Open vs Closed Casket: Differences, Costs and How to Choose

An open casket lets guests see the person's body during the visitation or funeral. A closed casket keeps the lid shut. An open casket usually costs more because of the preparation and viewing charges it adds, and many funeral homes require embalming for a public viewing. The FTC says that requirement is a funeral home policy, not a law, in most states, so you have options.

What is the difference between an open and a closed casket?

Some caskets have a split lid, so only the upper half opens. That is a design choice of the casket, not a different type of funeral.

Why does an open casket usually cost more?

The casket can cost the same either way. The difference comes from what happens before the service. The Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to list each item separately on the General Price List (GPL), so you can see them:

• Embalming or other preparation. If the home requires embalming for viewing, it is itemized. Refrigeration may be an acceptable alternative.
• Dressing and casketing. Preparing the body, dressing it and placing it in the casket.
• Viewing. The funeral home's facility and staff time for a visitation, charged as a flat or hourly fee.

A closed-casket funeral without a visitation avoids most of these. Fees vary by funeral home and region, so compare GPLs from two or three providers.

Is embalming required for an open casket?

Usually not by law, but often by policy. The FTC gives three facts:

• No state law requires routine embalming for every death.
• Some states require embalming or refrigeration if the body is not buried or cremated within a certain time.
• Many funeral homes require embalming for public viewing, but this is not required by law in most states. In most cases refrigeration is an acceptable alternative.

Funeral homes must put a notice beside their embalming prices saying that, except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law, but may be necessary if you choose certain arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. They cannot tell you it is legally required when it is not, and they need your permission before charging for it.

If you want an open casket without embalming, ask about a short private family viewing. See viewing without embalming and what embalming involves.

How do you decide between open and closed?

There is no right answer. These questions help families decide.

1. What did the person want? Check their written wishes, and ask anyone they confided in.
2. What does their faith or community expect? Some traditions decide this for you (see below).
3. What is the person's condition? After a long illness, an accident or an autopsy, an open casket may not be advisable. The funeral director can give an honest view. Do not feel pressured either way.
4. Who needs to see them? Some people find that seeing the body helps them accept that the person has died. Others prefer to remember the person as they were in life. Both reactions are normal.
5. Will children or sensitive guests be there? An open casket can be hard for some, so consider telling guests in advance.

Compromises that work for divided families

• Private viewing, then closed. Immediate family see the person privately, and the lid is closed before guests arrive. See private family viewing.
• Open for part of the visitation. The casket is open for the first hour and closed before the ceremony.
• Closed with a photo. Place a large photo or memory table near the casket. See memory table ideas.

Religious and cultural traditions

Practice varies widely within each faith, so ask the family's clergy or community leader.

• Traditional Jewish practice does not include viewing the body or an open casket, and generally avoids embalming. Where identification is needed, it is usually limited to immediate family.
• In Islamic tradition the body is washed and wrapped in a simple shroud, and burial usually takes place as soon as possible, often within a day. See Muslim funeral traditions.
• Many Christian families hold a wake or visitation with the casket open, followed by a closed casket at the funeral service. See what is a wake.

If a faith calls for burial within a day or two, tell the funeral director at the start so the viewing can be scheduled inside that time.

Practical tips for an open casket

• Bring the funeral home a recent photo, along with the clothing you want the person to wear, so their hair and appearance look familiar.
• Say in the obituary or invitation whether there will be a viewing and whether it is private.
• Expect that the person will look different from life and may feel cold to the touch. Tell children this before they go in.
• Ask whether items such as jewelry or keepsakes can stay with the body, especially if cremation will follow.

What to do next

1. Decide whether a viewing is something you want, and for whom.
2. Ask the funeral home for its General Price List and whether it requires embalming for viewings.
3. Ask about refrigeration and a private family viewing if you want to avoid embalming.
4. If you are unsure, use the funeral type finder or read the guide to viewing the body.