Funeral QuestionsHow Do You Choose a Coffin or Casket?
Last updated 29 September 2026 · 5 min read
Direct Answer
A coffin is the tapered, six-sided shape (wider at the shoulders), while a casket is rectangular with a hinged lid. Both do the same job, so the choice comes down to appearance and budget. Cardboard and simple veneered coffins sit at the bottom of the price range almost everywhere, with wicker and solid timber above them and metal caskets at the top. Actual prices and the rules that apply depend on the country. For cremation, a simple coffin is entirely appropriate. Choose based on whether it's a burial or cremation, what the person would have wanted, and the budget: the coffin is one line item, not a measure of love.
Detailed Explanation
Families often choose a coffin days after a death, standing in a showroom or scrolling a catalogue with no idea what things should cost. That's when overspending happens. A little orientation beforehand helps.
Coffin vs casket: the actual difference
- Coffin: six-sided, tapered to follow the body's shape, with a removable lid. The traditional form in Australia, the UK and Ireland, and generally the cheaper of the two in an equivalent material.
- Casket: a four-sided rectangle with a hinged lid (often split in two for viewings) and interior fittings. The usual form in North America; typically heavier and more expensive.
Nothing functional separates them. Where a funeral director, crematorium or cemetery has requirements, they're about size, strength and materials, not shape.
Materials, from least to most expensive
Exact prices depend on the country, the supplier and the funeral director's mark-up, so the country pages below give local figures. The order from cheapest to dearest is broadly the same everywhere:
| Material | Relative cost | Typically chosen for |
|---|---|---|
| Cardboard or compressed fibre | Lowest | Cremation, natural burial, family decoration |
| Particleboard or MDF with a veneer or laminate finish | Low to middle | A timber look at a controlled price; the most common choice in Australia and the UK |
| Wicker, willow, seagrass, bamboo | Middle | Natural burial, and families who want something biodegradable that still looks finished |
| Solid timber (pine through to oak and mahogany) | Middle to high | Tradition, appearance, burial |
| Metal (steel, copper, bronze) | Highest | Burial, mainly in North America; most crematoria won't accept metal |
In the US, where caskets dominate, the industry's own benchmark for a typical funeral assumes a metal casket, so spending on this item tends to be higher than in countries where a veneered coffin is the norm.
How to actually choose
Three questions cut through the catalogue:
- Burial or cremation? For cremation, the coffin is only needed for a few hours, so simple is sensible, and a cardboard coffin is perfectly respectable. For burial, the family may care more about how it looks at the graveside, and the cemetery may have its own rules on materials. See burial vs cremation if that decision is still open.
- What would the person themselves say? The frugal father who'd be furious at an expensive casket; the craftsman who'd appreciate solid timber; the environmentalist who'd want wicker. Choosing in their voice resolves most disagreements.
- What does the budget say? Funeral directors' mark-ups on coffins are often high. Deciding on a ceiling before viewing the range, and saying it out loud to the funeral director, keeps the decision yours. A reputable director will respect a stated budget straight away. See how to choose a funeral director for comparing providers and reading itemised quotes.
How it works where you are
The shape and materials are much the same everywhere, but prices, price-display rules, your right to buy a coffin elsewhere, and whether burial without a coffin is allowed all differ by country:
- Australia: state price-list rules in NSW and Victoria, NSW Health approval for burial without a coffin, and typical prices in Australian dollars. See how to choose a coffin in Australia.
- United Kingdom: the coffin line on the CMA's Standardised Price List, crematorium and council cemetery rules, and help from the Funeral Expenses Payment. See how to choose a coffin in the UK.
- United States: the FTC Funeral Rule's Casket Price List, your right to buy a casket elsewhere, alternative containers for cremation, and burial vaults. See how to choose a casket in the US.
Things to Consider
- Ask to see the full range and the price list. Showrooms tend to feature the mid and upper range. Cheaper coffins are usually available if you ask, and in several countries funeral directors must publish or hand over coffin prices.
- A viewing changes things a little. If there's an open-coffin viewing, the interior and presentation matter more. At a closed-coffin service, people mostly see the lid and the flowers.
