Unlike a box of wood ashes, an average container of human cremains weighs between 1.3 Kg to 4kg kilograms and is denser due to bone fragments. This weight can depend on the person's body size, the container used throughout the cremation and the process used by the crematorium. What do the ashes look like?
Cremated remains resemble coarse sand and are whitish to light grey in color. The remains of an average size adult usually weigh between four to eight pounds of cremated remains.
How much ash is produced when a body is cremated? About 5 pounds for an adult. The weight can vary from 3 pounds all the way up to 10, depending on the size and density of the deceased's bones.
The average amount of ash which will remain after the cremation of an adult is between 183 to 213 Cubic Inches, which is about 3 to 3.5 Litres.
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.
The actual ashes are thus useless as they will not contain DNA. It is the bones and teeth that could potentially hold some DNA viable for analysis. However, after the cremation, the bones and teeth left behind are turned into a find powder (a process known as pulverization).
Cremation occurs at such a hot temperature all micro-organisms are destroyed, and the remaining ashes are inert. After cremation there are no public health risks associated with handling ashes.
As a general rule, ashes following cremation will weigh between 4 to 6 pounds, or around 3.5% of the person's original weight. In the case of children, ashes weigh about 2.5% of the original body weight.
How much do ashes weigh? Human ashes weigh approximately 3.5% of the deceased body's weight. There are a number of factors that can alter this, but the industry rule of thumb is that the ashes will weigh approximately 3.5% of the body's weight.
Human cremation ashes include crushed bone, which makes them denser than ash from wood and therefore heavier. Sources in the funerary industry state that one pound of human or pet weight equals one cubic inch of cremated remains.
Most of the carbon in the wood becomes a part of the carbon dioxide gas. Only a small amount of carbon remains as ash. So, the ash will have less mass than the original log since much of the matter from the original log became carbon dioxide.
Cremated remains weight
The ashes from a woman average around 4-6 lbs, while men average 6-8 lbs. As with anything involving the human body, it can vary. Sometimes the weight of the remains can as little as 3 lbs, or as much as 10, depending on the person's height, bone density, etc.
Is there a weight limit for cremation? There is not a weight limit for cremation, though cremating larger bodies can be more complex and costly. Some providers charge additional fees for persons weighing more than 300 pounds for this reason.
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.
Depending on location, the cremation process can take anywhere from 3-15 business days. Some states have laws requiring a waiting period before a cremation can even take place. The actual cremation can take about 3 hours, and processing the cremated remains takes another 1-2 hours.
A person's height and weight will play a part in the weight of their remains. The weight of a person's remains are going to depend largely on their height and weight. The taller and/or heavier that a person is, the more their remains are ultimately going to weigh once their cremation is complete.
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.
Ideal Depth to Bury a Cremation Urn
The general rule of thumb is to bury the urn at least three feet deep. If this is not possible, there should be at least 6 to 12 inches of soil covering the buried urn.
After the cremation process is complete, you receive three to seven pounds of remains that look white and feel soft like ashes. What's returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissues, and cremation container/casket, etc., all that's left is bone.
The body's fat is burned away during the cremation process, and the remaining bone fragments are subjected to extremely high temperatures. While this process leads to the body's disappearance, the bones still contain the minerals and elements that gave them their shape.
If ashes are heavy, it usually means that they are very dense or wet. This usually happens when the fuel burned (such as wood) is not fully combusted. Wet or dense ashes are more difficult to clean up and can cause problems with the chimney, stove, or other heating device.
Individual cremation urns will hold around 200- 250 cubic inches of cremated ashes. Companion urns will hold approximately 350 - 500 cubic inches of cremated remains. Child and infant urns range anywhere from 12 - 90 cubic inches of ashes. Keepsake ash urns generally hold approximately 1 - 6 cubic inches of ashes.
In most cases, cremated remains are odourless. They may have a slightly metallic odour or some people say they smell somewhat like incense in some cases. However, it is common for ashes to have no distinct smell. Nonetheless, they can take on the smell of the container or cremation urn they are in.
While some of the cremains will instantly sink, some (especially the lighter components) will float on or just below the surface for a while.
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.