My Funeral Planning Options

Cloth covered caskets are exaclty what the name suggests, they are caskets made from pressed particle wood covered in cloth. These are typically the least expensive caskets on the market today. You probably won't see these on the showroom floor of any funeral home, because they are usually only marketed as a last resort in efforts to keep the costs low of a funeral.

Wood caskets are ususally veneer or solid wood. Typical casket companies make caskets from Oak, Maple, Poplar, Mahogany, Cherry, Pine, and Pecan and are finished with different stains and carvings. They are beautiful and you may find they are priced a little higher than some metal caskets, especially the ones that are solid hardwood.

The most popular caskets you have seen are made of carbon steel. They come in different shell designs and different thicknesses. Something to remember is that steel thickness is measured in guages with the lower the number the thicker the metal. Typicall guages for caskets are 20, 18, and 16. 

Some are gasketed and some are not. The ones that are not gasketed are usually the less expensive of the 20guages. The gasketed caskets are locked down by the funeral home after it is closed for the last time before the casket is lowered or placed into a mosleum. The gasketed caskets gives the casket a protective quality.

Some higher end metals are also used in casket construction. They range from Stainless Steel to Copper to Bronze. These beautiful caskets are very heavy, durable, and have a longer lasting non-rusting quality. They are all gasketed to help resist the entrance of water, air and other contaminates in the soil.