Special attention is given to the design and engineering of each of our products. Every casket is manufactured to the same exacting industry standards that consumers have come to expect, but priced 40-75% below that of most funeral homes.

Casket Materials:

Caskets are available in METAL (steel, stainless steel, copper, bronze); WOOD (hardwood, softwood, particle board); and FIBERGLASS/PLASTIC.

Steel caskets in 20-gauge thickness are the most common casket; this thickness is entirely sufficient for normal burial; and these come in many attractive styles and colors.

However, most mortuaries try to steer families away from the low-priced caskets (by displaying only ugly colors; by using "scary" stories that 20-gauge caskets aren't thick enough; by putting scratches on caskets, etc.).  Mortuary employees are expected or required to coax families to buy costly, thicker 18-gauge and 16-gauge steel caskets with the nearly-useless, harmful "protective" seals. All steel caskets will rust and leak as time goes on. We do offer a casket that has a seal or gasket in case you prefer this option.

• The material from which the casket is constructed Cloth covered wood (or cloth covered corrugated fiber board)
• Gauge of the steel used in casket construction (20-gauge is least expensive; thicker gauges [18-gauge and 16-gauge] are more expensive.
• Type of wood
• Weight of copper or bronze (32 ounce or 38 ounce)
• Casket design (square corner, round corner, urn shape)
• Interior materials used and nature of the finish of those materials
• Exterior Hardware (handles and lugs) used
• Paint finish.

Product cost also affected by delivery requirements. It used to be the norm that funeral homes retained some inventory to meet the needs of their clients. Today, (at least in metropolitan areas and in many smaller cities as well) next day or same day delivery has become the rule. This increases the service cost for the manufacturer or distributor and adds to the overall cost of caskets.

Other factors that affect casket cost include the type of hardware and lugs (the bars and the devices by which they are attached to the casket).  Painted, stamped steel is the least expensive, while different hardware may be manufactured from plastics, such as ABS or polycarbonate.  Interior materials and finishes also affect cost.  Twill interiors that are heat-shirred are usually the least expensive, while tufted velvet interiors are among the most expensive.  Interior materials also are made from crepe and linen materials.  Specialized or custom interior options also add to product cost.

Other casket types produced include fiberglass or composite caskets, stone-covered wood caskets, etc.  These are generally small market penetration products and the prices are dependent on design and production cost.

When Comparing Casket Costs Consider:
Ranging from least expensive to most expensive, these casket characteristics need to be considered when comparing costs:
Gauge of steel (20-,19-,18- or 16-gauge), or weight of copper or bronze.
Casket design (square-corner, round-corner, round-corner urn shape).
Interior materials (twills, crepes, linens, velvets).
Interior design (heat-shirred, sewn-shirring, tailo-tufted, special panels, etc.).
Hardware (handles than and lugs - stamped, cast, polished, painted or electroplated or vacuum metlized, less expensive electroplating).
Type of wood (salix/cottonwood, redwood, poplar, pine, sypress, cedar, oak, hickory/pecan, birch, ash, maple, cherry, walnut, mahogany).  Hardwoods are more expensive than veneers.

What About Preservation?
Finally, while some manufacturers offer product warranties, caskets will not preserve the remains.  Caskets may hel protect the remains from outside elements in conjunction with an appropriate outer burial container, but no casket can prevent post-mortem decomposition.

Casket stores, whether on the internet or in a strip mall, often claim that consumers may save $1000’s of dollars by purchasing from them. This claim may, or may not, be valid. The caveat “buyer beware” applies.