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How to choose an urn
Essential guide to choosing the right urn providing answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Choosing the right product family
Each of the Product Families has its own, unique character. Its timeless aesthetics will fit every space from modernistic home to classical columbarium niche.
Urn placement options
Our urns are recommended to be kept either at home or in columbarium niche or grave. Choose the type of placement below for more information.
Urn kept at home
If you choose to hold your loved one’s remains at home you should simply think about buying an urn that is the most attractive to you. Erdensen urns are easy to close so you can put the ashes inside by yourself and display the urn in a selected area in your home.
The procedure
Usually, everything you need to take care of is to place the receptacle you receive from the crematorium containing the ashes in the urn. It may be a special simple box or a bag, if the box turns out to be too large. In order to choose the right size of Erdensen urn — please contact your local funeral house or crematorium.
About burial
You can choose to place the urn in an existing grave — a special urn grave or a family grave. You can also decide on ground burial. However, if you do so, please note that the cemetery may require the urn to be put in a special urn vault. All Erdensen urns are suitable for burial, however each country or even each cemetery may have different requirements towards the materials it is made of.
The procedure
Usually all the burial arrangements are made by the funeral home or cemetery representative. After you decide on the specific kind of burial, please consult the possible options with them to make sure you choose the right urn.
About columbarium
A columbarium is a building or any other above-ground space composed of niches - special wall spaces that hold urns. Usually a niche is about the size of a one urn. It may be visibly displayed or safely closed behind metal door.
Erdensen urns should fit standard columbarium niches, however please make sure to check the exact dimensions before the purchase.
The procedure
After you choose the specific columbarium niche, please ask the cemetery representative about its exact size to make sure you choose the right urn. The urn kept in columbarium may be exposed to external weather conditions - make sure you choose the urn made of durable, easy to mantain materials
Urn capacity
Our urns come in three different sizes. Their capacity is above standard and starts from 4,3 liters.
How to estimate the capacity needed
In order to choose the right size of the urn, you need to know the weight of the deceased. If it was less than 110 kg, all of our urns will be suitable.
Learn more about how to measure the urn capacity precisely by reading our FAQ.
| WIDE |  |
Capacity: 5,3 l / 179 oz Diameter: ⌀ 280 mm* Total height: 145 mm* |
Maximum weight of the deceased: 150 kg / 330 lbs |
| MEDIUM |  |
Capacity: 4,3 l / 179 oz Diameter: ⌀ 255 mm* Total height: 161 mm* |
Maximum weight of the deceased: 120 kg / 264 lbs |
| TALL |  |
Capacity: 3,8 l / 128,5 oz Diameter: ⌀ 201 mm* Total height: 190 mm* |
Maximum weight of the deceased: 110 kg / 242 lbs |
|
* Please note that because of the unique process of ceramic production each ceramic bottom may have slightly different size (+/- 5mm). |
Local funeral legislation
You can purchase an urn online and bring it to the funeral home or crematorium of your choice. However, there are different local laws that may require you to buy a particular urn. Please make sure to verify it before the final purchase.
Size of an urn
Usually one urn should contain all the ashes. Some countries may recommend the minimum capacity of an urn. For example Finnish law says that an urn for the adult should be four liters in size. The United Kingdom’s law only recommend the capacity of an urn to be minimum 3,3l (200 cubic inches).
The size of the cinerary box
Please note that the ashes are placed in the urn in a cinerary box or a special bag.
Many countries have their own standards and internal regulations about the size of such containers. Usually, if the outer urn is too small to fit the box, the crematorium can place the ashes in the special bag instead.
Please contact the local crematorium in order to make sure that the ash container or the box will fit into Erdensen urn.
Internal
Most of the counties require the ash container to be marked with the name of the deceased and other details, depending on the local regulations (like date of death or name of the crematorium).
Please note that the crematorium is responsible for providing you with the correctly marked cinerary box or bag according to the local regulations.
External
Some countries may require the urn to be marked externally. If so, please consider the convenient engraving service we provide.
Please contact the local crematorium or funeral house in order to make sure about the kind of data you should mark the urn with.
Burial
If you consider ground burial, please note that each country may have different requirements towards the materials that the urn is made of. Usually, if the urn is to be buried, it must be made of biodegradable or at least decomposable materials.
If you plan to use an existing grave, you must obtain the allowance of the owner of the grave.
Columbarium
There are different types of columbarium — it may be an open access wall or a wall full of closed niches. Each cemetery or crematorium site may have different requirements.
The most important thing is to make sure that the urn will fit the columbarium niche. Please ask the local cemetery or crematorium about the size of the niche and compare it with the size of Erdensen urn of your choice.
Home
You can keep the urn at home in: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom.*
You are not allowed to keep the urn at home in: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden.*
* Please note that the law may differ in some federal states along the country.