 |
Asking prices, not sale prices. A private sale of an ordinary example usually closes below the median; a recent or rebuilt instrument with records sits above it. Brand pages on the site break each of these down by model.
When an online estimate is not enough
The range on this page is what you need to price a listing, judge an offer or decide whether to trade in. Four situations call for a written appraisal from a qualified inspector or accredited appraiser.
- Insurance. Scheduling a piano on a homeowner's policy, and any claim after a move, flood or fire, usually requires a written appraisal; the payout is capped at that figure.
- Donation to a charity. A written appraisal by a qualified appraiser is required for a tax deduction above $5,000, and the piano's fair market value is what you can claim — a common step for schools and churches receiving instruments.
- Estates, divorce and disputes. A neutral written value stands up where an online range or a dealer's offer will not.
- Moving damage claims. Movers and their insurers settle from a documented pre-move value; without one, a cracked lid or a dropped grand becomes an argument.
Frequently asked questions
Is the piano appraisal really free?
Yes. Enter the piano and you get the range on the page, no account and no card. US Piano Connection earns from optional listing boosts and dealer subscriptions, not from appraisals.
How accurate is an online piano appraisal?
For a common production piano in honest condition, the range is usually within about ten percent of where the instrument sells privately. It is least reliable for rare or antique instruments, pianos with structural damage, and anything over roughly 60 years old that has not been rebuilt, where a technician's inspection matters more than the comparables.
What is the difference between a piano appraisal and a technician inspection?
An appraisal answers what the piano is worth; an inspection answers what condition it is in, and the technician's report usually includes a value. Online appraisals and dealer opinions are free and fast; an inspection is an in-person examination you pay for and the only one an insurer, court or the IRS accepts.
Do dealers and private sellers get the same number?
The estimator returns a private-sale range. Dealers list higher because their price includes regulation, tuning, delivery and a warranty, and they need a trade-in margin. If you are trading in, expect an offer well under the private range.
Does the appraisal include the bench and delivery?
Tell the estimator what is included. A matching bench adds a little; delivery is usually the buyer's cost and a piano that must be moved by professionals from a walk-up will sell for less than the same instrument on a ground floor.
Is there a blue book value for pianos?
There are published guides and online blue books, built from list prices and dealer reports rather than what a specific used instrument sold for. This page uses asking prices for the same piano on the market right now, then you can check a guide as a second opinion.
Got your number?
Read how much is my piano worth? for the factors that move a value and 2026 figures by brand and age, then our guide to selling your piano — pricing, photos and what buyers look for — or list it free and put it in front of buyers nationwide.