There’s something quietly comforting about an hourglass. Even people who don’t consider themselves “sentimental” understand the feeling: time passing, love staying, a life held gently between before and after. That’s why an hourglass urn—sometimes called an hourglass urn for ashes, hourglass keepsake urn, or memorial hourglass urn—can feel like the right kind of symbol when you’re grieving.
But families often discover an important truth the moment they start shopping: a hourglass cremation urn isn’t a perfectly timed sand timer. And it isn’t meant to be. An hourglass urn is a keepsake-style memorial that holds a small portion of cremains, and some styles may allow a visible “flow” effect—but cremated remains don’t behave like uniform sand. Understanding that difference upfront can save you disappointment, help you choose a design you’ll still love years from now, and make the practical side—capacity, filling, display, and long-term care—much easier.
In a time when more families are choosing cremation, keepsakes like these have become more common. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 63.4% in 2025 (more than double the projected burial rate). And CANA notes that cremation in the U.S. has continued to rise over time, with recent reports focused on 2024 data and updated projections.
That bigger trend matters here because it explains why families are increasingly combining a main urn with smaller memorials: cremation urns, keepsake urns, and cremation jewelry that let multiple people keep a meaningful connection, each in their own way.
What an hourglass urn actually is (and what it isn’t)
An hourglass urn is best understood as a variation of keepsake urns: it’s designed to hold a symbolic portion of ashes, not all of them. Many hourglass designs are glass-forward and display-oriented, meant for a shelf, mantle, or memorial corner—more like a piece of art than a traditional vessel.
This is also the point where expectations can get tangled. Some listings imply that ashes will “pour” like sand. In real life, cremains are a mixture of textures—fine powder, tiny granules, and sometimes slightly coarser particles. Humidity and static can also affect movement, and any internal narrowing can clog. So even if a design is described as a rotating hourglass urn, the “turning” is usually symbolic: you can rotate the piece to change the look, but you should not count on consistent flow like a classic timer.
If what you want is the feeling of time passing—something you can gently turn on anniversaries, birthdays, or hard days—an hourglass urn can still be beautifully fitting. Just choose it for meaning and display, not for minute-by-minute accuracy.
Capacity: how much ashes fit in an hourglass urn?
Most hourglass urns fall into the keepsake category. As a practical benchmark, Funeral.com’s Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes collection notes that keepsakes are typically under 7 cubic inches—enough for a small portion intended to be shared or kept close.
If you’re trying to translate that into real-life decisions, it helps to think in “roles”:
A full-size memorial is usually handled by cremation urns for ashes meant to hold nearly all remains (often chosen as the family’s centerpiece urn). You can browse that range in Funeral.com’s Cremation Urns for Ashes collection.
A keepsake role—what an hourglass urn typically fills—is about keeping keeping ashes at home, placing something meaningful in a second household, or pairing a keepsake with scattering or burial plans. If you’re deciding between “small” and “keepsake,” Funeral.com’s Small Cremation Urns for Ashes collection can be a helpful middle ground when you want more than a token amount but don’t need full capacity.
If you want a simple, steady rule for capacity (especially if you’re buying a main urn as well), Funeral.com’s sizing guidance is a reassuring companion—start with the common rule of thumb, then round up for comfort. The Cremation Urn Size Chart and the guide What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Easy Guide to Matching Urn Capacity to Body Weight explain this clearly.
A gentle truth about “how much ashes in an hourglass urn”
If your keyword question is “how much ashes in hourglass urn,” the kindest answer is: however much helps you feel close, without forcing the container to carry more than it was designed for. Hourglass urns are often selected as part of a larger plan: most ashes in a main urn, and a small portion in a keepsake.
If you’re still deciding what to do with ashes, Funeral.com’s Journal guide Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, and Cremation Jewelry: A Gentle Guide to Your Options can help you match memorial choices to real-life scenarios—home display, sharing, scattering, travel, and more.
Styles families love (and what each style is best for)
Hourglass urns tend to cluster into a few design “families.” The best choice depends less on aesthetics and more on how you want to live with it day to day.
Glass display hourglass styles are usually chosen for beauty: light, transparency, and presence. If you’re drawn to that look but want a broader range than hourglass shapes alone, Funeral.com’s Glass Cremation Urns for Ashes collection can give you a sense of how glass memorials read in a home—elegant, luminous, and intentional.
Wood-and-glass hybrid styles often feel warmer and more traditional, blending into shelves and living rooms without feeling “medical” or overly formal.
