When you first sit down to make casket choices, it can feel like you are being asked to make an enormous decision in a very small window of time. A funeral director may show you a room full of polished metal and wood, talk about “sealer” or “protective” options, and present packages that bundle the casket with other services. At the same time, you might be wondering whether you should choose burial, cremation, or some combination of the two, and how all of this fits into your budget.
You are not alone in feeling that this is a lot. In the last decade, families across the United States have been rethinking traditional funerals and caskets altogether. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, cremation is now chosen far more often than burial, with the 2025 cremation rate projected at about 63.4% compared with a burial rate around 31.6%. The Cremation Association of North America reports a similar trajectory and notes that cremation rates have climbed steadily in both the U.S. and Canada.
Even so, many families still want a viewing casket vs a burial casket discussion, a chance to say goodbye with the body present, and a clear understanding of what they are paying for. This guide walks through metal vs wood casket choices, sealed versus unsealed designs, rentals, and alternative containers for cremation, and places where you may be able to save money without sacrificing dignity.
How the Casket Fits into Today’s Funeral Choices
A generation ago, most funerals followed a familiar pattern: embalming, visitation, church or chapel service, and a cemetery burial in a full casket. Today, the picture is more mixed. Some families still choose that path. Others opt for cremation with a simple gathering. Many blend elements, such as a viewing with a rental casket for cremation, followed by ashes going into cremation urns for ashes at a later memorial.
Cost is one reason the landscape is changing. NFDA data indicates that the national median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial is around $8,300, while a comparable funeral with cremation averages roughly $6,280. Funeral.com’s own guide, How Much Does a Funeral Cost? Complete Funeral Price Breakdown and Ways to Save, explains how casket pricing fits into the full budget and where you may have room to adjust without feeling like you are cutting corners on love or respect.
Cremation is often chosen because it can be more flexible and, depending on the choices you make, more affordable. Funeral.com’s article How Much Does Cremation Cost? Average Prices and Budget-Friendly Options offers a deeper look at how much cremation costs, especially when you compare direct cremation, cremation with a service, and memorial items like cremation urns, keepsake urns, and cremation jewelry.
Understanding where the casket fits into all of this is the first step toward feeling more in control.
Casket Materials: Metal, Wood, and Eco-Friendly Options
When you walk into a selection room or browse caskets in a catalog, the first big decision is usually material. Most caskets fall into three broad categories: metal, wood, and simpler “green” or eco-friendly designs.
Metal caskets
Metal caskets are often made from steel in different thicknesses (sometimes called “gauge”), as well as bronze or copper at higher price points. Steel caskets with a lower gauge number (for example, 16-gauge versus 20-gauge) have thicker metal and are generally more expensive. You may see language about strength, durability, and “protection,” especially in connection with sealed vs unsealed caskets.
Metal can offer a clean, polished appearance and a wide range of colors, from deep navy or burgundy to lighter hues. Families who like a more modern look or who want a particular color sometimes gravitate toward metal. It is worth remembering, though, that burial involves the natural breakdown of everything placed in the ground. A metal casket may resist rust for longer than wood, but it cannot prevent the basic processes of time.
Wood caskets
Wood caskets range from simple pine or poplar to more expensive hardwoods like oak, cherry, or mahogany. The price often reflects both the type of wood and the level of craftsmanship in the finish. Some families are drawn to the warmth of natural grain and softer lines. A simple casket for burial made from plain, unfinished wood can be both dignified and more modest in cost.
Wood also plays an important role in religious considerations for the casket type. In many Jewish traditions, for example, a casket called an aron is made entirely of wood with no metal nails or hardware, emphasizing simplicity and the belief that both body and casket should return naturally to the earth. Some faiths and cultures prefer unembellished wood caskets for similar reasons, seeing them as an equalizer that avoids displaying wealth at the moment of death.
Green or eco-friendly caskets
For families concerned with environmental impact, green or eco-friendly caskets made from untreated wood, wicker, bamboo, or other biodegradable materials can be very meaningful. These caskets are often used in green burial cemeteries that avoid vaults and emphasize natural landscapes. Even in more traditional cemeteries, some simpler wood or fiberboard caskets may be acceptable, especially when paired with a required vault.
If you lean toward cremation, eco-friendly choices can also show up in urns and memorial products. Funeral.com carries a variety of cremation urns for ashes in wood, MDF, glass, and other materials, including options curated with sustainability and simplicity in mind.
