What Are Standard Casket Dimensions?
Modern caskets come in four main sizes – standard, oversized, child, and infant-sized. While variations exist between these standards, we’ve detailed the average measurements of caskets below. Make sure you refer to the supplier’s guidelines to confirm dimensions before buying.
How wide is a child's casket?
Within this range, the interior size for a children’s casket starts at 30″ inches in length by 12.5″ inches wide. Caskets are also available in mini versions for premature babies up to pre-teen size.
How deep is a burial vault?
While dimensions will vary between styles, a standard burial vault will measure 30″ wide by 90″ long with a depth of 35″ deep (externally).
What do you need to know when buying a casket?
You’ll need to ensure that the casket size will fit the deceased, the burial vault, and the grave. Follow our measurements below to navigate your purchase with ease:
How to measure a deceased body?
The deceased is measured from head to feet in terms of height and from elbow to elbow for width. This enables you to pick an appropriate size when compared against internal casket dimensions.
What is an oversized casket?
As the name suggests, an oversized casket is tailored to fit individuals who are either too tall or wide for a standard model. While tailor-made options are available, many casket suppliers offer oversized containers in off-the-shelf models.
How deep is a casket?
The average depth of a casket is 16 to 23 inches tall. This sizing will differ based on the type of container used (e.g. metal, wood, oversized, and children’s caskets).
How deep is a coffin?
The overall dimensions of this finished coffin are 80 inches long by 26 inches wide (at the widest part) and 18 inches deep. Notice this coffin is 18 inches deep--a little deeper than most coffins. Average coffin depth is 15 to 16 inches. These are the original plans I drew for my Grandfather's coffin.
How long does it take to build a coffin?
If you are an experienced do-it-yourself woodworker with basic hand tools, you should plan for 8-10 hours to build your first coffin--even if you have help. As for materials, you can expect to spend between $200 and $300 depending on the market price for lumber in your area and the type of wood you choose to use.
How to secure a coffin lid?
Securing the lid for burial is optional--some people do not secure the lid in place for burial (it won't go anywhere). If you prefer, there are several ways you can secure the lid of the coffin prior to burial. The easiest method to secure the lid is with 6-10 finish nails no more than 1.5 inches long. You could also use small wood screws (trim screws), but we recommend you to drill pilot holes to prevent the lid from splitting. Some people prefer to pre-drill holes and use wooden pegs to secure the lid for burial. For a burial in a natural burial cemetery, you may be required to use wooden pegs instead of metal screws or nails to secure the lid.
How to secure ribs of a coffin?
Use glue and screws to secure the ribs. If preferred, you can remove the screws from the ribs after the glue dries--let the glue cure for 24 hours before removing the screws. In a similar fashion, assemble the 6 panels that make up the sides, head, and foot of the coffin using ribs, glue, and screws.
How to make a coffin with rope?
Drill holes for the rope handles in the lower most boards on all sides. You want to prepare holes for three handles on each side, one handle at the head, and one handle at the foot. Drill the holes next to where the ribs will be placed so the rope handles will wrap the ribs in the inside of the coffin for improved strength and weight transfer from the handles to the coffin. The holes should be the same size as your rope for a tight fitting handle. Drill the holes approximately 4 inches from the bottom edge of the coffin to keep the handles in the bottom board of your coffin.
Why do we build our own coffins?
Building your own coffin can reduce the consumption of precious natural resources. If you are interested in green burial or natural burial, this coffin can be built without the use of metal fasteners (screws or nails).
How wide are casket panels?
Depending on the width of the boards you start with, you may need to rip (cut along the grain) to make your panels 18 inches wide--the width of the side, head, and foot panels is the height of the casket. Panel. Description. Dimensions (inches) Qty. Upper (Head) Side.
How much weight can fit in a casket?
Most people are 70” or 5’10”, weighing around 180lbs or so. Nine times out of ten, people will fit in a standard casket. Anyone up to 6'10" and weighing less than 350lbs will fit in a standard coffin. As a matter of fact, people a bit over 6’10” can also fit, as long as the funeral directors bend their knees a bit.
How long is an oversize casket?
However, the category of oversized caskets is there for help. A typical oversize casket can go as long as 90 in, 36in wide, and 30in tall. If someone in your family weighing around 550 pounds dies, finding a casket will not be like finding the needle in the hey stack. It's not a challenge anymore to find a coffin for a big guy.
Are oversized caskets necessary?
Should the person who died need an oversized casket, it’s good to know that there are many options for customized size.
Is an oversized casket really that big?
Anything more massive than the standard size is defined as an oversized casket. More specifically, anything that is more significant than 84in for the length and more massive than 28in (height) and more extensive than 23in is considered to be oversized.
What are the options when you cannot find an oversized casket?
Let’s also mention the discomfort of some people when ordering a large casket .
Why do people buy oversized caskets?
