Purchase a casket or urn

If the deceased will be buried, you will need to purchase a casket. Your funeral director can help you review options available to you for a casket, or you can purchase the casket online and provide it to the funeral home.

A casket is often the single most expensive item that's needed for a traditional full-service funeral. Caskets vary widely in style and price and are sold primarily for their visual appeal. More basic options will use less expensive materials.

Caskets can be made of metal, wood, fiberboard, fiberglass, or plastic. Although an average casket costs slightly more than $2,000, some mahogany, bronze, or copper caskets sell for as much as $10,000.

If you have specific budget limits, be sure to share this with the funeral director in advance.

Typical casket costs

• Rental casket: $995
• Metal burial casket: $2,500
• Wood burial casket: $3,000
• Green burial casket: $1,500
• Cremation casket: $1,310
• Alternative cremation container: $150
• Vault: $1,572

If the deceased will be cremated, you can choose an urn to store the ashes, with the help of the funeral director or the crematorium director. You can also purchase your own urn to use.

Often when the deceased will be cremated, a casket is rented from the funeral home for the visitation and funeral, eliminating the cost of buying a casket. If you opt for visitation and cremation, ask about the rental option.

If you choose cremation, and particularly direct cremation without a viewing, the crematorium may require that you purchase a simple casket made exclusively out of combustible materials for the remains to be cremated in, called a cremation casket.

Typical urn costs

• Cremation casket: $1,300
• Traditional urn: $295
• Alternative cremation container: $150

Casket Types

• Metal caskets: Can be made of standard or stainless steel, copper, or bronze. May feature gold plating, gasketing, and other optional features. Can cost as low as $800 for a standard steel and upwards of $30,000 for bronze with gold plating.
• Wood caskets: Cost is determined by the type of wood used to make it, but can range from $600 for a simple pine coffin to over $15,000 for mahogany or oak.
• Veneered/Laminate/Fiberboard caskets: Are usually a less costly variant of wood caskets and covered with a wood veneer to make them look like a solid wood casket.
• Fiberglass caskets: Fiberglass is a durable and lightweight material. It is usually used to make caskets for infants and children. They can be finished to look like wood or marble.
• Cremation caskets: Are used in the cremation process and must be entirely combustible and non-toxic. They may be a simple container costing as little as $50 or can cost as much as $1,000 if you use a standard wood casket for the cremation.
• Green caskets: Are biodegradable caskets that decompose and break down after burial. These may have a wide range of costs from as little as $50 for the simplest option to around $1,500 for more expensive yet still biodegradable material.
• Rental caskets: By renting, you can also benefit from the use of a traditional casket only for the viewing.

Casket Features

• Lid: May be one lid (full couch) or split in the middle (half couch) for viewing purposes. A half couch lid will show only the deceased's upper body during a viewing while a full couch will show the entire body.
• Lining: You can choose what type of material lines the inside of the coffin. Typical options are velvet (most expensive), satin, linen, and crepe (least expensive). The lining may be advertised as leak or puncture proof to preserve the body. Casket linings can also be customized with imagery, logos, or patterns to match the deceased's interests. Casket linings can also including tailing options: tufting, ruffles, pleats, etc.
• Exterior: There are many options to choose from for coffin exteriors. Handles, detailing and ornamentation can usually be customized. Wraps can be purchased to fully customize the exterior of a simpler coffin.
• Hardware: More advanced hardware can be chosen to keep the casket lid open and tilt the deceased's body during the viewing. Coffin gaskets to protect the interior from the elements are another common upgrade, especially for metal caskets.

Urns are generally less costly than caskets, but they have a very wide variety of options.

Urn types

• Standard urns: The Cremation Association of North America has set the stand size of an urn at 200 cubic inches. Small to large sized urns will be between 175 and 300 cubic inches in size.
• Keepsake urns: Are smaller in size and meant for holding ashes when they are divided among family members, or for holding the ashes of children or pets.
• Companion urns: Are urns meant to hold two people. They may be a single, large urn to hold the ashes of two adults or they may be two urns in a single design.

Urn features

• Material: Urns can be made of a wide variety of materials - metal, wood, ceramic, glass, etc. The cost of the urn will be significantly determined by the material. The type of material will also determine the durability of the urn and options for customizing the appearance.
• Shape: While urns are traditionally shaped like vases, alternative or non-traditional shapes can also be chosen. A more sculptural appearance might be chosen if an urn will be displayed. For example, shaped urns are common among sports fans.
• Design: Urns can be customized in many ways through their design. Color, photos, emblems and other design features can be chosen to suit the preferences of the deceased or the survivors. For example, specially designed urns for veterans are common.
• Biodegradable: If the deceased's cremated remains will be buried or scattered, a biodegradable urn may be a consideration.