The general rule of thumb is for every pound of the person's total weight you will need one cubic inch of space. So if a person weighed 150 lbs. you will need an urn that is 150 cubic inches or larger.
Urn capacity is measured in cubic inches, and most standard adult urns are about 200 cubic inches, which will hold the remains of an individual weighing roughly 200 lbs.
You want to choose an urn that is durable and will not inevitably be crushed by the weight of the earth's gravity or be completely destroyed, which is why metal or stone are the best options. Your funeral service provider can advise the best possible materials suitable for the kind of burial the family chooses.
The amount of ashes released after the cremation
The average amount of ash left over after the cremation of an adult is about 3 to 3.5 liters or 183 to 213 cubic inches. For a child this will be 0.8 to 2 liters or 54 to 122 cubic inches and for a (premature) baby 0.3 to 0.7 liters or 18 to 43 cubic inches.
A common question that we find in the cremation diamond industry is do ashes have an expiration date? The short answer is they don't; at least not in our lifetime. It would take around one million years for ashes to dissolve since they are made solely of inorganic material.
There's nothing wrong with keeping cremated remains at home – but because our beliefs about these remains are different, some people may look at it as inappropriate.
Typically the remains will be in the urn inside of the plastic bag, but some urns are designed to hold and seal the remains without the use of a liner.
Ashes are heavier than some people expect
But human ashes aren't the same type of ash - they're made of bone. Bones are made of various acids, minerals, and salts, which means they're heavier than many people expect. How heavy the ashes are will depend on the person who's died.
While there are many variables to calculating the amount of ashes there will be after cremation, here is a simple rule of thumb: For every pound that the person weighed prior to cremation, there will be one cubic inch of cremated remains (i.e. ashes) after cremation.
The reality is that the law only allows one body in the chamber at a time. The only exception to this is if the family specifically requests that two people be cremated together. Space, being a premium in a cremation chamber, means that this isn't always possible.
How to unseal a metal urn. If the metal urn is sealed with wax or adhesive, try to open it by soaking a cotton swab in fingernail polish remover or an epoxy solvent. Repeatedly run the swab along the sealed portion of the urn. You might have to wiggle the lid several times or use a flathead screwdriver to open the urn.
Some families choose to place their loved one's urn in a foyer or living room, while others will put it in a bedroom or even the kitchen. You should try to locate an out-of-the-way spot where the urn is unlikely to be disturbed by kids, pets, or other people.
As a rule of thumb, each pound of body weight equals roughly one cubic inch of ashes after cremation. It is suggested to select an urn a bit larger than the space, expected to use. Usually, created remains weigh 3-7 pounds and require about 180-220 cubic inches capacity.
Therefore, sealing will likely not be necessary. However, glue, thread, or other sealants can be added to the panel to keep it shut. Some metal urns are made with lids that screw into the top or bottom of the urn. This kind of seal is often entirely secure, so additional sealant may not be necessary.
If you prefer to place the entire plastic bag of cremains into the urn, do so by slowly and gently working the bag into the opening of the urn to prevent tearing. Some people like to add extra mementos to urns, such as poems, jewelry, photos, and other personal items that may have belonged to their loved ones.
Most cremation chambers will not mix the remains of your loved ones—they'll usually leave that up to the family to do. In those cases, crematories will return cremated remains in a temporary urn so you can transfer the remains into an urn of your choice.
Families can choose to split the ashes of the deceased among the wider family, where the individual families can choose what they want to do with them. This can assist with the grieving processes by offering everyone in the family a chance to remember the life of the departed the way they wish.
Can you get DNA from ashes? Yes. In rare cases, DNA can be extracted from cremated ashes.
If you are concerned that the ashes will smell after the cremation, the answer is no. There is no odor emitted from ashes that have been properly cremated. Even over time, you shouldn't expect any particular smells to develop. If anything, certain cremation containers will simply emit a slight incense-like smell.
The bones, which are the last to go, become calcified as they are exposed to the heat and begin to flake or crumble [source: Pope].
Cremated remains can usually be collected from the crematorium within 2 working days. It is possible to collect on the same day by prior arrangement if there is an urgent need - for example travel overseas for a memorial service or scattering.
One of the things people appreciate is the fact that you can do whatever you'd like with your loved one's remains. There's also no timeline on the decision so you can keep the urn at home for as long as you want and then bury it or scatter ashes later.
It's common for people to make requests about their ashes in their will. They might request that their ashes stay in their family home, or ask for a certain person to keep them. If they haven't made any requests about their ashes, their closest family member will decide what happens to them.
As a rule of thumb if your home faces North, South, West or Northwest, you want to place the urn in a North or South room in the house and if your home faces Northeast, Southeast, Southwest or East, you want to place the urn in a Northeast or Northwest room in the house.