How Do You Choose a Coffin in the UK?

Detailed Explanation

This page covers the UK detail: how coffin prices are displayed, what crematoria and cemeteries accept, and where to get help with costs. For the general guide to coffin shapes, materials and how to decide, start with how to choose a coffin or casket.

UK funerals almost always use a coffin, the tapered, six-sided shape, rather than an American-style casket. The most common choice is chipboard or MDF with a wood-effect veneer. Cardboard, wicker, willow, bamboo and solid wood (commonly pine or oak) are the main alternatives, and caskets are available from some firms at a higher price.

What coffins cost

There's no official source for UK coffin prices, and they vary a lot between firms and regions. As a general pattern, a plain cardboard or veneered coffin sits at the bottom of the range, wicker and solid pine in the middle, and solid oak and caskets at the top, often running well above the basic coffin. The quickest way to compare real prices is the funeral director's Standardised Price List, described below.

The coffin on the Standardised Price List

The Competition and Markets Authority's Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021 applies to every funeral director in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each must publish a Standardised Price List in a fixed format, displayed at their premises and on their website. It covers two standard packages:

• Attended funeral: a funeral where family and friends attend the burial or cremation.
• Unattended funeral: the person is taken to the cemetery or crematorium at a time set by the funeral director, and the family may hold a ceremony separately (often called direct cremation; see direct cremation vs a traditional funeral).

For each package the funeral director offers, the list must show a separate price for "providing a suitable coffin" and a brief description of what the coffin is made from. This lets you compare the basic coffin from one firm with another's. Upgrades are priced separately, so ask for the full coffin range and prices before the arrangement meeting.

What crematoria require

Crematoria in the UK expect the person to arrive in a coffin or suitable container. The Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities' Code of Cremation Practice, followed by its member crematoria, says no coffin or container will be accepted unless it carries details that confirm the identity of the person inside, usually a nameplate on the lid. It also requires informed consent from the person applying for the cremation before a reusable cover is used, which is relevant if you're considering a rental display casket. Individual crematoria set their own rules on coffin materials and size, so a coffin bought elsewhere should be checked with them first. For the rest of the process, see how cremation works in the UK, and see what can and can't be placed in a coffin before adding personal items.

Burial with or without a coffin

In England and Wales, council cemeteries follow the Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977. It sets a minimum depth of three feet of soil above the coffin, or two feet for a coffin made of perishable materials where the soil is suitable, and allows a burial authority to permit uncoffined burials if it chooses. So shroud burial is possible in some council cemeteries but not guaranteed.

Natural burial grounds usually accept only biodegradable coffins, such as untreated wood, cardboard, wicker or bamboo, and many accept shrouds. The Ministry of Justice's guidance for natural burial ground operators recommends they publish which coffin types and materials they allow. Church and private burial grounds set their own rules, and Scotland has separate burial law under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.

Help with the cost

If you get certain benefits and are responsible for the funeral, you may be able to get help:

• England and Wales: the Funeral Expenses Payment covers burial or cremation fees and some other costs, plus up to £1,000 for other funeral expenses such as the funeral director's fees, flowers or the coffin. It usually won't cover the whole funeral, and it's paid back out of the person's estate if there's money in it.
• Scotland: the Funeral Support Payment has replaced the Funeral Expenses Payment.
• Northern Ireland: has its own arrangements; check with nidirect.

Things to Consider

• Compare the Standardised Price Lists first. The coffin line shows what each firm's basic coffin costs and what it's made of, before any upgrade.
• For cremation, simple is sensible. The coffin is cremated with the person, so a basic veneered or cardboard coffin is entirely appropriate.
• Check natural burial ground rules before choosing. Many accept only biodegradable materials and may have rules about fittings, varnish and linings.
• Ask about shroud burial early. Whether it's allowed depends on the cemetery, and some need notice to arrange it.
• Keep receipts if you're claiming help. You'll need them for the Funeral Expenses Payment or Funeral Support Payment.

Common Mistakes

• Choosing from the brochure without seeing the price list. The Standardised Price List is required by law and gives you the baseline.
• Buying a coffin online without checking it will be accepted. Confirm with the funeral director and the crematorium or cemetery first, especially on size and materials.
• Assuming a council cemetery will accept a shroud. Uncoffined burial is at the cemetery's discretion.
• Expecting the Funeral Expenses Payment to cover everything. The £1,000 for other expenses has to stretch across the funeral director's fees, the coffin and more.