Choosing an urn can feel strangely difficult. Not because you can’t find something beautiful, but because the object you choose is tied to a decision you didn’t want to have to make. Families often start by searching for cremation urns that look “right,” and then realize the bigger questions are practical: Will the urn live on a shelf at home? Will it go into a columbarium niche? Will it be buried? Will anyone want small cremation urns or keepsake urns to share? Will you wear cremation jewelry or cremation necklaces so a tiny portion stays close?
This cremation urn materials guide is meant to help you match material to plan, not pressure you into a perfect decision. We’ll compare metal, wood, ceramic, stone, and biodegradable options through the lenses families actually use: durability, price range, display style, and best use for home, burial, niche placement, scattering, or water burial. We’ll also cover the question that comes up constantly: what urns can be buried, and what to ask about urn vault requirements before you buy.
Cremation is also increasingly common, which means more families are navigating these choices than ever. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4% in 2025, and NFDA projects it will continue to rise. CANA’s annual statistics preview shows a U.S. cremation percentage of 61.8% for 2024 in its five-year average table, reflecting the same steady shift toward cremation as a primary disposition choice. You can see that data in the Cremation Association of North America statistics preview.
Begin with your plan, even if it’s a “for now” plan
If you can name what you’re likely to do with the ashes, materials become easier. Many families choose keeping ashes at home for a while, simply because it allows time to breathe. If you’re in that place, Funeral.com’s guide on keeping ashes at home offers practical, respectful advice on placement, safety, and family comfort levels.
If you already know your direction, think in simple scenarios. A home urn benefits from stability, a closure you trust, and a material that feels comfortable in your living space day after day. A niche or columbarium urn often needs precise dimensions and a more streamlined silhouette. Burial introduces moisture, soil conditions, cemetery rules, and sometimes an outer burial container. Scattering emphasizes portability and ease of opening outdoors. Sharing ashes often means one primary urn plus keepsake urns, small cremation urns, or cremation jewelry so different family members can hold remembrance in a way that fits them.
If you’d like to browse while you read, Funeral.com’s main collection of cremation urns for ashes is a broad starting point, and the collections for small cremation urns and keepsake urns are especially helpful when your plan includes sharing, scattering some later, or creating more than one memorial location.
Metal urns
Metal is often chosen for one reason: families want to feel confident the urn is secure. Many metal urns use threaded lids or tightly fitted closures, and the material itself tolerates everyday movement well. If the urn will be handled, transported, placed in a niche, or moved between relatives, metal can be a steady option.
You’ll commonly see brass, bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel. Brass and bronze are traditional and weighty, often finished in warm tones. Aluminum tends to be lighter and can be more budget-friendly. Stainless steel leans modern and is known for corrosion resistance. In most homes, metal urns are low-maintenance and durable, and they hold up well in indoor niche environments.
If you want to compare styles within the category, Funeral.com’s collection of metal cremation urns shows how “metal” can range from classic to minimalist. Metal can also pair well with personalization, and if engraving matters to you, browsing engravable urns can help you see what is possible across finishes.
Metal for travel
When travel is involved, construction matters as much as material. The Transportation Security Administration’s guidance explains that cremated remains must be screened by X-ray, and if a container cannot be cleared, it may not be permitted through the checkpoint. TSA also notes that officers typically will not open a container, even if asked. The Transportation Security Administration document on traveling with crematory remains is worth reading before you fly, especially if you’re choosing a container specifically for air travel.
Wood urns
Wood urns tend to feel familiar. They read like furniture, keepsake boxes, or heirloom objects, which can make a memorial feel integrated into the home rather than separate from it. For families who want warmth and a natural look, wood can be a comforting choice for home display.
Durability depends on craftsmanship. Solid hardwood and well-fitted joinery matter more than a glossy photo online. Many wood urns take engraving beautifully, which can be meaningful when a family wants a name, dates, or a short message to be part of the memorial. Funeral.com’s wood cremation urns for ashes collection offers a range of tones and styles that work well in living spaces.
Wood for burial
Wood can be buried, but it’s a category where planning matters. In many cemeteries, urn burial involves an outer burial container to prevent ground settling, and moisture is the long-term challenge. If burial is your plan, wood can still be the right choice, but you’ll want to understand urn vault requirements and whether the urn will be protected from soil contact inside a vault or liner. If the cemetery expects direct soil contact, wood may degrade over time, which may be acceptable for some families and unacceptable for others. The key is making sure the material fits your intention.
