Cremation Urns | Urns Northwest

Information on Cremation Urns

Category Archives: Urn Sizes and Standards

Flying With An Urn

Flying with an urn need not be a major hassle. There are a few basic considerations and one restriction with which you must comply, and with the information provided here you should be able take the necessary steps for quick and easy airline travel.

1. Your urn must be able to pass through x-ray screening. Out of respect for the decedent, under no circumstances, even at your request, will the cremation container be opened. Thus, the container must be x-rayed. The plastic or cardboard temporary urns provided by most funeral homes will pass through screening, as will wood urns and our lovely, lightweight yet durable fabric urns.

2. Checked baggage or carry-on: check with your airline. You may transport an urn with you as a carry-on once it has passed through the screening process. Some airlines will not allow cremation urns as checked baggage, so it is best to check with the air carrier to determine the best method beforehand.

3. Other restrictions: check with your airline. While asking about checked vs. carry-on, be sure to inquire about any other restrictions your air carrier may have concerning the transportation of cremated remains.

That’s it! Here is the link to the standards for Transporting the Deceased straight from the TSA’s website.

Here are some of our most popular urns that are compatible with airline travel:

 

What is a Sharing Keepsake Urn?

Keepsake Cremation Urns

Keepsake Urns

A keepsake urn is a small urn which holds a tiny amount of cremains, usually between 1-35 cubic inches depending on the design of the keepsake. This is just a small portion of the cremated remains, as the average is just under 200 cubic inches.


Keepsake urns are used for a variety of purposes, usually to keep a small portion of remains as a memento when your loved one’s ashes are buried or kept in a funeral niche. Many of our keepsake urns are smaller versions of a standard sized urn for this very reason, allowing you to have a nearly identical keepsake close to you while the urn is stored in a columbarium or buried in a cemetery.

Keepsake urns are also sometimes known as “sharing keepsakes” because several relatives may wish to each keep a small portion of remains, or because an individual’s remains may be entirely divided up between several loved ones.

Here is a video demonstration of our Hummingbird Keepsake Urn, which is the miniature version of the standard-sized Hummingbird Cremation Urn.


 

Large Capacity Urns

Looking for large-sized cremation urns? At Urns Northwest, we have a variety of above-average capacity urns to suit your need.

The industry standard size for an adult cremation urn is 200 cubic inches. This number is reached by figuring that, for every 1 lbs of human body weight, 1 cubic inch of space is needed for cremated remains. Thus, a 180 lbs adult will require an urn with the capacity to hold 180 cubic inches of cremains.

The formula is not perfect; usually, 180 lbs will translate to slightly less than 180 cubic inches, but it is a good rule of thumb to calculate. In the cremation process, body fat is completely incinerated while most of what remains is bone matter, so a larger individual will often require an urn of less than equal capacity to their actual weight.

When searching for a funeral urn, it is still best to follow the rule of 1 lbs equals 1 cubic inch, so here we have provided a selection of cremation urns that may suit your needs.

Available in 220 cubic inch size

Available in 220 & 375 cubic inch sizes

Available in 220 & 375 cubic inch sizes

Available in 230 & 400 cubic inch sizes
(over 40 scenes to choose from; click here to view entire selection)
286 cubic inches
250 cubic inches, available in a variety of colors: Black, Blue, Charcoal, Merlot, Orchid,  Sand Tone, and Timberline Green
420 cubic inches
View our entire selection of Companion Urns; these have a capacity between 375-420 cubic inches

 

 

What Size Urn Do I Need? Urn Sizes and Standards

How Many Cubic Inches?

The amount of ashes, or “cremains”, that each urn holds is measured in cubic inches. The industry standard is approximately 1 pound of healthy weight to 1 cubic inch of cremains; that is, a 180lb person will require roughly 180 cubic inches.

Most adult cremation urns will hold 200 cubic inches at a minimum, and some hold more. We list the cubic inches that each urn will hold in the product description for each of our products.

For a larger individual, the measurements can be a little tricky. The “cremains” are composed of the bone matter that remains after the cremation process. This means that regardless of a person’s actual weight, the cremains should be around the same amount as the average person of the same height.

Here is a handy chart to help you figure weight based on height.

Of course, there are variations in bone density and structure, so for a larger individual, it is wise to err on the side of more cubic inches. Often, families will choose a companion urn, which usually hold 400 cubic inches.

Companion Urns

Some couples choose a companion urn as a way to signify their inseparability. These urns typically will hold 400 or more cubic inches, and can often be made with or without separate compartments inside. If a divider is chosen, then both sides will be roughly 200 cubic inches. Again, be sure to see the dimensions on each product page, and use the same calculations as above to determine if the urn will be suitable.

Keepsake Urns

Keepsakes urns vary widely in size; some hold as little as 1 cubic inch of cremains, while others hold up to 100 cubic inches. Choose your keepsake urn carefully depending on its inteded usage. If you would like to divide the cremains among several relatives, it is usually best to get several 50+ cubic inch keepsake urns.

What If I’m Still Unsure?

If you’re still not sure how to figure out what type of funeral urn you need, or if a particular urn will be suitable, please contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you. Keep in mind that quite a few of our urns can be customized to suit your needs!

Adult Urn Standards

We recently ran into an issue where the cremains of a 6’2″ man did not fit in a 210 cubic inch urn. To be on the safe side we advertise, just as everyone else, that the calculations are approximately 1 pound of healthy weight to 1 cubic inch of cremains. This calculation for most gives plenty of room in a 200 cubic inch urn remaining.

The problem arose which left us wondering about a particular crematorium’s process and standards. The cremains of this man was about 350 cubic inches. This was about 2 times that of the industry standard. So, we are left asking what was mixed in the cremains? Was it those ashes of another person? Was this just left over cremains that the crematorium had left around?  This was screaming to me the need for an investigation.

The poor wife that watched a funeral director attempt to push way too many cremains into a standard urn was left upset and angry at us. The funeral director I also fault for not being honest with his customer and should have told her that the volume of cremains was way more than usual (unless of course he had ownership in the crematorium as well.)

We opted to help out the situation by providing a companion urn at a low cost to replace the standard adult urn. Companion urns typically hold 400 cubic inches or more.

If you have ever ran into this situation or in this situation now, please let the Funeral Consumers Alliance know by filing a report. This kind of unscrupulous activity should be reported to save the next family from unnecessary pain during a very difficult time.