Interior Fabrics and Features: Comfort Versus Cost
Once you have a sense of material, you may be shown different interior fabrics—velvet, crepe, satin—and a range of finishes, from very simple to highly ornate. These details are not unimportant; they can affect how you feel when you see your loved one at a visitation. But it helps to understand how they relate to cost.
Higher-priced interiors may include thicker padding, pleated or tufted designs, and rich fabrics. More modest caskets might use plain crepe or basic satin with minimal decoration. Decorative panels, corner pieces, and hardware shapes also add to the price.
If you are planning a short viewing or a closed-casket service, it may be easier to choose a simpler interior. If you expect many people at a visitation and want the casket to feel especially soft or “dressed,” you might decide that an upgraded fabric is worth it. The key is to recognize that these are aesthetic decisions rather than necessities, and that you can balance appearance and budget without compromising respect.
Sealed vs Unsealed Caskets: Gasketed Casket Pros and Cons
Families are often told about “sealed” or “gasketed” caskets that are supposed to keep out water and air. The implication is that a sealed vs unsealed casket decision will change how well the body is “protected.” This language can feel emotionally powerful, especially when you are trying to take care of someone you love.
In reality, no casket can preserve a body forever. Sealer gaskets may slow the immediate entry of air or moisture, but decomposition is a natural process that continues regardless of these features. Consumer advocates and regulators have long warned families not to confuse “protective” marketing language with any promise of permanent preservation.
It can help to think of gasketed casket pros and cons in everyday terms. A sealed casket may feel psychologically reassuring, and some families like the sense of “closure” that the term suggests. However, these features often add significantly to the price. If your main concern is a dignified appearance at the service and compliance with cemetery requirements, a non-gasketed casket may be entirely sufficient.
The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give you honest, itemized prices and to avoid claims that mislead families about what a casket can or cannot do. If you are unsure, it is reasonable to ask the funeral director to explain exactly what a “sealer” means in practical terms and whether the cemetery actually requires it.
Rental Caskets and Alternative Containers for Cremation
If you are leaning toward cremation but still want a traditional-looking viewing or church service, a rental casket for cremation can be a smart middle ground. In this arrangement, the body is placed in an inner container that fits inside a reusable ceremonial shell. After the service, the inner container is removed and used for the cremation, while the outer casket is prepared for another family later.
This approach allows you to have a dignified, elegant setup for the ceremony without purchasing an expensive casket that will not be buried. It can significantly reduce costs, especially when combined with a more modest permanent urn afterward.
For the cremation itself, no law requires a full casket. Under the Funeral Rule and casket choice protections, funeral homes that offer cremation must allow families to use an “alternative container”, a simpler, combustible box made from materials like cardboard, pressed wood, or fiberboard, rather than a traditional casket. This is a federal right, not just a suggestion, and it exists specifically so families can keep cremation affordable.
If a funeral home suggests that you must buy a casket for cremation, it is appropriate to ask them to explain, in writing, which specific law or crematory policy they are referencing. Consumer organizations and the FTC are clear: you may choose a compliant alternative container for cremation instead.
Buying a Casket Online or from a Third Party
You may discover that online casket purchases cost less than similar models sold at the funeral home. Many families worry that if they choose to buy a casket from a third party, the funeral home might refuse it or charge an extra fee.
The FTC’s consumer guidance on the Funeral Rule is clear: a funeral provider may not refuse, or charge a fee, to handle a casket that you bought online, at a local casket store, or anywhere else. They also cannot require you to be present when the casket is delivered. Advisory opinions and consumer-rights summaries reinforce that funeral homes must treat third-party caskets the same way they treat those they sell themselves.
This means you are free to compare casket materials and features, read reviews, and decide whether an online option fits your budget and values. If you choose this route, it can be wise to order a bit earlier than you think you need, confirm delivery logistics with both the retailer and the funeral home, and keep copies of your receipts and order confirmations.
Comparing Casket Quality and Price Without Getting Lost
When you are standing in front of several caskets, the differences can blur quickly. Instead of trying to memorize every specification, it can help to focus on a few practical questions.
First, think about how long the casket needs to be visible. If you are having a brief, closed-casket service, you may feel comfortable choosing a simpler model. If there will be a long visitation with many guests, you might decide that a somewhat nicer finish or interior is worth the extra cost.
Second, consider how the casket fits into the overall funeral budget. Articles like Funeral.com’s How Much Does a Funeral Cost? and How Much Does Cremation Cost? are designed to help you see where the casket sits alongside cemetery fees, flowers, printed materials, and urns. When you step back and look at the full picture, it often becomes clearer where you want to spend more and where you can comfortably spend less.