Ceramic urns
Ceramic urns often appeal to families who want the urn to feel like art. Glazes, colors, and sculptural forms can be deeply personal, and ceramic can look especially beautiful in natural light on a shelf or a memorial table. If you want a memorial object that feels tactile and handcrafted, ceramic is a category worth considering.
The tradeoff is impact risk. Ceramic can last for generations if it stays in a stable place, but it does not tolerate drops or hard knocks the way metal does. If the urn will be moved often, transported between homes, or placed where pets or children might bump it, a more impact-resistant material may be less stressful. If ceramic is your style, Funeral.com’s ceramic cremation urns for ashes collection is a helpful way to see what the category looks like in practice.
Stone urns
Stone urns are chosen for a sense of permanence. Marble and other natural stone options feel solid and stable, and many families like stone for formal settings such as cemetery placement or columbarium niches. Stone can also be a strong choice when long-term durability is a priority and the urn is unlikely to be moved often.
Stone is often compatible with burial, especially when paired with cemetery requirements for outer containers. You’ll still want to confirm closure type and any decorative components that might not be ideal underground. For examples of how stone reads in different styles, Funeral.com’s stone marble urn collection shows a range of finishes and silhouettes.
Stone is rarely ideal for travel due to weight. If your plan includes travel first and long-term placement later, many families transport ashes in a temporary, travel-friendly container and then transfer them to the final urn at home.
Biodegradable urns
Biodegradable urns are not “less permanent” by accident. They are designed to return to nature over time, which is exactly why some families choose them. If your plan includes green burial practices, soil memorials, scattering in a natural setting, or water burial, biodegradable materials may be the most aligned option.
Biodegradable urns can be made from paper, salt, sand-based composites, plant fibers, bamboo, or other natural materials. The most important step is matching the material to the setting. Some designs are intended for freshwater or ocean ceremonies and dissolve over time. Others are intended for soil placement and break down through moisture and microbial activity. Funeral.com’s guide to eco-friendly urns and biodegradable options explains the difference between water, soil, and tree memorial approaches in plain language.
If you want deeper detail on how biodegradable urns work and what to expect, Funeral.com also offers Eco-Conscious Choices: Biodegradable Urns for Ashes and What Is a Biodegradable Urn, and How Does It Work?. These resources can be especially helpful if your family is trying to balance “natural” values with practical questions like timing, handling, and ceremony logistics.
Biodegradable urns and water burial
If you’re planning a sea ceremony, it helps to understand both the emotional and legal considerations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides federal guidance for burial at sea, and the eCFR contains the federal regulation governing burial at sea (40 CFR 229.1). For families who want a clear sense of how a water ceremony typically unfolds, Funeral.com’s guide to water burial walks through what happens step by step and how biodegradable materials are often used.
If your family is thinking in broader “green” terms, the Green Burial Council explains what green burial means and how practices vary by cemetery type and certification.
What urns can be buried?
When people ask what urns can be buried, what they usually mean is: “What will a cemetery allow, and what will hold up underground?” The reality is that cemeteries set their own rules, and burial is as much about policy as it is about materials. Many lawn cemeteries require an outer burial container (a vault or grave liner) even for urn burial to reduce ground settling and make groundskeeping easier. The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association offers a clear explanation of burial vaults and grave liners and why cemeteries often require them.
A practical way to approach burial is to treat it as part of funeral planning and ask your cemetery the same core questions every time: Do you require an urn vault or liner for cremated remains, and what are your urn vault requirements? What are the maximum urn dimensions for the plot or niche? Are there material restrictions (for example, certain features, finishes, or closures)? Will the urn be placed directly into soil or enclosed within a vault? Once you have those answers, it becomes much easier to choose the best urn material for burial for your specific situation.
If you’re dealing with rules that can vary by state or provider, local associations sometimes publish consumer-facing guidance. For example, the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association provides general FAQs that can help families understand what may vary by jurisdiction, funeral home policy, or cemetery practice.
