There is no mention of scattering ashes in the Bible, but the Catholic Church prohibits scattering because it teaches that a person's body should be interred in a sacred resting place (i.e., graveyard, which is a cemetery located on church grounds). Cremation is permitted under the basis that cremated remains are treated as if they were a whole body, and the act of scattering goes against this practice.
Selecting the right urn size is important to ensure you have an urn that can accommodate your loved one's remains. It can be distressing to discover that an urn you picked is too small for your loved one. Fortunately, a standard-sized urn is properly sized to hold the full volume of ashes from most adults, which can take some of the guesswork out of choosing urn sizes. Use our urn size calculator to estimate the approximate volume you will need for your loved one's ashes, and when in doubt, always size up.
Metal urns are one of the most durable types of cremation urns, and can last several decades to centuries. These urns are usually vase-shaped and made from metals such as brass or pewter. It takes extreme force to damage the structure of a metal urn, and if one is buried underground without an urn vault, over time the urn risks collapsing under the weight of soil. Like other metal objects, metal urns can also be dented or scratched with improper handling, but these visual flaws will not affect the strength or function of the urn. In the Light Urns offers free urns for ashes that have suffered minor aesthetic damage in our warehouse and cannot be sold in perfect condition.
A wood urn, metal urn, or any type of urn should have a size that corresponds with its intended use. If a person's complete ashes will be stored within one urn, the size of the urn should be large enough to accommodate the full volume. A general guideline is to assume that at least one cubic inch of volume will be necessary per pound of body weight. For example, a person who weighed 125 pounds would need an urn with a volume of over 125 cubic inches. Wood urns also come in keepsake and medium sizes for holding a portion of ashes, and extra-large and companion sizes for holding more than 200 cubic inches of remains.
Christianity has always practiced burial, but due to the rising popularity of cremation in modern times, most Christian denominations today permit cremation even if they encourage burial as a first choice. However, Eastern Orthodox Christians still don't believe in allowing cremation, and the Eastern Orthodox Church forbids it. Historically, this ban was enacted because cremation was viewed as pagan, and denied the value of the human body and creation by God.
A cremation container is a combustible box or casket used to hold a person's intact body before cremation. When cremation occurs, the cremation container holding the body gets burned in a cremation chamber. After cremation, when a person's body has been reduced to bones and ground into small particles resembling sand, an urn is used to store the cremated remains or "ashes." An urn for ashes can be a temporary holding container while the ashes are transported for scattering, or it can be a permanent urn intended for burial or decorative display.
To fill a cremation urn with ashes, you can use direct transfer, bag transfer, or bag-to-bag transfer. The simplest way to fill a cremation urn is through bag transfer, where you simply place the entire bag of ashes inside the urn. Pouring ashes from their bag into the urn itself is called direct transfer, while pouring ashes from one bag into another bag is called bag-to-bag transfer. Any of these three methods will work to fill a cremation urn. If you are filling a smaller urn such as a medium urn or a keepsake urn, you can use direct transfer to pour some ashes into the urn, or use bag-to-bag transfer to portion out some ashes into a smaller bag before using bag transfer to place the smaller bag into the urn.
At In the Light Urns, urns are engraved using one of several different methods, depending on the type of urn. We engrave our urns using laser engraving, diamond drag engraving, and sand blast engraving. Laser engraving uses a focused laser beam to etch designs or text onto a surface, and is appropriate for wooden urns. Diamond drag engraving uses a diamond tip to physically carve designs into our metal urns. If a metal urn features a wrapped design, like our Winter Wolf Moon urns, we use sand blast engraving to blow sand across the stenciled surface of the urn and wear away the top layer of the design. Our urns are all stocked and engraved within one warehouse.
Scattering urns are designed to allow easy dispersion of ashes in the air or water, and have different shapes depending on the type of scattering. They can be made from biodegradable materials like paper and fiber or durable materials like wood and metal. If a scattering takes place on land, an appropriate scattering urn may be a scattering tube that features an easy-open hole or removable lid to aid the pouring of ashes. Water scattering, where cremated remains are released into the water, can use either scattering tubes or biodegradable urns that are directly placed in the water to sink.