Due to the increasing rate of obesity, more and larger oversized caskets are made in the US. It didn't take long for the customers to realize that casket retailers would sell the oversized caskets at a lower price, in an attempt to remove them from stock faster. Therefore, it's common for people to buy an oversize casket and add more layers of cushioning to it, trying to cut down the spending for the funeral. With the casket being buried, some don't bother to add cushioning leaving the coffin as it is.
How big is a cremation urn?
The majority of cremation urns come in sizes that go up to 300 cubic inches. It may sound harsh, but every pound of body weight will turn into one cubic inch. It’s pure mathematics. Therefore, a large body may not fit in a regular cremation urn.
How big is a metal casket?
(see why below) The average interior size for a standard metal caskets is 78 inches long, 23 inches wide, and 16 to 24 inches tall.
What are the different sizes of caskets?
Now, almost all traditional caskets come in three main sizes: standard, oversized, and child casket.
What is the average size of an oversized casket?
The average interior dimensions of oversized caskets are 83 inches long and 28 inches wide. An oversized casket with this size will still fit in a standard-sized burial vault.
How long should a casket be for a child?
For shorter or taller bodies, the range of length for children’s caskets starts at 12 inches and goes up to 5 feet 6 inches. Typically it will just increase lengthwise by 6-inch increments. The width, on the other hand, will just vary in proportion to the casket’s length.
How big is a children's casket?
Smaller casket sizes are made for infants and children. The average interior dimensions for children’s caskets are 60 inches long and 11 inches wide. This image is a coffin, not a casket, because of the hexagonal shape.
What size casket is Titan Atlas XL?
For example, this oversized casket Titan Atlas XL is available in 28″, 29″, 33″, 36″, 40″, 44″ and larger sizes. Similar manufacturers will likely have oversized caskets on-hand.
What is a burial vault?
A burial vault is also known as an outside burial container. It encloses a caskets to prevent a grave from sinking. You can think of a burial vault as a casket for your casket.
How big is a standard casket?
The standard casket fits anyone who is up to 6’10” in height and weighs up to 350 lbs. The standard casket is 24” in width and 79” long. There are also caskets that are 28” wide to accommodate those up to 450 lbs. Though most people fit into these sizes, there are alternatives for those who might be bigger or smaller.
What is the average size of a casket?
The average exterior dimensions for both metal and wood caskets are a length of 84 inches and a width of 29 inches. These designs fit in most burial vaults, and they’re the size most people are familiar with when they think of standard caskets.
Where Can You Buy a Standard, Oversized, or Custom Casket?
If you're shopping for a casket, you might be wondering where to begin your search. Several online retailers specialize in all different types of caskets. While you can purchase a casket through your funeral home, you often have more flexibility in size and cost if you purchase a casket online at one of these locations below.
What factors affect the size of a casket?
There are occasionally a few other factors that affect the sizing of the casket. The material is something to consider since certain types of caskets aren’t designed to fit larger body types. This is most true for natural materials like hemp or cardboard which might not be able to support someone who runs a bit larger.
How many casket sizes are there?
There are four main casket sizes you’ll encounter at a funeral home or online retailer:
What is the most common type of casket?
There are four main casket sizes you’ll encounter at a funeral home or online retailer: Standard: The most common type of casket is the standard casket.
What is a child casket?
Child/infant: For those too small for a standard casket, like a child or infant, a specially-designed child casket is used. Pet: Last but not least, there are specific pet caskets designed for cats, dogs, and so on.
How deep is a coffin?
This will give the coffin a depth of 1 ft (0.30 m). Feel free to make it shallower or deeper by using thinner or wider strips of shelf paper for the templates.
How many times do you mark the sides of a coffin?
Keep in mind that you need to mark the short and long sides of the coffin twice .
How to cut out a coffin lid?
Cut out the lid of the coffin with a circular saw if you want a lid. Use the first outline template you made to trace the outline of the lid onto a 4 ft × 8 ft (1.2 m × 2.4 m) sheet of plywood. Clamp the plywood to a flat workbench or sawhorses so the cut lines are hanging off the edge and use your circular saw to cut out the outline of the lid.
How to make a coffin out of plywood?
1. Use a circular saw to cut the base of the coffin out of plywood. Trace the base template onto a 3⁄4 in (1.9 cm) 4 ft × 8 ft (1.2 m × 2.4 m) sheet of plywood. Clamp the plywood to a pair of sawhorses or a flat workbench so the cut lines are hanging off the edge and cut out the base of the coffin.
How to dry fit a coffin?
Lay the side pieces around the base of the coffin and dry-fit them. Put the base of the coffin on the ground or a large flat work surface and lay out the side pieces around it. Test-fit everything to make sure all the sides fit correctly before you start attaching them.
What can you make a coffin out of?
If you want a nicer-looking simple coffin for burial purposes, you could make it out of pine instead of plywood.
How to draw a coffin lid?
Create the outline of the coffin’s lid using the center lines as guides. Draw a 24 in (61 cm) horizontal line at the top of the cross shape and a 17 in (43 cm) horizontal line at the bottom. Create the side lines by drawing straight lines to connect the ends of all the horizontal lines.
