How to choose a cremation urn

1. Decide where the urn will rest

A home display urn is chosen the way you would choose any object for a mantel: proportion, colour and finish against the room. A burial or niche urn has to meet the cemetery's dimension limits. A scattering urn needs a wide, easy-opening top.

If the remains will be divided, you are choosing a main urn and keepsakes together, not one piece.

2. Get the size right

One cubic inch of capacity per pound of body weight before cremation. 200 cubic inches is the standard adult size. Round up when in doubt.

3. Choose the material

Marble and granite are quarried stone: heavy, cool to the touch, and unchanged by daylight over decades. Onyx carries light through the stone. Hardwood is lighter and warmer, and takes an engraved plate well.

Ask whether stone is quarried or cultured. Cultured marble is resin with stone dust in it — cheaper, and it can yellow.

4. Plan personalisation before ordering

Engraved plates, names and dates are added before the urn ships, so decide on wording early. Keep it short: a name, two years, and at most one line beyond that reads best on a small surface.

5. Check the date, not just the price

If there is a service, work backwards from that date. Our orders generally ship within one business day with free shipping over $100 in the contiguous US, and you can call (877) 281-0752 to confirm before you order.

Common questions

Do I have to buy the urn from the funeral home?

No. Under the FTC Funeral Rule a funeral provider must accept an urn you bought elsewhere and cannot charge you extra for using it.

Which urn material lasts longest?

Solid quarried stone — granite and marble — is the most durable indoors and out, and does not fade.

Can an urn be engraved after it arrives?

Stone is best engraved before shipping. Wood urns can usually take an added plate later through a local engraver.

How soon do I need to decide?

There is no deadline. Crematories hold remains in a temporary container, so you can take a week or two if you need it — but order ahead of a service date.

Should we buy one urn or several?

Many families buy one full-size urn plus two to four keepsakes so each person can keep a portion. Deciding this before ordering keeps the set matched.

Sources and further reading

• FTC Funeral Rule — Consumer Guide

  Confirms a funeral home must accept an urn you bought elsewhere, with no handling fee.

• NFDA — Cremation statistics and consumer resources

  US cremation rate and funeral cost data updated each year.