A cremation urn is a container used to hold the cremated remains of someone who has passed away. While a standard urn for ashes has enough volume to hold the complete ashes of an average adult, keepsake urns are cremation urns that are designed to hold a much smaller volume of ashes. Keepsake urns are useful for families that want to divide a loved one's ashes among several people or households, allowing multiple family members to each have a small memento of their loved one.
Cremated remains entering the United States have no permit or importation requirements. These "ashes," which are processed bone fragments left over from the cremation process, are sterile because any tissue, blood, or other decomposable material that can transmit disease has been burned away during cremation. Other human remains that require no permit for importation include clean and dry bones, hair, teeth, and finger or toe nails. A deceased person's body that is entering the United States for later burial or cremation must be accompanied by a death certificate and be cleared for entry.
The best material for a cremation urn depends on personal preference, intended use, and budget.
Metal, stone, and resin urns are the most durable urns, ideal for outdoor settings or burial.
Wood, glass, and ceramic urns last longer in controlled environments, so these urns are great options for an interior setting such as home display or interment within a columbarium.
The most affordable cremation urns are made of biodegradable materials, which will suit those looking for environmentally-conscious choices.
Cremation urns can be buried in order to give your loved one's ashes a final resting place. Many cemeteries offer designated plots for urns, and some families choose to bury their loved one in family plots or memorial gardens. This practice allows families to have a permanent and often marked place to visit and remember their loved ones, similar to traditional burial practices.
If you are burying a cremation urn in a cemetery plot, it is likely that a cemetery attendant or staff member will dig and prepare the burial hole for you.
Depending on the cemetery, you may be asked to bury the urn inside an urn vault if the urn is intended for permanent placement (i.e. the urn is not biodegradable).
The cremation urn, or the closed urn vault containing the urn, will be placed inside the hole and then covered up with soil.
If you are burying a cremation urn outside a cemetery, you will have to dig a hole by yourself.
Obtain permission from any property owners and ask them if they have any requirements for urn burial, and check local laws to make sure you are complying with environmental and health policies.
When digging a hole yourself, the urn should ideally be buried 3 feet deep to ensure the urn does not get disturbed. If this is not possible, aim for a depth of at least 1 foot.
You can kneel and place the urn, or urn vault, into the hole by hand. After the urn has been placed, fill the hole with soil again.
After an urn has been buried, you can mark the burial site.
Within a cemetery, the cemetery will guide you on your options for choosing a headstone or other memorial, and take care of the installation for you.
On private or public property, the property owner can advise you on what burial marker will be appropriate for display, and you will have to install the marker yourself.
A cremation urn can cost anywhere from $10 to $500 or more, depending on factors like material, size, and detail. Jewelry urns and keepsakes, meant to hold a small or minuscule portion of ashes, are generally more affordable than standard, extra-large, and companion cremation urns which hold one or more person's complete remains. However, a jewelry urn made of 14KT gold will be more expensive than a standard urn made from wood or brass, despite the jewelry urn having a substantially smaller volume. Most customers looking to purchase a standard-sized urn for ashes can expect to spend between $100 to $350.
You can reuse a cremation urn that is fully intact, but some people may find it inappropriate or disrespectful to reuse an urn that has previously held someone's ashes. If you do choose to reuse a cremation urn, make sure that it is clean and empty of past cremated remains. If cost is an issue for your family, we offer free cremation urns at In the Light Urns that have visual imperfections but are structurally sound.
A cremation urn is a type of container used to hold the cremated remains of a person. Urns for ashes can hold some or all of a person's remains, and can be made from several different materials including metal, wood, stone, and paper. Traditional urns are shaped like vases or jars, but urns can also be shaped like boxes or take contemporary designs, like the 3D-printed urns available at In the Light Urns. Urns can be customized with different designs, themes, or engravings to honor a person's memory and memorialize them.
A loved one's cremated remains may either be divided among family or kept together within one urn. Some families find comfort in sharing ashes amongst themselves so that family members can keep their lost one close, while other families feel it's more respectful to keep the ashes intact so that their loved one can remain whole. Deciding whether to divide cremated ashes is a personal choice that varies by family, and both options are respectable ways to honor a loved one's memory. Ultimately, the decision should honor the wishes of the deceased and provide peace to those left behind.