What size urn do I need?

Just like people and pets, urns come in many different shapes and sizes. Follow these rules to better determine the size of the urn you need:

1. In order to hold all your loved one's ashes you'll need to know what the approximate body weight of the person or pet you are shopping for:



2. 1 lb. of body weight will yield just less than 1 cubic inch of ash. Assume for shopping purposes that:
   1 pound body weight = 1 cubic inch ash.



3. Cremation urn item descriptions list the size of the urn in Cubic Inches. If you know the weight of the deceased - then you know the size of the urn you need. Approx Weight = Approx Size.



4. Easy example: A cremated 100 pound person will yield almost 100 cubic inches of ashes. So, if 1 pound = 1 cubic inch then this person would need an urn that is approximately 90-100 cubic inches or larger.

Some practical examples:

1. a 240 lb. person needs an urn that is approximately 240 cubic inches or larger
2. a 200 lb. person needs an urn that is approximately 200 cubic inches or larger
3. a 150 lb. person needs an urn that is approximately 150 cubic inches or larger
4. a 100 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is approximately 100 cubic inches or larger
5. a 50 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is approximately 50 cubic inches or larger
6. a 25 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is approximately 25 cubic inches or larger
7. a 10 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is approximately 10 cubic inches or larger

Urn Sizing Notes:

1. There are a ton of other factors that play into how much cremains you will actually receive from the crematorium. Because of that we can't guarantee 100% of the time that an urn will be large enough but if you follow our rules above, or call us to discuss - 99.95% of the time we'll be right on.
2. The 1 to 1 ratio of Weight to Cubic Inches will insure you purchase an urn that is the right size 99.95% of the time.
3. Urn capacity can only be too small. An urn is only too big if you think it is too big.
4. Cremated remains (ashes) can vary in amount due to different cremation processes, temperature variations and the bone structure of the decedent. Buy an urn slightly larger than calculated to avoid having the urn be too small for the ashes.
5. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) determined that the standard capacity of a single adult urn should be 200 cubic inches. Keepsake urns, Keepsake Jewelry, Small and Medium Size Urns are exceptions.

Our categories to the left break down different types of urns into relevant size and material categories. For example, the Double Urns section is for cremation urns large enough and/or designed to hold the ashes of two people. On the other side of the cremation urn size spectrum we have a Keepsake Urn section: urns with a very small capacity designed to hold small amounts of ashes.

Keepsake Jewelry is designed to hold a trace amount of ashes, similar to the size of the head of a sewing pin.