Funerals and Flowers - Practical Funeral Planning Information

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Burial Caskets

In the United States, there are a number of burial caskets available for purchase. A funeral casket may be used to bury the deceased at a burial site, place the deceased in a burial vault or used in the cremation process. Some manufacturers do not sell funeral caskets directly to the public - working only with licensed funeral homes. In these cases, the funeral home usually sells the funeral casket as part of the funeral services offered, including the price in the total bill for services rendered.

Often funeral homes will have a small showroom to present families with the available caskets that could be used for a deceased family member. In many modern funeral homes, the showroom will consist of sample pieces that display the end pieces of each type of casket available. This allows funeral homes to showcase a larger number of coffin styles within the space allowed. Also included for showing would be lining samples and other materials.

Under a U.S. federal law, 16 CFR Part 453 (known as the Funeral Rule), if a family provides a casket that was purchased elsewhere, the funeral home is required to accept the casket and use it in the services. If the casket is delivered direct from the manufacturer to the funeral, they are also required to accept delivery and may not add any extra charges or fees to the overall bill for this service.

When advertising burial caskets, manufacturers offer features that they claim will protect the body. Some may offer a protective casket that uses a gasket to seal the casket shut. Many manufacturers offer a warranty on the structural integrity of the coffin. However, no coffin will preserve the body, regardless of whether it is made of wood, metal, a sealed casket or if the deceased was embalmed beforehand. In some cases, a sealed coffin may actually speed up the process of decomposition. An airtight coffin promotes decomposition by anaerobic bacteria, resulting in a putrefied liquification of the body. All of the putrefied tissue remains inside the container, only to be exposed in the event of an exhumation. A simple wooden box, on the other hand, is a container that allows air molecules to pass in and out, allowing for aerobic decomposition that results in much less noxious odor and clean skeletonization.

Coffins are made of many materials, including steel, various types of wood, and other materials such as fiberglass. While there is a wide array of caskets to choose from (simple to stylish antique funeral caskets), in recent years, there has been a resurgence of individuals in the US choosing to be cremated. Many burial casket manufacturers are addressing this trend by providing options to meet the needs of these individuals. For instance, for direct cremations, a cardboard box may be purchased. For those choosing to have a viewing or traditional funeral service, a very inexpensive casket made of wood or other material like particle board may be used. Others will rent a regular casket for which have removable bed and liners which are replaced after each use. There are also rental caskets with an outer shell that looks like a traditional coffin and a cardboard box that fits inside the shell. At the end of the services the inner box is removed and the deceased is cremated inside this box.

Review online burial caskets on this page.

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