Cremation Urns

Quite often the problem people have buying a cremation urn is that it is their first time. They are not even sure what questions to ask and often the answers just add to the confusion.

Why do I need 200 cubic inches?
What kind of urn can I bury?
Can I take this urn on a plane?
Will the ashes (cremains) leak out? How does it seal?

These are some of the questions people have about the urn itself. Let’s try to demystify the process some:

First, the rule of thumb is that you will need a 200 cubic inch cremation urn for an adult. This is based on 1 pound per cubic inch (c.i.) – this is based on the person’s healthy weight. This is the hard part to explain, but it has to do with the person’s bone structure and not that of the flesh. Cremains are made up of the remaining bone fragments.

Other sizes of urns are available. Keepsake urns are a type of urn that is designed to keep a small portion of the cremains only. The sizes vary on keepsake urns from a pinch to 50 c.i. or more. A child urn typically will range from 30 c.i. to 150 c.i. and again the size needed varies on the size of the child. (I really hate even discussing this and I hope this does not come across offensive.) Infant urns are usually smaller than the 50 c.i. size.

Scattering Urn

Scattering urns are used in the case that you want the urn to open fairly easily for scattering and can also be kept after as a memorial. Often we are asked to engrave the scattering urns for keeping. Again, this is a choice. You can even keep a portion of the ashes as well and seal the scattering urn.

Second, the material of the urn is your choice. Wood will decay faster if buried, but that is where a burial vault plays a part of protecting the urn. Most wood urns are kept either in a niche or the home of a relative. Glass, ceramic, stone, and many other materials are also used and have their advantages or disadvantages depending on where you plan on keeping them.

Third, the latest that the FAA had put out on bringing an urn on a plane is that it has to be able to be x-rayed or it must be open already. They will not open it or allow you to open one there. Now the rules may change so always check before buying an urn if you plan on taking it on a flight. Wood urns can be ran through the x-ray machine. Check the FAA website for more.

When it comes to the cremains leaking out or sealing an urn, it will depend, again, on the urn you choose. First off, cremains are normally in a thick plastic bag. This bag can be placed into most wood urn which have screws that hold a bottom piece on. Others have a port that is held by screws which the cremains will have to be poured into. With wood urns you can add glue or a sealant before putting the screws in, but in most cases that isn’t necessary. Some other material urns will be similar to wood urns and others, such as a vase, will have to have the top sealed with a sealant.

Well, I hope that helped clear some confusion on urns, if not feel free to write or call us.

The one question we had been asked about many times over the years is “how do you open the urn?”  Most of our pages said (albeit at the bottom) that the urn opens with 4 screws from the bottom, but since many don’t read all the way down they didn’t see that and would call and ask.

To simplify the answer we made a short video on it:

There are a few exceptions to this, of course, and most of the urns that are different the page mentions the way to put the cremains in. Some are smaller holes and others the the top is hinged. Vase style cremation urns tend to have the standard opening on top with a lid that can be sealed in place.

If you have any question about how to open a cremation urn, please leave a comment below.

The question I seem to get asked a lot is – Why cremation urns?

When I am asked what I do for a living and I mention that I sell cremation urns, people seem to react with a somber why? Well, it wasn’t because my family ran or owned a funeral home, which seems to be more of a common answer. For me it was because of my dad’s old company.

You see, I worked for my dad’s company Golf Treasures for a few years and back in 1998 before I worked for them we had started a business called Northwest Gifts.  That company started by selling locally manufactured golf gifts and other display cabinets.  Much of the golf items we sold were made by Golf Treasures, so when Golf Treasures started manufacturing a small line of 5 different hardwood urns, I figured we could create a website to sell those urns as well.

For a couple of years we would only sell a couple of urns a month. But as time went by things started to grow, of course, over those years many urns were added along with other manufactures lines of cremation urns. So, the history of my involvment in selling urns isn’t glamerous or very interested, but now it has become part of my daily life. I speak to many of our customers and feel their pain. The loss of a young child is always the hardest to hear, I can’t imagine the pain of those who have lost a child, but that is for another post.

Now you know the unglamerous history, the present and the future of Urns Northwest is still to serve at a time of great loss. It is always appreciated, yet humbling, to receive the many “thank you’s” from our customers.