COFFINS AND CASKETS
the difference between
Coffins & Caskets
Whilst a coffin or casket plays a practical role of holding the body of the person who has died, it can also play an important part in the way we memorialise and celebrate the life of a loved one.
Coffin
A coffin is tapered at the shoulder with a removable lid.
casket
A casket is rectangular in shape and has a hinged lid.
Rules and regulations
Coffins must be hermetically sealed to comply with International Airline Regulations. There are different ways to ensure a coffin or casket used for body repatriation is hermetically sealed
A wooden coffin will need to be zinc lined, this means the coffin will need to be made airtight and hermetically sealed to meet the requirements for the repatriation of remains. If the coffin is to be used for the funeral back home, we can use a zinc cad-seal which also meets airline regulations. This can be easily removed by the funeral director at home so the coffin can then be used for the funeral too.
Most metal caskets will be hermetically sealed and will not need to be zinc lined, these caskets can still be reopened at the funeral in the home country. If a metal casket cannot be hermetically sealed, we can use the zinc cad-seal system described above to ensure the casket is hermetically sealed.
Traditional Coffins
wooden repatriation coffins
As standard, we include the cost of a wooden repatriation coffin which is zinc lined, in our quotation. If preferred, we can cad-seal rather than zinc-line if you wish to use the coffin for the funeral at home. An image of the wooden repatriation coffin is above.
Metal repatriation caskets
We understand that some would prefer to have a metal casket for their loved one, and we have a large selection of metal caskets to choose from. Some are not able to be hermetically sealed however if this is the case we will cad-seal the casket to ensure we comply with the regulations for body repatriations.
Metal caskets are not included in our quotation, typically we offer a standard (most popular) metal repatriation casket for an additional cost.
Alternative coffins and caskets
If you are looking for something a little different to a wooden coffin or casket, we are able to provide a number of different styles. Please Contact us to provide you with pictures of the available items at the time
