@ 25 lbs./sq ft it comes to 406 lbs. That's 3 men minimum.
I managed to move a 254 lb slab by myself, but I'm clever.
Casey

I would recommend if you are shelling out for soapstone, which is at the upper middle range of natural stone countertops that paying someone for a few hours would be relatively inexpensive in comparison.

I had a client who had to trade out a a brand new refrigerator in her old house for the old one in her new house and found some guy with a Sanford and Son truck to do it for 50 bucks. A new door for the refrigerator cost $400.

Don't try to save money by hurting yourself or breaking the soapstone.

The trick is to keep them near-vertical at ALL times, until you tilt them into place on your perfectly level countertops. Set the back side down first with the finished edge up, then slide back and tilt down.

Moving such heavy slabs takes careful planning -- ramps, angles, who lifts what when. And being clever helps ;-)

Here's a link to Don Cuwish's soapstone installation which has a link to a very detailed album. It's a fantastic thread. Don used bottle jacks to lift the stone. We got a nieghbor to help.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Don's fantastic soapstone install thread.