Blankets and shrink wrap are fine for a trip across town. But when a piano is crossing the country, boarding a ship, or going into storage for months, it needs something stronger: a crate built specifically around it. That is what professional piano crating is — a custom wooden enclosure that shields the instrument from every direction, no matter how rough the journey gets.
Piano Moving Craft designs and builds these crates in-house for pianos of all sizes, from uprights to concert grands, anywhere in the Puget Sound region and beyond.
When Does a Piano Need a Crate?
Not every move calls for crating, but some situations make it the only sensible choice:
- Long-distance and overseas shipping. The farther a piano travels — and the more hands touch it — the more protection it needs.
- Freight transport. Freight handling can be rough, and a crate keeps the piano safe through loading, unloading, and transfers.
- Storage without climate control. A sealed crate with moisture protection guards against damp, dust, and temperature swings.
- Grands that must be taken apart. When stairs, elevators, or narrow doorways force a disassembly, crated parts travel far more safely than loose ones.
If your piano is valuable, rare, or simply irreplaceable to you, crating is cheap insurance against a very expensive accident.
What Is Inside a Piano That Makes It So Fragile?
A piano may tip the scales at 300 to 1,200 pounds, but its weight hides a delicate interior: thousands of precision components — strings, hammers, felts, and a thin spruce soundboard — that all react badly to shocks, jolts, and humidity changes. A single hard knock in transit can mean a cracked soundboard, a wobbly leg, a chipped finish, warped wood, or a tuning that never quite settles again.
A crate solves this by holding the instrument completely still, cushioned on all sides, sealed against moisture and dust. Nothing shifts, nothing rattles, nothing gets bumped.
Our Crating Process, Step by Step
Every crate we build starts with the piano itself — its measurements, its weight, its age, and where it is headed. From there, the work follows a careful sequence:
First, we look the piano over. We check its size and construction, note any existing wear or antique value, and decide what kind of internal bracing the crate will need.
Then we take apart what needs taking apart. On a grand, that usually means the legs, pedals, music desk, and lid come off. Each piece is padded and secured individually so nothing scratches or knocks against anything else.
Next, we build the crate itself. We work with heavy-duty lumber, cut and assembled to the piano’s exact dimensions — never a one-size-fits-all box. Bracing, foam padding, and weatherproofing go in according to the route and how long the piano will be in transit or storage.
After that, the piano is wrapped. Layers of padding, stretch wrap, and humidity-resistant liners go around the instrument to absorb vibration and block moisture.
Finally, everything is locked down and sealed. Straps, blocks, and cushioning keep the piano immobile inside the crate; the crate is closed, sealed, and labeled for its journey.
Who Orders Crating From Us?
Our crates serve a wide range of customers: moving companies that want extra protection for a client’s piano, international shippers that require ISPM-15 compliant crates, dealers sending inventory to buyers or exhibitions, collectors and musicians relocating rare instruments, and owners putting a piano into long-term storage. We take on standalone crating jobs as well as full white-glove transport, and we regularly work alongside auction houses, shipping brokers, and private owners.
Why Crate With Piano Moving Craft?
- We know pianos first. We are piano movers by trade, so we understand how the instrument is built and where it is vulnerable.
- Everything is made to order. Each crate is constructed from scratch for one specific piano — no prefabricated shells.
- Fully covered. Our crating and transport work carries full liability insurance.
- Any destination. We prepare pianos for moves across Washington, across the country, and overseas.
A piano carries more than sound — it carries memories, milestones, and often a serious investment. Give it the protection it deserves. For a crating quote, call Piano Moving Craft at (206) 530-6886, and we will make sure your instrument arrives exactly as it left.