Most families donât start out knowing theyâll need a second urn.
They begin with one practical questionâwhat happens after cremation?âand then, a little later, another: what do we do with the ashes? That second question is where the conversation quietly widens. One person wants a cremation urns for ashes display at home. Another canât imagine a permanent spot yet and prefers scattering. A sibling lives across the country and wants something small to keep close. A grandchild asks for âjust a little pieceâ to remember them by.
Thatâs the moment keepsake urns make senseânot as a product choice, but as a family choice. A keepsake urn is simply a smaller urn designed to hold a portion of cremated remains, so love can be shared without forcing everyone into the same timeline or the same kind of memorial.
And because cremation is now the majority choice in the U.S., this conversation is becoming more common. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate was projected to reach 61.9% in 2024. The Cremation Association of North America reports a similar national figure for 2024 (61.8%) and projects continued growth in the years ahead.
When cremation becomes the path, families often discover theyâre not choosing one memorial decision. Theyâre choosing a set of decisionsâabout proximity, ritual, timing, and meaning. Keepsake urns are one way to keep those decisions gentle.
What a keepsake urn is, in plain language
A keepsake urn is a mini urnâsometimes called a mini urn for ashesâmade to hold a small amount of cremated remains rather than the full portion. Many are meant to be displayed on a shelf, tucked into a memory box, or kept in a safe place until the family is ready for a scattering ceremony or a final interment.
On Funeral.com, the Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes collection describes these as typically holding under 7 cubic inches, which is why theyâre often used for sharing among relatives, pairing with scattering, or keeping a small portion at home.
It may help to hear the emotional translation of that: a keepsake urn is a way to avoid turning grief into a tug-of-war. It lets one person keep a small memorial at home while another honors a loved one through water burial or scattering. It lets the person who feels ready move forward, without dragging the person who doesnât.
If youâre exploring options, you can start with Funeral.comâs main cremation urns for ashes collection and then narrow to keepsakes once you know your plan.
How big keepsake urns are, and what âcapacityâ really means
The hardest part about small urn size questions is that capacity is measured in cubic inches, while grief is measured in how much you miss them. Families deserve simple guidance.
Think of capacity as a volume marker, not a âhow much love fits insideâ marker. A keepsake urn is intentionally small because itâs designed for a portion. On Funeral.com, keepsake urns are commonly described as under 7 cubic inches, while small cremation urns for ashes are often under 28 cubic inchesâlarger than keepsakes, but still not full-size.
Hereâs the practical way many families organize the idea:
- keepsake urn capacity: typically unsder 7 cubic inches (a shared portion or personal tribute)
- small cremation urns: often under 28 cubic inches (sometimes used when only a portion is retained, or for smaller memorial plans)
- full-size urns: designed to hold all remains (often chosen when the urn will be the primary resting place)
If youâre thinking about a mini cremation urn set for multiple relatives, donât worry if you canât calculate the âperfectâ portion down to the cubic inch. The goal is meaningful sharing, not mathematical precision. Many families decide on a number of keepsakes firstâone for each child, a partner, a siblingâand then fill them with care, keeping the remainder in a primary urn or temporary container until the next step feels clear.
For a deeper, step-by-step explanation of sizes, filling, and what families typically spend, Funeral.com also has Keepsake Urns Explained: Mini Urns for Sharing Ashes (Sizes, Filling, and Costs).
Keepsake urn vs full size urn: why families choose both
The phrase keepsake urn vs full size urn makes it sound like a competition, but most families donât experience it that way. They experience it as layering.
A full-size urn is often the âhome base.â Itâs the place the family expects the ashes to remainâon a shelf, in a columbarium niche, or eventually in a cemetery. A keepsake urn is a satellite: a smaller point of connection for people who need closeness in their own space, or who live far away.
If you already know you want a home memorial, Funeral.comâs guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally is a calm place to start, especially if your household includes children, pets, or frequent visitors.
And if youâre still sorting out your bigger planâhome, burial, travel, scatteringâthis guide is genuinely helpful: How to Choose a Cremation Urn That Actually Fits Your Plans (Home, Burial, Scattering, Travel).
When families choose keepsake urns
Families usually choose sharing urns for family for one of four reasons, and each one is tender in its own way.
Sometimes itâs geography. When siblings live in different states, one person may keep the main urn while others want a keepsake that feels less like asking for âa piece,â and more like receiving a shared responsibility of remembrance.
