Many people find it confusing and challenging when choosing a cremation urn for their loved ones. If you are going through a difficult time of losing someone you love and experiencing the same issue when selecting the right cremation urn, we hope this post may help.
How to choose the right cremation urn? Here are some of the things to consider:
- Size and Capacity
- What You Decide To Do With The Ashes
- Materials And Price
Sizes and Capacities
Cremation Urn Sizes
In most cases, you need an adult-sized urn, or a standard-sized urn, for the remains of a single person. However, two adult, couple, or child sizes are also available.
Capacities of The Urn
The general rule for selecting the right urn size is 1 lb of bodyweight – 1 cubic inch.
For example, if the body weighs 168lbs before cremation, the urn needs to be at least 165 cubic inches or larger.
However, we still recommend you get a consultation from your cremation service provider or your crematorium for a better estimate. In addition, if you decide to put the ashes in a columbarium, it is important that you check with the authorities there for the size and types of urn they allow.
The capacity of a standard urn ranges from 200 to 250 lbs for bodies that weigh 220 lbs or less. Keepsakes hold a small amount of ashes. Extra-large urns are suggested for tall and larger cremated bodies.
What You Decide To Do With The Ashes
Keep The Ashes At Home
With the option of displaying the ashes at home, you can choose any type of urn based on your preference. For families who decide to share the ashes among family members, medium-sized urns could be used.
Scattering The Ashes
We recommend you select a scatter urn with a top opening design. After scattering, many people decide to keep a portion of the remains. In this case, you can purchase a small urn or a keepsake.
Keep In Columbarium / Bury The Ashes
Dimensions of the urn are the most important factor. We would highly suggest you check with the cemeteries before making any purchase. Additionally, some sites have special rules and restrictions for cremation urns. Therefore, it is even more important to ask for information.
The same applies to burial. The urn is placed and preserved in a burial container or an urn vault. As a result, knowing the capacity of the outer container is important – and purchasing the right dimension of the urn placed inside holds no less importance. In addition, it is possible to put the remains directly into the urn vault and bury the vault. Many people prefer this method to buy an urn as it is more affordable.
Water or Natural Burial
As an environmentally-friendly option, biodegradable urns are made completely from natural materials. They can decompose easily in land, soil, or water.
Keep Two People’s Ashes Together
Companion urns are the best option for people that wish to remain together after death. The capacity of companion urns is often 400+ cubic inches.
Materials and Price
Urns are available in different materials ranging from wood, metal, ceramics, glass, to gold and jewelry. Premium urns are often made from expensive materials and require sophisticated craftsmanship. Metal offers a cheaper price than others do. Wood and ceramic are the most widely chosen at the price of about $300 on average.
We understand that it is difficult and challenging to select the right urn while your loved one has just passed away and there are lots of things and emotions to handle.
Here at Going Home Cremations, with more than 20 years of experience in cremation services, we walk you through the process with care and help you to choose the best urn for your loved one.
Please contact Going Home Cremation – For further information, please visit Our Affordable Cremation Page or Call Us For A Free Consultation!
