When you’re choosing a casket or coffin material, you can find a variety of materials available from which to select. What you select, of course, will be based on personal preference, but also on the type of funeral and its theme.
For example, you’ll probably be happier with a coffin made of pine if you’re holding a service in a “green” cemetery while a coffin made of metal will better serve your purposes if you’re holding a military funeral.
Common Materials Used for Coffins for Sale Online
Today, the most common materials featured for coffins for sale online are typically metal and wood. However, other materials are featured too, and include cloth and particle board and sustainable materials, such as willow, seagrass, or bamboo.
Metal Casket Materials
Metal caskets are typically made of high gauge stainless steel. Therefore, you can choose from various thicknesses of steel. Remember that the higher the number for gauged steel, the lighter the casket.
Most customers order stainless steel caskets with a 20-gauge thickness design. Heavier weights are also available in 18-gauge and 16-gauge styles. A gasket made of rubber is included as a protective measure in the design.
You can also select coffins or caskets made of copper, bronze, or carbon steel. Both copper and bronze are exceptionally durable and resist rust and corrosion. Carbon steel and stainless steel differ slightly in their composition. Chromium, which is added to stainless steel, makes the metal more resistant to rusting.
Coffins and Caskets Made of Wood
Wood coffins may be made with either softwood, such as pine, or hardwood (usually oak or mahogany). You can also have coffins designed from hardwoods, such as satinwood, maple, poplar, walnut, or cherry.
Woods, such as mahogany or cherry, add elegance to a customized coffin while maple is known for its added durability. If you want to display the wood’s grain, oak is the best casket choice.
Ecologically Friendly Materials
You can also customize a coffin or casket in materials, such as willow, seagrass, or bamboo. These sustainable materials are fast-growing and therefore do not strip mineral reserves or require the removal of trees. The interiors of these sustainable caskets are usually made of cotton. Often used for cremation caskets, the exterior materials used for these types of coffins degrade naturally, when interred.
Sturdy Cloth Caskets
You may also choose caskets manufactured with particle board covered with a durable cloth. They come in a large variety of colors in both oversized and standard styles.
Interior Materials for Caskets and Coffins
The two primary material linings used inside metal and wood coffins are velvet and crepe, both which are luxurious and elegant. In caskets made of more sustainable materials, cotton is often used for the lining.
Choosing the Materials for Customizing a Coffin
Your choice in a lining or exterior material is, of course, up to you. The above information should assist you in making a more informed decision. What you select in a material will have a lot to do with the theme of the service, your knowledge of the deceased’s likes and preferences, or your own personal likes and dislikes.
