Insurance for violin makers, piano makers, organ builders and other instrument makers in Germany
In the workshop hangs a customer's violin worth more than all the equipment, tonewood has been drying in the store for twenty years, and tomorrow the grand piano must go up to the third floor. Violin makers, piano makers, organ builders and other instrument makers are liable for other people's valuables and work with material that cannot be replaced quickly. This page explains what to cover in Germany and what it costs.
Is my customer's violin insured while it is in my workshop?
Not automatically. Many liability policies exclude damage to items you are working on or holding in your care. You need an extension for damage to items in your care and being worked on, and contents insurance that covers third party property at its real value against fire, water and burglary.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Customer instruments
A crack when removing a top, a slipped tool on piano lacquer: damage to other people's instruments quickly reaches five figures.
02
Burglary and theft
Old string instruments and bows are small, valuable and easy to sell. Workshops are a known target.
03
Tonewood and materials
Wood stored for decades, gut and silver strings cannot simply be bought again after a fire.
04
Varnish, glue and solvents
Spirit varnish, shellac and shavings burn easily; wood dust and extraction are typical sources of fire.
05
Transport and installation
Grand pianos in stairwells, organ pipes in the gallery: transport and installation at the customer cause damage to property and people.
06
Climate
A heating failure or water damage in winter makes wood crack and glue joints open.
With cover for damage to customer instruments in your care and being worked on, and for damage during installation in churches, concert halls and homes.
For disputes about repair results, expert reports and fees.
What it costs: example prices
Premiums depend mainly on the value of the instruments in your care at the same time, the security and location of the workshop, and installations at customers' premises.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
One person violin workshop with cover for items worked on up to €50,000
around €200 to €600 a year
Business liability
Piano workshop with five staff, transport and tuning service
around €500 to €1,500 a year
Business contents
Workshop with tools, wood and customer instruments worth €300,000, including burglary
around €700 to €2,000 a year
Cargo insurance
Annual policy for own transport of instruments up to €100,000 per trip
around €300 to €900 a year
For comparison: Liability and contents cover for a small violin workshop cost roughly as much a year as a thorough overhaul of a student instrument.
Guide figures from our quoting, as of October 2026, excluding German insurance tax.
Very valuable single instruments are often assessed separately.
The sources support the legal statements on this page; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Six things that really happen to instrument makers, all on one day. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€209,500
While opening an old violin, the top cracks further than planned. The customer claims the loss in value.
€18,000 · Paid by: Business liability
During transport a grand piano slips in the stairwell, damaging banister and instrument.
€24,000 · Paid by: Cargo insurance
An organ builder drops a tool from the gallery and injures a visitor to the church.
€9,000 · Paid by: Business liability
The customer disputes the bill for a full overhaul and an expert is needed.
€3,500 · Paid by: Business legal expenses
Burglars take three customer violins and two bows from the workshop.
€65,000 · Paid by: Business contents
A short circuit in the extraction sets the wood store on fire. Decades old tonewood is lost.
€90,000 · Paid by: Business contents
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €209,500
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Have damage to customer instruments in your care and being worked on expressly included, and set the sum by the most valuable piece you hold.
Keep an intake book with photos, condition and value of every customer instrument; it settles disputes about prior condition.
Insure tonewood at replacement value, not at the price you paid twenty years ago.
Check the security requirements for burglary cover, such as locks and alarm, before anything happens.
If you ship instruments or take them to fairs, you need transport cover that includes breakage.
For very valuable instruments, agree in writing with the customer who bears which risk.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We watch other people's valuables
Damage to items in your care is the gap where instrument makers most often fall short. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert obtains quotes from several insurers and compares exactly these extensions.
Claims handling seen from the inside
From boat insurance we know claims handling for valuable one off items from our own work. That helps to set values and records when the policy is taken out.
Workshop and private cover in one place
Workshop, your own instruments, vehicle and private cover come together with one contact who can explain German policies in English.
The Nammert family has arranged insurance since 1989
Instrument making is often a family craft, and ours is a family firm too. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Do I need a master qualification as a violin or piano maker?
No.
Violin makers, piano and harpsichord makers,
plucked and wind instrument makers are listed in Annex B section 1 of the Crafts Code.
Organ and harmonium builders are listed in Annex A and need a master qualification.
Does liability pay if I damage an instrument during repair?
Only with an extension for items being worked on.
Without it, damage to the item you are working on is excluded in many policies.
Are customer instruments covered in a burglary?
If your contents insurance includes third party property and the sum is high enough.
Check the security requirements for the workshop.
What does insurance cost for a small workshop?
In our quoting, liability and contents usually come to €900 to €2,600 a year,
depending on the value of instruments in your care.
Do I need transport insurance?
If you deliver, ship or take instruments to fairs, yes.
Liability usually does not cover your own or customers' instruments in transit.
Are my employees covered for accidents?
Yes, employees are insured by law under Social Code Book VII through the responsible
Berufsgenossenschaft.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Instrument maker
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