Piano identification
Find your piano serial number
A serial number can help identify when and where a piano was made. Look carefully under the lid and around the iron frame, but do not remove structural parts or force panels that do not open easily.
Upright pianos
- Open the top lid and look on the iron frame near the tuning pins.
- Check the soundboard or frame behind the music desk.
- Look for a stamped or printed number on the back of the piano.
- Do not confuse a case, action or patent number with the maker’s main serial number.
Grand pianos
- Raise the lid safely and inspect the iron frame near the tuning pins.
- Look around the soundboard and plate openings.
- Check near the keyboard end of the frame and under the music desk.
- Photograph the full mark, including nearby letters or maker stamps.
Before using a serial-number table
Confirm the exact maker name and copy the number exactly. Some manufacturers restarted sequences, used different ranges for factories or models, or placed several unrelated numbers inside one instrument. Photographs of the full piano and the number location help avoid a mistaken identification.
Still cannot find the number?
Send photographs of the front, open top, iron frame and any visible stamps. The Oxford team can help identify the most likely location.