Urn Sizes

Crematoriums utilise a variety of methods when performing a cremation. The amount of ashes collected may vary depending on these methods as well as factors such as the deceased size and bone structure.

Below is an approximation of urn sizing:

A 100kg person requires an urn of 2.90 litres or larger.
A 80kg person requires an urn of 2.32 litres or larger.
A 60kg person requires an urn of 1.74 litres or larger.
A 40kg person requires an urn of 1.16 litres or larger.

The standard capacity of a single adult urn should be approximately three litres. Urns are best not filled to capacity so choosing a larger size urn than what you think is required is recommended.

Remember that Urns Online has a money-back refund or exchange policy for all non-used urns. If you receive your urn and believe the size is incorrect please feel free to return it in the original packaging.

The Materials That Urns are Made From

Wood Urns:
Depending on where the urn is made can vary the types of woods used in construction. North American urns can be made of types of oak and redwoods whereas Australian wooden urns may be produced from jarrah, pine, sheoaks etc. Basically whatever native trees are in the areas generally dictate the availability of woods to the local urn producers. Urns Online uses wood turners from all over the world and you will find descriptions of the types of woods used alongside the product descriptions in the online store.

Metal Urns:
By far the heaviest of metal urns are made from bronze. We stock a range of bronze urns from unique one-off statues through to standard bronze vase shaped urns and rectangle urns that also display photos in memorium. These are also the most expensive due to the quality and weight. We also stock other standard metals that are less expensive but still very strong and durable. Titanium is another ultra strong but extremely light form of metal that is used in some memorial jewellery products.

Ceramics:
The majority of artistic urns are moulded or spun using ceramic clay. They are then painted and fired in a kiln to produce the amazing results that make up sculpted ceramic urns. There are different methods of firing and producing the urns. Some are gilded with gold flake or titanium paint for interesting effects..

Biodegradeable Urns:
‘Green’ or eco urns are fast becoming the popular option for ashes disposition. We have found a lor of clients purchase a small keepsake urn or piece of memorial jewellery to keep a portion of ashes and the rest are scattered at sea using one of our unique ‘Journey’ or ‘Shell’ urns (the ashes are placed in a water soluble biodegrading bag then placed inside the Shell Urn. The Urn is then taken out to sea where is will float for a few minutes before gracefully decending to the ocean floor. The urn will then break down over an hour or two and the ashes will be scattered under water with the ocean currents. An extremely lovely memorial.) or buried in soil inside an urn made from recycled cardboards, corn starch, or salt. These urns will naturally break down over a period of a few months leaving the ashes to seep into the soil and remain part of the natural environment. An emerging momement towards leaving a small carbon footprint in the US is the Green Burial Council – more information can be found here - http://www.greenburialcouncil.org

Feel free to watch our video presentation from Passages about the 'Shell' UrnBlooming Memorials

Sealing Ashes in Urns

Most ashes will be permanently sealed inside urns, whether the purpose is for burial of the urn or for placing in a memorial wall etc. Surprisingly the sealing process can be handled quite easily using basic sealants and epoxies available from any hardware store. Depending on the type of materials that your urn is made of will depend on the best type of sealant to purchase. Your funeral director may also be of help during the process and have your urn sealed prior to you picking it up from the crematorium. Please contact us if you are requiring any information or guides on sealing your urns as we can recommend particular types of sealants. As an example for most metal urns we recommend a two-part epoxy sealant as opposed to any superglue liquids. Superglue will dry and seal far too quickly on metal and may be a messy procedure. A two part epoxy will give you plenty of time to make sure the lids or screw ports are aligned and neat before it will harden.