How Old Is My Piano

How Old Is My Piano

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HOW OLD IS MY PIANO?

FREE PIANO IDENTIFICATION & SERIAL NUMBER LOOKUP TOOL

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Find the age of your piano using its serial number. Most piano manufacturers use stamped serial numbers to indicate production periods, which can be converted into approximate manufacturing years using this database.

FIRST, FIND YOUR PIANO'S SERIAL NUMBER

(OR SKIP STRAIGHT TO THE LOOKUP TOOL)

UPRIGHT PIANOS

Open the top lid. Look inside the frame area for a stamped number on the cast-iron plate or internal metal structure. This is the most common place to find it.

Occasionally, I come across an upright where the only place the serial number is printed is on the back of the piano.  

Close up of the serial number on a Kimball studio piano.
Close up of the serial number on a Kimball studio piano.
A Kimball studio piano with the lid open, revealing the serial number location.
On this Kimball, once you open the lid, the serial number badge is immediately apparent.
A Baldwin spinet piano with the lid open, revealing the serial number location.
On this Baldwin spinet, the serial number is printed directly onto the frame.
Close up of the serial number on a Hailun upright piano.
Close up of the serial number on a Hailun upright piano.
Close-up of the serial number on an Oscar Steinbach upright piano.
Close-up of the serial number on an Oscar Steinbach upright piano.
Yamaha upright piano showing it's serial number.
On this Yamaha upright, the serial number is visible on both the plate and the wooden side.

GRAND PIANOS

The most common place to find the serial number on a grand piano is printed directly onto the cast iron plate.

Open the lid and look near the tuning pins. Often you will need to remove the music desk in order to see it. To remove the music desk, in almost all cases, just slide it towards the keys of the piano until it comes out. Sometimes, there is a notch and you must pull upwards while sliding it. 

Serial number on a Yamaha GB1.
Serial number on a Yamaha GB1.
Close up of the serial number on a Howard grand piano.
Close up of the serial number on a Howard grand piano.
A Steinway & Sons grand piano with the lid open, revealing the serial number location.
On Steinway & Sons grands, the serial number is located inside of this recessed area on the plate. Below the serial number is the model name.
Serial number badge on a Wurlitzer grand piano.
On this Wurlitzer grand, the serial number is printed on a badge, under the piano, on the treble side.
A Kawai KG-2E grand piano with the lid open, revealing the serial number location.
A Kawai KG-2E grand piano with the lid open, revealing the serial number location.
Close-up of a Hyundai grand piano serial number.
Here we can see the location of the serial number, right next to the tuning pins on this Hyundai grand.
IF YOU CANNOT FIND THE SERIAL NUMBER IN THE COMMON LOCATIONS,
YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK FOR IT ON THE ACTION 

Note: this method is advanced and requires some disassembly!

A fallboard being removed from a grand piano.

On most modern grands, especially Asian-built, removing the fallboard (key cover) is very simple. Just pull upward and out, being careful not to scratch the “arms” of the piano.

Removing the cheek blocks from a grand piano.

After removing the fallboard, the next step is removing the cheek blocks. In most all cases these are held in place by a single large screw on the underside of the piano which goes into the middle of the cheek block from below.

Grand piano keyslip removal.

The last step is removing the keyslip. On most modern pianos, the keyslip can be pulled directly upward and removed after the cheek blocks are out. In some grands, especially older ones, there will be 3 to 5 screws holding it in from below the keyboard.

Grand piano with the keyslip removed.

Once the keyslip is out, you will often find the serial number printed on the action. If you do not see it on the front, it might be on a key, a metal rail, or inside the action cavity on the piano itself. It’s also quite possible it won’t be there at all.

Note: on some pianos, you can skip straight to the last step and simply remove the keyslip without having to remove anything else, though it is usually locked into place by the cheek blocks.

COMMON MISTAKES

• confusing model numbers with serial numbers
• misreading stamped digits due to wear, reflection, or plate corrosion
• incorrectly including prefix letters in the lookup tool

In most cases, incorrect results are caused by serial misidentification rather than lookup system error.

The model number on the cast iron plate of a Hyundai grand piano.
Neither of these numbers are the serial number. You will find this exact configuration on some Hyundai, Kohler & Campbell, Hazelton Brothers, and other brands.
Wurlitzer grand serial number badge close-up.
On this Wurlitzer grand piano badge, we see first the model number, then the serial number to the right.
Close-up of the serial number and model number on an Essex upright piano.
In this close-up of an Essex upright, we see the model number (EUP-123) and the serial number below it. Do not enter the letters before and after the numerical digits in the lookup tool.
Close-up of a Sohmer upright piano's serial number.
Here we see a close-up of a Sohmer serial number. The first 6 numbers are the serial number. Everything after that references the model number.

ADDITIONAL HELP

If you are still unable to identify your serial number or manufacturer, visit the BRAND SPECIFIC GUIDES for detailed visual references.

Even as a piano tech with 38 years of experience, I sometimes cannot find the serial number because the manufacturer simply did not make it available. 

THE LOOKUP TOOL

STEP 1: SELECT THE MANUFACTURER

Important Notes for the Following Makers:

Do NOT enter the letter into the serial number field. 

If your serial number starts with a number, choose just the maker’s name in the dropdown list (i.e. “Yamaha”)

If your serial number starts with a letter(s), choose the appropriate maker entry (i.e.” Yamaha, serial starts with H”)

These makers have different serial number ranges for Uprights and Grands

For Uprights, choose just the name of the maker in the dropdown list (i.e. Young Chang)

For Grands, choose the maker’s name which is followed by Grand (i.e. “Young Chang Grands Only”)

STEP 2: ENTER YOUR SERIAL NUMBER

STEP 3: THE RESULT

OTHER USEFUL TOOLS

Check Your Piano’s Pitch: Most pianos go flat over time. Use our free Pitch Checker to see if your piano is currently at Concert Pitch (A440).

How Often Should My Piano Be Tuned?: (maintenance recommendations)

ABOUT THIS DATABASE

This tool uses curated manufacturer serial records and historical production data to estimate piano age and origin. It is designed for owners, buyers, and technicians seeking quick identification and context for their instrument. Meet the piano technician behind this tool. 

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