Choosing a coffin, casket or shroud

The coffin is often one of the first things a funeral director asks you to choose, and the range can feel overwhelming. You don’t need to spend a lot: a simple coffin is part of every funeral director’s standard price. This guide explains the main types, the difference between a coffin and a casket, the rules crematoria and burial grounds set, and whether you can buy your own.

Key points

• Coffins are six-sided and tapered; caskets are rectangular. Shrouds are cloth wraps used instead of a coffin.
• Common materials include wood-effect board, solid wood, wicker or willow, bamboo and cardboard.
• Crematoria need coffins that burn cleanly, with no metal fittings or PVC.
• Natural burial grounds usually want biodegradable coffins or shrouds. Every site sets its own rules.
• You can buy a coffin yourself, but agree it with your funeral director first.
• Tell the funeral director early if a larger coffin is needed.

Coffin, casket or shroud?

Coffin. The traditional British shape: six-sided, widest at the shoulders and narrowing towards the head and feet.

Casket. A rectangular box, often with a hinged or two-part lid, in the American style. Check its outside measurements if it’s for a cremation (see sizes below).

Shroud. A cloth wrapping, sometimes used with a rigid board underneath for carrying. Shrouds are central to Muslim and Jewish burial customs and are popular at natural burial grounds. Some cemeteries accept burial in a shroud without a coffin, while others require a coffin. See Muslim funerals and Jewish funerals.

Types of coffin

Rules for cremation

Crematoria set their own rules. Most follow the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) Code of Cremation Practice, and FBCA guidance for funeral directors says the coffin must:

• be made of material that burns easily without giving off smoke, toxic gas or drips
• have no metal fittings or furniture. Metal can only be used where needed for safe construction.
• contain no PVC, melamine, polyurethane or nitro-cellulose varnish. Water-based lacquer or a suitable cloth covering can be used.
• have only a thin polythene lining if one is needed, and no sawdust, cotton wool or shredded paper
• clearly show who is inside. The FBCA’s Code of Cremation Practice says a crematorium must not accept a coffin without adequate identification.

What goes inside matters too. The FBCA recommends natural-fibre clothing, and no PVC shoes or items of glass or plastic. Items placed in the coffin for a viewing must be removed before it goes to the crematorium, and jewellery can’t be recovered afterwards. Floral tributes can’t go into the cremator with the coffin. See visiting the chapel of rest and what happens at a cremation.

Rules for burial and natural burial

Cemeteries and churchyards set their own rules. Check with them if you want a shroud-only burial, an unusual material or a larger coffin, as it may affect the grave.

Natural and woodland burial grounds are stricter. Most want:

• a biodegradable coffin or shroud, such as cardboard, wicker, bamboo, wool or untreated wood
• biodegradable handles and fittings, and sometimes natural-fibre clothing
• often no embalming

Every site has its own list, so ask before you buy. See natural and woodland burial.

Sizes and larger coffins

Coffins come in a range of standard sizes, and funeral directors can order larger or made-to-measure ones. Tell them early if the person was tall or large.

Size matters most for cremation. FBCA guidance asks funeral directors to consult the crematorium as soon as possible if a coffin’s outside measurements are likely to be more than about 206cm long, 71cm wide or 56cm deep. Not every crematorium can take a larger coffin, so this can affect which one you use. Larger coffins may also need a larger grave or a different vehicle.

Buying your own coffin

You don’t have to buy the coffin from your funeral director. GOV.UK confirms you can arrange a funeral yourself, and the CMA’s price list template reminds families that they can take care of some arrangements themselves or use a different supplier.

If you still want a funeral director for everything else:

• Ask first. Some funeral directors will use a coffin you supply and some won’t. Others may charge a handling fee, or may not reduce a package price that already includes a coffin.
• Get it in writing, including any change to the price.
• Check the rules of the crematorium or burial ground before ordering.
• Plan delivery: where and when it will arrive, and who will place the person in it.
• Check it’s strong enough to carry, with suitable handles or a base.

Personal touches

Coffins can be personalised in many ways:

• colour, finish and handles, within the site’s rules
• printed designs or photos, offered by some suppliers
• writing messages or drawing on a cardboard coffin, which some families do together, including children
• a nameplate, which also serves as identification
• a favourite blanket, flag or drape laid over the coffin during the service

For a cremation, anything that stays on or in the coffin must be suitable for burning. A drape, flag or photo on top can be taken off before the committal.

What it costs

Coffin prices vary widely, so we don’t quote averages. What you should know:

• Every funeral director’s Standardised Price List includes “providing a suitable coffin” in its attended funeral price, with a description of that coffin. Ask to see it.
• Choosing a different coffin usually changes the total. Ask for the price difference in writing.
• The Funeral Expenses Payment can pay up to £1,000 towards other funeral costs, which GOV.UK says can include the coffin. See help paying for a funeral.
• For a child under 18 in England, the Children’s Funeral Fund can pay up to £300 towards a coffin, shroud or casket. See funerals for a baby or child.

For typical total funeral costs, see funeral costs in the UK.

Next steps

• Compare what’s included: how to choose a funeral director
• Decide between cremation and burial
• Thinking of a green funeral? See natural and woodland burial
• Find local help: funeral directors near me