How Do You Choose a Casket in the US?

Detailed Explanation

This page covers the US detail: casket prices, your rights under federal law, and what cemeteries can and can't require. For the general guide to coffin and casket shapes, materials and how to decide, start with how to choose a coffin or casket.

Most US funerals with a burial use a casket, the rectangular form with a hinged lid, rather than a tapered coffin. Caskets come in steel (in several thicknesses, or "gauges"), copper, bronze, and wood from pine and poplar through to oak, cherry and mahogany. Simpler cloth-covered or plain pine caskets, cardboard containers, and shrouds are also available.

What caskets cost

The National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 General Price List Study found these national medians:

These are medians, not limits. Hardwood, copper and bronze caskets often cost several times more, and simple containers for cremation can cost far less. Prices vary between funeral homes and regions, and they've risen since 2023, so check current prices on the funeral home's own price lists.

Your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule

The Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule applies to funeral homes in every state. For caskets, it means:

• You see prices first. The funeral home must offer you its Casket Price List when you start discussing caskets or alternative containers, before showing them to you. Ask for it by name if it isn't offered.
• You can buy elsewhere. The funeral home can't refuse a casket you bought online, at a casket store or somewhere else, can't charge a fee for using it, and can't require you to be there when it's delivered.
• You don't have to buy a package. You can choose only the goods and services you want, apart from the funeral home's basic services fee.
• No false legal claims. The funeral home can't tell you state or local law requires a casket for direct cremation, or that a cemetery requires a vault when it doesn't.
• No preservation claims. Providers can't claim a casket, or any other product or service, will delay natural decomposition for a long or indefinite time. That covers the way "protective" or sealed caskets are sometimes sold.

If a funeral home breaks these rules, you can report it to the FTC and to your state's funeral licensing board or attorney general.

Cremation: containers instead of caskets

No casket is needed for cremation. Funeral homes that offer direct cremation must offer an alternative container, which can be unfinished wood, pressed wood, fiberboard or cardboard. If the family wants a viewing or service first, a rental display casket is a common way to have a traditional-looking casket without buying one. See how cremation works in the US for permits, waiting periods and costs.

Burial: cemetery rules, vaults and liners

State law generally doesn't require a casket or a vault for burial; the Funeral Consumers Alliance notes that no state or federal law requires a burial vault. The requirements usually come from the cemetery. Most cemeteries require a casket or other container, and many require an outer burial container (a concrete vault or a simpler grave liner) so the ground doesn't sink. Rules vary by cemetery, so ask the cemetery itself what it requires and whether a less expensive liner is accepted.

Green or natural cemeteries typically accept biodegradable caskets, such as plain pine, wicker or cardboard, and shrouds, and they don't require vaults. See how green (natural) burial works in the US.

Veterans in national cemeteries

For an eligible veteran buried in a VA national cemetery, the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, and a government headstone or marker come at no cost to the family. The VA provides a graveliner for casketed burials, and if the family buys its own outer burial container instead, the VA pays an allowance toward it. The casket itself, and anything else bought from a funeral home, is at the family's expense.

State rules vary

Funeral homes are licensed by the states, so rules on embalming, who can sell funeral goods, and home funerals differ. Some states once allowed only licensed funeral directors to sell caskets. In 2013, a federal appeals court struck down Louisiana's version of that rule in a case brought by Benedictine monks who made wooden caskets. If you're unsure what applies, the state funeral licensing board can tell you.

Things to Consider

• Ask for the Casket Price List first. It's your right under federal law, and it shows the lower-priced options that may not be on display.
• Compare online and local casket stores. Because the funeral home must accept an outside casket without a fee, buying elsewhere can save money. Check delivery times so the casket arrives before the service.
• Ask the cemetery about vaults directly. A vault can cost nearly as much as a casket, so find out whether one is actually required and whether a liner will do.
• Think about whether you need a casket at all. For direct cremation, an alternative container is enough.
• Check what a package really includes. You can buy goods and services separately; ask what the casket costs on its own.

Common Mistakes

• Choosing from the showroom before seeing the price list. Displayed caskets are often the more expensive models.
• Paying extra for a "protective" casket to preserve the body. No casket does this, and the claim isn't allowed.
• Assuming a vault is legally required. It's usually a cemetery rule, if it applies at all.
• Buying a casket for direct cremation. A cardboard or unfinished wood container is all that's needed.
• Not confirming delivery for an outside casket. Order early and give the supplier the funeral home's address and the service date.