How to Pick the Right Cremation Urn

Nearly everyone who walks to the door of a cremation provider in Manhasset, NY is a beginner who has to pick an urn for the first time. This means that for most people, choosing an urn is a difficult job.

There are two broad considerations for picking an urn: sentimental value and practical fit.

The former depends on the deceased’s personality and your relationship with them. But with the latter, you can figure out the suitable urn by answering three questions.

What is the intended use?

To pick the right urn, the first question you need to answer is, how will the urn be used. Each use has different requirements. Here is a quick rundown of four common ways.

• Burial: requires simple, sturdy urns. Most suitable urns are made of wood, metal, or ceramic. Marble works too. If you want water or natural burial, the urn should be biodegradable to allow it to sink and dissolve quickly.
• Columbarium Niche: a columbarium is an above-ground structure for storing urns, similar to a mausoleum. Each niche is a small hole within the columbarium that holds a single urn. An urn that fits the niche matters more in this case.
• Scattering: there are different ways of scattering the ashes. A biodegradable urn that allows easy pouring is necessary if you scatter the ashes right away. If you are scattering much later, you need an urn with a more solid material to hold the ashes until you’re ready.
• Keep at home: a beautiful urn that looks great on display is ideal. It should also be sturdy enough to withstand accidental drops.

Size

Size is the second most important thing to consider when picking a cremation run.

To determine the right interior size, use this measurement: one pound of a person’s body weight = one cubic inch of cremated remains. If the person weighed 200 lbs, they need a 200 cubic inches urn.

Thankfully, urn providers display the cubic inch volume for each urn, so this will be easy to find. Also, most standard adult urns have a capacity of 200 cubic inches, which will work for nearly all adults.

If you are dividing the remains between family members, each individual will have a smaller volume of ashes. For this, there are smaller keepsake urns specially designed for this purpose.

Couples who want to hold their ashes in the same urn will also need bigger urns, and there are large companion urns designed to hold cremated ashes for two adults.

Material

Urns are made of several different materials, including wood, stone, ceramic, metal, etc. The right one is usually both a matter of preference and intended use.

If you intend to bury the urn like a casket, a material that will last years, such as marble or granite, is the right choice.

If you wish to return your loved one’s cremated remains to the earth naturally, an urn made out of biodegradable materials like salt, paper, or gelatin, is better.

Other factors such as the cost and design depend on your budget and preferences.

For assistance or concerns regarding personalized memorial and cremation services, you can call us or visit our location to get the answers you need from our experts.