Sometimes itâs timing. The family may not be ready to decide what to do with ashes permanently, especially if the death was sudden. Keepsake urns let you move forward with a meaningful object now without locking your family into a final plan today.
Sometimes itâs ritual. A loved one may be scattered at sea, but the family wants a small portion kept for anniversaries, a home altar, or future generations. If water is part of your memorial plan, Funeral.comâs Understanding What Happens During a Water Burial Ceremony is a gentle overview.
And sometimes itâs personality. Not everyone wants the same kind of closeness. For some, a keepsake urn on a bookshelf is comforting. For others, that visibility feels heavy, and they prefer something tucked away until theyâre ready.
Keepsake urns and cremation jewelry: two kinds of âcloseâ
Thereâs a difference between something you keep in one place and something that travels with you. Thatâs why families often pair keepsake urns with cremation jewelry rather than choosing only one.
Keepsakes tend to be âhome closeness.â Jewelry tends to be âdaily closeness.â A pendant can be worn to a graduation, an anniversary dinner, or an ordinary Tuesday when grief shows up uninvited.
If youâre exploring wearable options, Funeral.comâs Cremation Jewelry for Ashes collection includes pieces designed to hold a small amount of ashes, and the Cremation Necklaces collection is a focused place to browse styles if a necklace feels most natural.
If you want the practical âhow much ashes do you need, and how does it work?â side, this Journal guide is especially clear: Ashes Memorial Jewelry: How Itâs Made, How Much Ashes You Need, and How to Fill Jewelry at Home.
Keepsake urns for pets: when grief deserves something real
Families sometimes hesitate to âdo too muchâ for a pet. But grief doesnât measure love by species, and memorialization isnât only for humans.
If youâre choosing pet urns for ashes, the same logic applies: a primary urn can hold most remains, while smaller keepsakes can be shared among family members who bonded most closely with that pet. Funeral.comâs Pet Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is designed for that purpose, and the broader Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes collection can help you compare styles and sizes for different animals.
Thereâs also something uniquely comforting about memorial objects that look like âthem,â especially for children. If that resonates, Pet Figurine Cremation Urns for Ashes can make a memorial feel less clinical and more like a tribute.
Keepsakes in the middle of funeral planning
Itâs easy to assume keepsake urns are something you think about later. But they often belong earlier in funeral planning, because they affect how you talk with the funeral home and how you coordinate family expectations.
If multiple relatives want a portion, you can ask the funeral home to help divide ashes and place them into keepsakes, or you can do it at home when you feel steady. Either is normal. What matters is choosing a plan that reduces stress rather than adding another âtaskâ to grief.
If youâre in the middle of arrangements and need a clear sequence of next steps, Funeral.comâs How to Plan a Funeral in 7 Steps: Honoring a Life with Care helps families move through decisions without feeling scolded by a checklist.
And if cost is part of the pressure youâre carrying (it often is), this guide lays out the landscape in plain language: How Much Does Cremation Cost? Average Prices and Budget-Friendly Options.
A quick word about water burial and scattering rules
If your plan includes scattering at sea, it helps to know that there are federal rules for ocean waters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains that burial at sea under the general permit must occur at least three nautical miles from shore in ocean waters.
That doesnât mean your memorial needs to feel legalistic or complicated. It just means you can plan with confidenceâchoosing a scattering approach that fits your familyâs values, and then deciding whether to keep a portion in keepsake urns or cremation necklaces so the memorial continues at home, too. Funeral.comâs Scattering Ashes at Sea: Laws, Safety, and Ceremony Ideas walks through the human side and the practical side together.
Choosing a keepsake urn that feels right
When families search for small urns for sale, itâs tempting to choose quicklyâespecially when youâre emotionally worn out. But ârightâ is rarely about the prettiest urn on the page. Itâs usually about matching the urn to the role it will play.
A keepsake urn that will sit on a mantel may be chosen for beauty and presence. A keepsake that will travel might be chosen for durability and a secure closure. A personalized keepsake urn may be the one that turns a generic object into a specific storyâname, dates, a short phrase that sounds like them.
If youâd like to browse with a clear starting point, begin with Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes, and if youâre deciding between âminiâ and âsmall,â compare with Small Cremation Urns for Ashes so you can see the difference in intention, not just size.
