Choosing the right casket is a crucial, personal decision in funeral planning that involves respect for the deceased, tradition, and budget.
This guide aims to help you through the process, covering everything from casket sizes, materials, costs, storage, and logistics—to your rights under the Funeral Law—helping you to make an informed choice during a tough time.
We will also take a look at the advantages of, and motivations for, pre-purchasing a casket in advance, and why many people opt to do so, ensuring that their personal preferences and wishes are respected, while alleviating undue financial pressure and stress on their loved ones.
Understanding Casket Sizes
The first step in picking out a burial casket is determining the correct size.
While a standard-sized casket will accommodate most, it’s no secret that people have been getting larger, increasing the demand for oversized and even custom-built caskets.
This section provides an overview of common casket sizes and their dimensions, as well as an indication of what they typically cost.
- Standard Caskets: Measuring 24” by 79”, standard caskets accommodate individuals of up to 6’10” and 350 lbs. Prices range from $2,000 to $4,000.
- Oversized Caskets: Measuring 28” to 44” wide and 80” to 94” long, oversized caskets accommodate individuals weighing up to 550 lbs.
While you’ll find these off-shelf—marketed as “XL” or “XXL” caskets—expect less choice and to pay a premium, with prices ranging from $3,000 to $7,000. - Custom Caskets: For larger individuals, you’ll need a custom casket made. Prices vary, but start from $5,000 and up.
Understanding Casket Materials and Their Impact on Cost
Caskets can be constructed in a wide range of different materials. The choice of these material not only defines the casket’s aesthetic and durability, but also its cost.
This section explores the impact on price that different, common casket materials—from traditional wood and metal caskets, to eco-friendly and fabric-covered options—have on its price.
This should help you determine which option is best for you—both in terms of your personal preferences and budget.
- Wooden Caskets: These caskets are the most traditional and are available in a wide range of different woods, from softwoods like cedar and pine, to hardwoods like, cherry, oak, and mahogany.
Less traditional hardwoods, like poplar, have become popular—thanks to their lower price and sustainability—which offers significant savings over other hardwood options.
Depending on the chosen wood type, finish, and design, wooden caskets range from $2,000 for softwoods, to over $6,000 for premium, hardwood caskets. - Metal Caskets: Most often made from metals like steel, copper, or bronze—with steel being the more affordable option. These caskets offer greater durability than wood options and a sleeker, more modern look. Princes range from $3,000 to $7,000.
- Fabric-Covered Caskets: Made from low-cost wood or fiberboard and finished with a fabric covering—typically linen, satin, or velvet—these caskets offer a traditional look at a reduced cost. Prices range from $2,000 to $4,000.
- Eco-Friendly Caskets: Made from sustainable, biodegradable materials—like cardboard, bamboo, seagrass, and willow—these environmentally friendly caskets offer a greener alternative to traditional options, with a lower impact on the environment. Prices range from $1,000 to $3,000.
Benefits of Buying Your Own Casket
Deciding to purchase your own casket can be a thoughtful and pragmatic step in planning for the future.
This decision can help to ease the financial and emotional strain on loved ones—alleviating undue financial stress during a time of mourning—as well as to ensure that your final wishes are respected.
In this section we aim to address these benefits, highlighting some of the main reasons people choose to buy a casket for themselves, and why you may want to consider doing the same.
- Personal Choice: Pre-purchasing a casket ensures that you get one that matches your own personality, beliefs, or environmental preferences.
- Alleviates Financial Stress: Pre-purchasing a casket lifts the financial burden from your family, ensuring peace of mind and focus on remembrance rather than costs.
- Financial Savings: Purchasing a casket directly avoids funeral home markups—which can run as high as 85%—lowering funeral costs significantly.
Pre-purchasing can also hedge against inflation and casket price increases, offering even more savings in your funeral planning.
