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Cremation is the process of reducing human or pet remains to tiny particles, through exposure to intense heat or in some cases, liquid chemicals. The process takes around three hours, after which the remains are mechanically or chemically processed into a coarse, sand-like powder.

All states that offer cremation have strict guidelines in place to ensure mistakes are not made during the cremation process, and remains are not lost or mixed up. While the rules and guidelines may vary from state to state, if this is a concern to your family, be sure to ask your funeral home or cremation provider what steps they take to ensure the remains you receive are that of your loved one.

Most states require the body to be cremated in an approved container. This can vary from a sturdy cardboard container to a full wooden casket, but under the FTC “Funeral Rule”, the funeral home must make you ware of the different approved containers you can choose from. Each funeral home will have their own options based on state law. Usually the basic container is included in the price, but not always. You can often choose to purchase a wooden casket, rent a wood casket which holds the container, or simply use the basic cardboard container.

With a few exceptions, it is generally illegal to cremate more than one person at a time in the US. Some states, however, do allow for couples to be cremated together, provided there is consent from next of kin.

Generally, 1 Pound of person/pet equals approx. 1 cubic inch of remains. For example, a 200 pound person would need a 200 cubic inch urn or larger. However, if you have a certain size container, most funeral homes can make certain adjustments to accommodate that size urn, within reason.

In today’s times, urns can be made out of any number of materials. The most popular types are brass/metal, marble, and wood, but urns can also be made out of glass, resin, alloy, ceramic pottery, and even eco-friendly biodegradable materials, like sand, salt, corn-starch, tree bark, bamboo, flowers, and more. While the material you choose to get the urn in is mostly a matter of choice, you should take into consideration where the urn will rest, if there will be small children or pets present that might knock over the urn, or what kind of plans you have for the ashes of your loved one, such as scattering or burying.

Urns come in all shapes and sizes, and with all types of motifs and decorations. At Peace Memorials offers box or cube shaped urns, regular Grecian style urns, tear-drop shaped urns, even urns with working clock mechanisms, among dozens of other options. In addition to a variety of shapes, urns come with hundreds of different patterns and colors, including flowers, animals, sports, religious symbols, geography, natural wonders, and so much more. You know your loved one best, and what they might like, so please take your time and research options that you feel might honor your loved one properly, and if you have any questions, or are looking for a particular style or pattern, please let us know, and we will be glad to make some suggestions.

Each urn is slightly different, but most urns either load from the top or bottom of the container. You may need to twist, pull, or unscrew portions or panels of the urn in order to get it to open, but if you have any problems or concerns, you can usually ask your funeral home to do it for you. When sealing the urn, many urns have threaded enclosures that twist to create an air tight seal. Whether they are located at the top or bottom of the urn depends on the type of urn it is. For urns that do not have a threaded enclosure, and just have a separate lid, you can load the urn and then place a small amount of glue or epoxy around the rim and close the urn to seal it that way. Bear in mind, if you are planning on transferring the remains to another urn, or taking some ashes out at a later time to put into keepsakes, jewelry, or for scattering or burying purposes, it may be a good idea to purchase an urn with a threaded enclosure, so that it can be reopened when necessary, or at the very least, do not glue the lid of the urn shut until you are finished splitting up the ashes.

As mandated by the FTC “Funeral Rule”, you do NOT need to purchase the urn you will use from the funeral home that is doing the service or the cremation, or any funeral home at all, for that matter. Do not feel pressured by salesmen, time, budget constraints, or anything else when choosing the right resting place for your loved one. Many funeral homes will not have a wide variety of urns available for you to choose from, and finding the right urn from that selection may not work for you, but you can certainly search online for an urn, or even make one yourself if you are handy enough, and would like to do so.

While every business operates by their own set of rules and procedures, the generally accepted practice among funeral homes is to make the transfer for you at no charge, especially if you used them for the service or cremation process, but you would have to check with your funeral home before bringing them the urn, just to be sure.

Remains are generally returned to you within 12 to 24 hours after the completion of the cremation process, but this can vary depending on the local arrangement. Also, funeral homes can generally hold the remains a few additional days if you are waiting for an urn you ordered online or are having made for you. This will be an important factor in planning a burial, scattering, or other memorial activity involving family members and friends. And at the very least, in lieu of other plans it is helpful to know when you will receive the remains so that you can arrange to pick them up.

Splitting the cremains among multiple urns and in many cases, cremation jewelry as well, is a very common practice, especially when the deceased has many family members that all want to remember and honor their loved one in their own way. You do not have to get the same urn or jewelry piece as your other family members. You can freely mix and match memorial products as you see fit among the loved ones and family members that will each be receiving some of the ashes. In most cases, the funeral home is more than willing to do the transfer of the ashes for you into the multiple different vessels, but check with them ahead of time to be sure.

All states allow scattering of ashes, but some states require permits, particularly in state and national parks. Ashes may be scattered at sea, three miles or more from land. Some states require an eco-friendly, biodegradable urn be used for the scattering. Scattering on private property is prohibited without the permission of the property owner. If your loved one has a special request, like being scattered on top of a mountain, or at home plate of Wrigley Field, there are companies that help make these special requests possible.

A scattering tube or scattering urn is a specially designed vessel, meant to disperse ashes during a scattering ceremony safely. The urn or tube has a special opening and you are able to control the amount of ashes that gets released and what direction the ashes are spread.

A biodegradable urn is an eco-friendly vessel that is made of sustainable materials, such as sand, salt, corn starch, gelatin, tree bark, bamboo, and other natural products that will eventually break down when placed in the Earth or in a body of water. This option is very popular with people that are environmentally conscious, or that wish to be scattered, especially in any body of water. 

A companion urn is an urn designed to hold more than one person. In some cases, it is meant for two people, like a mother and father or husband and wife. In other instances, you can fit even more than two people’s ashes in a companion urn. Many companion urns are comprised of two separate urns that come together with the help of a base to create one cohesive unit, but you can also purchase one urn with two separate or one joined chamber for the ashes. While an oversized urn CAN be used as a companion urn, assuming the total weight does not exceed the cubic inch capacity of the urn, this type of urn is also used for people that are larger than the standard adult urn capacity will hold.

A cremation niche is an above ground burial space, where an urn, containing the cremated remains, is placed inside and sealed. This has become a popular option recently, as it affords comfort in all seasons, especially in inclement weather.

Similar to a mausoleum, there is usually a wall with recessed compartments for placing the cremation urn inside. The purpose of a cremation niche is to give the family a place to visit their loved one’s remains. They are available in single, double and family size (four) spaces. Most cremation niches are made of fine marble or premium granite. Lately, cremation niches made with a glass front are becoming very popular, because the glass front allows viewing of the urn as well as any personal memorial items that are displayed with it.

A columbarium niche is a wall which contains many cremation niches, designed to hold urns. They may be indoors or outdoors, and may comprise a stand-alone building, a large room, a wall or an entire hall. A columbarium is usually located within a mausoleum, chapel, or as a dedicated building. They can also be located in a cemetery, but must be built on dedicated property only. The term “columbarium” in modern usage can also be used to describe a “mausoleum”. The two terms are interchangeable.