- Size: larger-than-standard coffins are available and can affect whether a cremator or a particular plot can take them. Funeral directors handle this, but it can change the cost and the choice of venue. See what if a standard coffin doesn't fit for how bariatric and oversized coffins work.
- Environmental impact: materials, glues and fittings all matter if the family is choosing on footprint. Untreated timber, wicker and cardboard are the lowest-impact choices; metal caskets and high-gloss finishes are the highest. Natural burial grounds publish what they accept. See what makes a funeral environmentally friendly for how the coffin fits alongside other choices.
- Flowers change how a coffin looks. A modest coffin under a generous spray of flowers looks every bit as dignified, and florists know it.
Common Mistakes
- Equating price with respect. It's the oldest pressure in the industry. What the family remembers is the service, the words and each other, not the model name of the coffin.
- Deciding in the showroom without a ceiling. Agree the budget before you walk in, not in front of the catalogue.
- Buying solid timber for a cremation "because it looks better for an hour." If appearance at the service matters, ask about rental display options or spend the money on flowers instead.
- Not checking what's accepted before buying a coffin elsewhere. A coffin that doesn't meet the crematorium's or cemetery's requirements leads to a distressing last-minute scramble.
- Ignoring the person's known values. The coffin should suit the person. That's the most reliable test in this whole decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you legally need a coffin at all?
- It depends on the country, and often on the state or the individual cemetery. Crematoria almost everywhere expect a coffin or a rigid, combustible container. For burial the rules vary more. In England and Wales, council cemeteries may choose to allow burial without a coffin. In New South Wales a coffin is required unless NSW Health approves otherwise. In the US, state law generally doesn't require a casket, but most cemeteries do require some kind of container. If a shroud or minimal container matters for religious, cultural or environmental reasons, ask the funeral director and the cemetery early.
- Can we supply our own coffin, or decorate one?
- Usually, yes. In the US the FTC Funeral Rule says a funeral home can't refuse a casket bought elsewhere or charge a fee for using it. In other countries there's often no equivalent rule, but many funeral directors will accept a coffin from another supplier as long as it meets the size, strength and (for cremation) combustibility requirements, so confirm before buying. Families also personalise coffins: painting or writing messages on a plain one, wrapping it in printed images, or covering it with a flag, quilt or team colours. Decorating a simple coffin together can mean a lot to a family, and children can take part.
- What can actually be placed inside the coffin with the person?
- It depends heavily on whether the funeral ends in burial or cremation. Burial is far more permissive, while cremation rules out glass, batteries, and anything non-combustible, and requires implants like pacemakers to be removed beforehand for safety reasons. See [what can and can't be placed in a coffin](/questions/what-can-and-cant-be-placed-in-a-coffin) for the full breakdown.
- Does an expensive coffin matter for cremation?
- Practically, no. The coffin is there for the service and is then cremated with the person, so its role is brief and its cost isn't recoverable. Crematoria only require that it be suitable and combustible, which is why handles and fittings on cremation coffins are often plastic. Families who want a more traditional look at the service without the cost can ask about [rental display caskets](/questions/how-do-rental-display-caskets-work-for-cremation) (an outer shell used for the service, with a simple insert that is cremated) where providers offer them.
References
- Federal Trade Commission (US) — The FTC Funeral Rule
- Competition and Markets Authority (UK) — The Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021
- Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977 (England and Wales), Schedule 2
- NSW Health — Burial not in a coffin
- Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities — Code of Cremation Practice
Related Questions
How Do You Choose a Coffin in Australia?
Choosing a coffin in Australia: typical prices by material, the NSW and Victorian rules on coffin price lists, and when burial without a coffin is allowed.
How Do You Choose a Coffin in the UK?
Choosing a coffin in the UK: how the CMA price list shows the coffin cost, what crematoria and cemeteries accept, shroud burial, and help with funeral costs.
How Do You Choose a Casket in the US?
Choosing a casket in the US: typical prices, your FTC Funeral Rule rights to a Casket Price List and to buy elsewhere, cremation containers, and burial vaults.
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