Quality Caskets for Your Loved One

The purpose of both a casket and a coffin is to provide a dignified way to house the deceased’s body. The difference between the two is primarily the design. A coffin has eight sides and is shaped somewhat like a body, whereas a casket is rectangular. While we don’t usually see coffins in North America today, this design is still typical in other parts of the world.

In practical terms, a casket is simply a container designed to hold the deceased’s remains. Caskets protect the deceased’s dignity and provide a beautiful way to have your loved one’s remains on display during a funeral or memorial service. The casket (or coffin) was primarily functional in the early days, but over time, the tradition of purchasing a casket based on design has grown to honor the person who the casket will protect.  Check out our custom casket gallery for ideas on how family members have honored the lives of their loved ones with a personalized casket design.

Having a casket is not required by law. However, an alternative biodegradable container should be used for a loved one to ensure the transportation and burial or cremation is manageable and that the handling of the body is done respectfully.

We have standard metal caskets in what they call an 18-gauge thickness and a 20-gauge thickness.  The 18- gauge is thicker and usually has nicer hardware, rounded corners, and upgraded interior material.  Then we have a stainless steel option.  We also have solid wood caskets, including poplar, walnut, mahogany, maple, cherry, cedar, pine, and ash.   Lastly, our nicest caskets are made of all copper or all bronze material.

The cost of a casket is determined primarily by the materials used to make it. Pricing is not unlike that of fine furniture. For example, caskets made of rare hardwoods such as mahogany will be more expensive than those made of more common, readily available woods such as pine. The amount and type of ornamentation can also factor in the price. Funeral homes tend to have the highest markups, followed by retail showrooms.

Our most affordable caskets start as low as $1,000, and we often have a few caskets listed on our clearance page. Fortunately, there is a wide range of options in all price ranges with the most affordable caskets being made out of 20-gauge steel, and the more expensive caskets are made of bronze, mahogany, or oak. With SkyCaskets, you can easily find a beautiful casket to suit any taste and budget.

At a funeral home, you could spend anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 on a casket. With SkyCaskets, our caskets range from $1,000 to $5,000 for the same product you would get at your local funeral home.

We have caskets in a wide variety of colors, including gold, green, red, purple, blue, pink, white, brown, black, and silver, displayed on our website by color. Simply let us know what color you want, and we can find it for you.  If we don’t have the casket color you are looking for, we can customize a casket for you and make it any color you want.

Yes, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires funeral homes to accept any casket purchased from an outside source. Read more about the FTC Funeral Rule on our “How Are Caskets Delivered to Funeral Homes”? blog post.

Currently, caskets can only be shipped to addresses in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.