Transporting a sofa – scratch-free to its new home
Measure, unscrew the feet, grip it right: the short guide – and the right van with driver when the sofa won't fit the station wagon.
- Instant price before booking
- Insured transports
- Carrying help bookable
How to transport a sofa correctly
Measure first, carry second
Measure the sofa (including the diagonal!), doors, hallway, and staircase. Many sofas fit upright where they fail flat – the bottleneck is almost always the door diagonal.
Remove what comes off
Unscrew the feet, take off cushions and plug-in backrests, wrap everything in blankets or stretch film. Screws and small parts go into a labeled bag.
Carry upright, load secured
Carry it upright through tight spots with two people; in the van, load it flat or standing on its backrest and strap it against sliding.
Which vehicle do you need?
A two-seater fits the compact van; from a three-seater on, the 2.7 m class is more relaxed – and XXL sectionals travel in the 3.3 m van. All dimensions and payloads in the van guide →
Will the sofa fit? How to measure doors, hallways and stairwells
Whether a sofa makes it through the flat is decided with a tape measure, not while carrying. Measure the sofa's width, height and depth – plus the diagonal from the top edge of the backrest to the lower front edge of the seat. This diagonal depth is often the measurement that lets a sofa pass through a door on its end when it would fail lying flat.
Then measure the route. Interior doors in German flats mostly follow DIN 18101: the common door leaf is 86 cm wide, narrower doors such as those to a bathroom or storeroom are 73.5 cm. The usable opening is always smaller than the door leaf, because the frame and the open door take up space – so measure the clear width inside the frame. In the stairwell, the gap at the banister and the landing count; in a lift, the car depth and diagonal.
For choosing the vehicle, a rough guide helps: a three-seater often measures around two metres. The 2.7 m class van takes it flat or standing on its backrest; large corner suites travel dismantled in the 3.3 m class Sprinter. State the measurements when you book, and the vehicle will fit too.
Corner, sofa bed, recliner: what comes off before transport
Many sofas are modular even if they do not look it. Corner sofas and large suites consist of elements held together under the seat by sofa connectors. Release the connectors, transport the elements separately and tape the fittings in a bag to one element. Clip-on backrests and armrests can often be pulled out upwards, and feet unscrewed.
On a sofa bed, the mechanism is the weak point: fold it in completely and secure it with a ratchet strap so it cannot extend when the sofa is tilted. Power recliners are disconnected from the mains; the power supply and remote go into a labelled bag, and loose cables under the sofa are fixed so they cannot tear off while carrying. Mention motor functions when booking – frame and electrics make these sofas heavier than models of the same size without a drive.
Protect upholstery with blankets or stretch film, and corners and wooden feet with edge protectors. In the vehicle the sofa stands on its feet or on its long side and is secured against sliding; our article on load securing shows how.
Collecting a second-hand sofa: what to check at the seller's
The most common sofa transport is the collection after an online classifieds purchase. Before the appointment, check with the seller the measurements, the floor, whether there is a lift and whether the sofa will be ready dismantled. Photos of its condition – especially corners, seams and the underside – help with any later questions. Maxmove documents the handover itself digitally with a timestamp, photos and signature.
With used upholstered furniture, take a second look: Germany's Federal Environment Agency names second-hand sofas, beds and mattresses as one of the ways bed bugs get into homes. Check seams, folds and the underside for droppings, shed skins or insects before you buy, and do not take upholstered furniture from the roadside or from bulky-waste collections.
For the collection, enter the seller's address as the pickup point; the bookable carrying help lends a hand, including up and down stairs. If you move second-hand furniture regularly – as a dealer or upcycling workshop, for instance – our page for second-hand furniture covers the right setup.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the transport cost?
From the classifieds find to the moving-day sofa: the price is fixed before you book.
Calculate the price in seconds