Finally, remember that quality does not always mean “most expensive.” A well-constructed, mid-priced wood casket with solid hardware and a thoughtful interior can be every bit as dignified as a much costlier metal model with extra ornamentation. If you are unsure, you can ask the funeral director to show you one or two options in different price ranges and explain the specific differences, rather than feeling rushed through a large catalog.
Veterans and Casket Choices
If your loved one served in the military, veteran casket or urn options may come up as part of the planning conversation. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides valuable burial benefits, including a gravesite, marker or headstone, and perpetual care at a VA national cemetery, but generally does not provide or pay for the casket itself. Families remain responsible for funeral home merchandise and services, including the casket, though they may receive a burial allowance that helps cover some expenses.
When planning a military funeral, you can still consider all the same factors, materials, style, and budget, when selecting a casket or cremation urn. Many families choose designs that harmonize with the veteran’s branch of service or personal style. For example, Patriotic Eagle Hardboard Flag Design Adult Cremation Urn and American Patriot Flag Slate Adult Cremation Urn offer meaningful ways to honor service while focusing on the symbolism of the flag, honors, and VA-provided marker rather than elaborate ornamentation.
When Cremation and Memorial Products Help Reduce Casket Costs
Because cremation is now the most common choice in the U.S., many families are asking whether they truly need an expensive burial casket at all. NFDA and CANA data show that cremation rates have more than doubled over recent decades and are projected to keep rising, driven in part by cost and flexibility.
If you choose cremation, you might use a rental casket for cremation or a simple cremation casket for viewing, then direct more of your budget toward lasting memorial items. This is where cremation urns, small cremation urns, keepsake urns, pet urns, pet urns for ashes, pet cremation urns, cremation jewelry, and cremation necklaces come into the picture.
Funeral.com curates a broad range of cremation urns for ashes, including full-size urns for adults and more budget-conscious MDF designs, so you can choose something that feels right at home, in a columbarium, or at a graveside. If you plan to share ashes among family members or combine scattering with a home memorial, small cremation urns for ashes and keepsake cremation urns for ashes give you flexible, meaningful options.
For animal companions, Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes and Pet Figurine Cremation Urns for Ashes allow you to honor a beloved dog or cat with designs that reflect their personality and the bond you shared. The Journal article Pet Urns for Ashes: A Complete Guide for Dog and Cat Owners walks through sizes, styles, and personalization choices in more detail.
If you are drawn to carrying a small portion of ashes with you, Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry and Cremation Necklaces collections provide subtle pieces designed to hold a tiny amount of remains close to your heart. The articles Cremation Jewelry 101: What It Is, How It’s Made, and Who It’s Right For and From Ashes to Art: The Emotional Beauty of Cremation Jewelry for People and Pets can help you decide whether these pieces might be part of your own answer to what to do with ashes.
CANA’s research suggests that nearly one in four U.S. households now keep cremated remains at home, which means many families are quietly navigating keeping ashes at home as a long-term reality. Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally offers practical and emotional guidance if that path is calling to you.
If you are considering water burial or scattering, the article Understanding What Happens During a Water Burial Ceremony explains how those services work and what kinds of urns are appropriate for lakes, rivers, or the sea.
In all of these scenarios, the casket becomes one piece of a bigger story rather than the centerpiece of your spending.
Saving Money While Choosing a Dignified Casket
Ultimately, avoiding overspending on caskets is about aligning your choices with your values. If your loved one lived simply, a modest wood or fiberboard casket may be the most honest tribute, especially if you pair it with a beautiful home memorial or meaningful scattering. If they loved tradition and ceremony, you might decide that a mid-range metal or hardwood casket feels right, and then use strategies from Funeral.com’s cost guides to save elsewhere.
You have powerful consumer rights on your side: the ability to choose only the services and goods you want, to use third-party or online caskets, and to request alternative containers for cremation instead of full caskets. When you combine those rights with clear information about casket materials and features, you can make decisions based on love and practicality rather than pressure and fear.
If you are still weighing burial versus cremation, Funeral.com’s article What Is Direct Burial? How It Works, Who It’s For, and How It Differs From Cremation may help you compare a simple ground burial in a modest casket with cremation followed by an urn, jewelry, or other memorial items.
Whichever path you choose, the heart of the decision is the same: you are trying to express, in a physical object, how much someone mattered. That meaning does not depend on the price tag.