“Rotating” or turnable designs are best approached as ritual objects: something you might turn slowly on meaningful days, rather than a timer you rely on. If rotation is part of what draws you in, look closely at stability, how the piece locks into place, and whether the internal chamber is actually designed for movement.
And for families who want a wearable version of the hourglass symbol, cremation necklaces can carry the same meaning in a more private way. Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry collection includes pieces designed to hold a very small amount of ashes.
There are also hourglass-themed options, like this hourglass cremation pendant, when the symbol itself is what you want to keep close.
Filling an hourglass urn: what to expect, what you’ll need, and how to do it calmly
Even when you feel emotionally ready, transferring ashes can be intimidating. Many families choose to have the funeral home do it. Others prefer a private moment at home. Either is completely normal.
If you’re doing it yourself, aim for “spill-minimizing” rather than “perfect.” The goal is respect and safety, not a flawless performance.
A simple home setup usually includes: a clean tray or baking sheet to catch stray grains, a small funnel (or the funnel included in many kits), and a soft cloth. Some families wear a mask simply for comfort—ashes are not inherently hazardous, but the powder can irritate if it becomes airborne.
Here’s the approach that tends to keep things steady:
- Prepare a quiet workspace at a table with good light and no fans or open windows.
- Place the urn and the ashes container on a tray to contain any spill.
- Open the keepsake compartment slowly, and use a small funnel to transfer only a small portion at a time.
- If the urn uses threads, avoid cross-threading. If it uses a plug or gasket, make sure it is fully seated before display.
Funeral.com’s What to Expect When You Receive Cremation Ashes guide is a supportive read if you want to understand how ashes are returned and how transfers usually work. And if your plan includes keeping ashes at home, their guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally addresses the real-life questions families don’t always ask out loud—children, pets, visitors, and what feels respectful over time.
Safety and display tips: making an hourglass urn feel peaceful, not stressful
Hourglass urns are display-forward, which means you’ll want to treat placement as part of funeral planning—not an afterthought. The safest spot is stable, slightly out of everyday traffic, and not somewhere a sleeve or purse can catch and knock it over.
If you have children, pets, or frequent visitors, it can help to choose a spot that feels private rather than performative. Many families build a small memorial area with a photo, a candle (battery is safer), and a keepsake urn. Over time, that space can evolve as grief changes.
If you’re unsure how your household will feel about ashes in a shared space, Funeral.com has a thoughtful piece on the emotional side of this question: Is It Bad Luck to Keep Ashes in the House? Comfort, Myths, and Practical Choices.
Hourglass urns for pets: the same symbolism, a different scale
For many families, the hourglass symbol fits pet grief especially well—the sense that time with them was never long enough.
If you’re looking for pet urns for ashes or pet keepsakes, Funeral.com’s Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is a strong starting point. And for a keepsake-sized portion—similar to what many hourglass urns hold—there’s a dedicated Pet Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes collection.
If you’re also navigating decisions like “keep some, scatter some,” the Journal guide Keepsake Urns and Sharing Urns: When Families Want to Divide Ashes can help you plan the split with more confidence and less anxiety.
Where to buy hourglass urns online (and how to shop with confidence)
When you’re buying an hourglass urn online, the most important details are often in the least glamorous parts of the listing: capacity in cubic inches, closure type, material thickness, and how the piece stands or mounts.
A practical way to shop is to decide which “category” you’re really buying first:
If you want a centerpiece urn, start with cremation urns for ashes and then add a keepsake hourglass as a companion piece.
If your hourglass is the main item and you truly only want a small portion inside, start with keepsake urns and compare similar capacities and closures.
If the hourglass symbolism is what matters most and you prefer something private and portable, consider cremation jewelry—including cremation necklaces—and treat it as a “wearable keepsake” rather than a display object.
And because money becomes part of the conversation whether we want it to or not, it can help to anchor your decisions in real numbers. If you’re wondering how much does cremation cost, Funeral.com’s guide How Much Does Cremation Cost? Average Prices and Budget-Friendly Options breaks it down in plain language.
It’s also worth remembering you have a right to clear pricing when you’re arranging services: the FTC’s Funeral Rule explains consumer rights around itemized price lists and comparison shopping.
A final, comforting way to think about an hourglass memorial
An hourglass urn isn’t a stopwatch. It won’t measure your grief, or tell you how long you’re “supposed” to hurt, or how quickly life should feel normal again. What it can do—when you choose it thoughtfully—is give you a small, steady ritual. A symbol you can touch. A shape that says, “Time moved forward, and love stayed real.”