Storing Your Casket Before You Need It
When considering the practical aspects of pre-purchasing a casket, how and where you store it until it’s needed is an important factor to address.
This section covers key considerations for storing your casket—like selecting an appropriate location, and protecting the casket from the elements and pests, helping to keep it in pristine condition over time.
We’ll also highlight the importance of clear communication with your loved ones or executor about your arrangements, helping to ensure that your casket is easily accessible when the time comes.
- Select a Suitable Location: Choose a discreet, yet accessible spot, like a garage, basement, or storage unit, to keep the casket out of sight but in good condition.
Depending on the type of storage you decide on, you’ll need to take practical steps to ensure access to your casket in storage in the event of your passing. - Maintain Optimal Conditions: Store the casket in a dry area away from extreme temperatures and pests to avoid damage and maintain its state.
- Clear Communication: Inform close family or your estate executor about your storage plans, through conversation or in your will, to ensure your wishes are followed.
Delivery Times and Logistics
Choosing the right casket is an integral part of funeral planning, but understanding delivery times and coordinating logistics is equally crucial.
While many caskets—in particular, read-made, off-shelf options—are ready to ship immediately, with delivery options including overnight shipping, anything more bespoke or custom is going to have a much longer lead time.
This section provides insights into estimated delivery windows for various casket types and offers practical advice for seamless coordination with funeral homes, especially for externally purchased and custom coffins.
- Off-shelf Caskets: Available for immediate delivery, with most sellers offering 24 or 48-hour delivery across their range of ready-made caskets.
It’s worth keeping in mind that some types of caskets are more in-demand than others—like military service themed options—which, depending on the time of year, may be limited in terms of available stock. - Custom Caskets: Lead times can vary significantly for custom caskets, ranging from 2 weeks to several months—depending on design, materials, and other specifications.
This makes pre-purchasing a casket ahead of time the only real option for anyone who has specific requirements for their burial casket in mind.
Coordinating with Funeral Homes
When purchasing a casket yourself—instead of through a funeral home—effective communication and coordination is key.
Sharing and discussing with your funeral home expected delivery dates, providing tracking information, and confirming their ability to store it, ahead of time, is an absolute must.
What follows in this section are a list of useful tips that you can use to help to ensure a smooth process:
- Give Advance Notice: Let the funeral home know as soon as possible that you are buying a casket online or shipping a pre-purchased casket from storage—this will help them as they plan and prepare.
- Share Delivery Details: Make sure to share delivery and tracking information for your casket with the funeral home—this will help prevent any potential issues or delay in their receiving it.
- Confirm Storage Capabilities: Before shipping your casket, check with the funeral home that they are able to store it—especially if there’s a chance of it arriving early, is oversized, or custom-made.
- Understand Policies: Be sure to make yourself aware of any policies that the funeral home may have for dealing with and handling external caskets.
While they aren’t legally able to refuse delivery—or impose fees—there may be funeral home-specific processes that you’ll need to follow.
Your Rights Under The Funeral Law
Being aware of your rights under the Funeral Law—especially when deciding to purchase your own casket online—is important.
These rights are there to protect you from unscrupulous sales tactics and practices which some funeral homes may use to try and force you to overpay for products and services through them.
This section outlines what you need to know about these legal protections, helping to prevent you from falling for unfair restrictions or fees a funeral home may try to impose on you.
- Online Casket Purchases: Federal law mandates funeral homes to accept caskets that comply with regulatory stands—such as those purchased online—without additional fees.
- Delivery Refusal and Restrictions: Funeral homes cannot legally refuse the delivery of caskets purchased online or impose delivery restrictions.
- No Mandatory Purchases: Funeral homes are not legally able to force you to purchase goods or services from them that aren’t legally required—such as forcing you to buy a casket from them.
- Protection Against Misrepresentation: It’s illegal for funeral homes to mislead consumers regarding casket quality, legal mandates, or damage risks—preventing dishonest sales tactics and practices.