As a general material guide, metal and stone are often chosen for burial because they tolerate time and moisture well, especially when protected inside a vault. Wood and ceramic can still be buried, but families usually want clarity on protection and cemetery requirements so the choice feels intentional. Biodegradable urns are different: they are typically chosen specifically for decomposition in soil or water, often in green burial settings or other approved locations. The goal in that case is not permanence but return.
Pet urn materials
Pet urns sit in the same material categories, but the emotional center can feel different. Families often want the memorial to feel like the animal, not just “appropriate.” That might mean a simple wooden box that resembles a favorite corner of the home, a ceramic piece that feels like art, or a sculpture that captures a familiar silhouette. Funeral.com’s guide to pet urns for ashes helps families compare size, material, and style choices in a way that feels manageable when grief is fresh.
If you’re browsing options, Funeral.com’s collection of pet cremation urns covers a wide range of materials. For families drawn to a more representational memorial, pet figurine pet cremation urns combine remembrance and decor. And when sharing is part of the plan, pet keepsake urns offer a small, meaningful way to keep a portion close without needing one person to “hold everything.”
Some families also choose wearable remembrance for pets, especially when the daily absence is sharp. Funeral.com’s pet cremation jewelry collection is designed for that kind of close, private connection.
Where cremation jewelry fits into the material decision
Cremation jewelry can feel like a category separate from urns, but it often solves a very real family need: closeness in ordinary life. A pendant holds only a symbolic amount, but it can be grounding during anniversaries, workdays, travel, or quiet moments when grief arrives without warning. It can also be a gentle compromise when one person prefers a visible urn at home and another finds that too painful.
If you’re new to the idea, Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry 101 explains how these pieces are made and who they tend to help most. If you want to explore styles, you can browse cremation jewelry, including cremation necklaces, and then decide whether jewelry belongs in your overall plan alongside cremation urns for ashes.
Travel considerations
If the urn will fly, simplicity and security matter. Families often choose a temporary travel container for the journey and then transfer ashes into the final urn at home. This approach reduces the stress of carrying a heavy or fragile urn through airports while still honoring your long-term plan. TSA’s guidance in its traveling with crematory remains document is a steady reference for what screening can involve and why container choice matters.
If you want a scenario-based approach that includes travel, home display, burial, and scattering, the Funeral.com Journal article How to Choose a Cremation Urn That Actually Fits Your Plans walks through the decisions families commonly face and how to choose an urn that matches what you actually intend to do.
When you’re tired, choose a checklist you can say out loud
When grief is heavy, the best decisions are often the ones that reduce future stress. If you want a simple way to decide, start with the next six months. If the urn will be at home, prioritize stability, a closure you trust, and a material that fits your space. If burial is likely, prioritize cemetery rules and long-term durability. If you’re not sure, prioritize flexibility by choosing a primary urn you can keep now and pairing it with keepsake urns or small cremation urns if sharing becomes important later.
For burial compatibility, let your questions do the work: confirm urn vault requirements, ask for maximum dimensions, clarify any restrictions, and ask whether the urn will be placed directly in soil or protected within an outer container. Those answers will point you toward the best urn material for burial for your cemetery, not just in theory.
How much does cremation cost, and does material change the total?
Urn material affects price, but it is usually one piece of a larger cost picture. NFDA lists national median costs that families often reference when budgeting; according to the National Funeral Directors Association, the national median cost of a funeral with cremation in 2023 was $6,280, and the national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial was $8,300. Those figures include service components, not just urns, but they help families understand the broader landscape.
If you’re specifically asking how much does cremation cost and what drives differences between providers, Funeral.com’s guide to how much does cremation cost breaks down typical price ranges and what is included. For a wider comparison that includes funeral home pricing structures and ways to compare, Average Funeral and Cremation Costs Today is a helpful companion read.
Let the material serve the love
In the end, urn materials matter because they support what your family is trying to do with love. Some families want permanence and stability. Some want warmth and a home-centered presence. Some want artistry. Some want a return to nature through biodegradable options and a gentle ceremony. Many want a blend: a primary urn for home, keepsake urns for sharing, and cremation jewelry for closeness on the days it’s hardest.
If you’re still deciding what to do with ashes, give yourself permission to choose what works now and leave room for later. When you’re ready to explore options that match your plan, Funeral.com’s collections for cremation urns for ashes, small cremation urns, keepsake urns, pet urns, and cremation jewelry can help you move from questions to choices at your own pace.
