Shroud Making for Burial: How to Make a Burial Shroud

A burial shroud is a length of cloth wrapped around the body instead of a casket, and you can make one yourself. The Green Burial Council describes green burial containers as made from nontoxic, readily biodegradable materials, so use natural fibers such as cotton, linen, hemp, wool or silk, and avoid synthetic thread, trim and fasteners. Before you start, check what your cemetery or crematory allows, because that decides whether a shroud alone will do.

Is a burial shroud allowed?

Shrouds are a long-standing practice and a normal part of green burial. The Green Burial Council says burial garments are neither required nor discouraged, and the FTC says no state law requires an outer burial container. So the question is usually less about the law and more about the rules of the place where the burial will happen. State laws on home burial and body care do vary.

• Natural and conservation burial grounds are the easiest. They are set up for shrouds and other biodegradable containers.
• Conventional cemeteries often require an outer burial container (a vault or grave liner), even though the FTC says no state law requires one. Some cemeteries have a separate natural section that waives it.
• Home burial depends on your state and county. See our home burial laws guide and home funeral rules by state.

Ask the cemetery in writing whether it accepts a shroud, whether it requires a rigid board or a vault, and whether it has size or material rules. Our natural burial grounds guide explains how to find one, and the shroud burial guide covers the burial day itself.

If the shroud is part of your faith tradition, such as in Jewish or Muslim burial, your community usually specifies or supplies it. Talk with them before sewing. See our guides to Muslim funeral traditions and Jewish burial requirements.

What materials should you use?

Everything that goes into the ground should break down. That includes the cloth, the thread, and anything you add.

Wash and dry new fabric before you use it. That removes sizing and shows you whether it shrinks. Check fiber content labels carefully. A fabric that feels like cotton can still be a blend.

How do you make a simple shroud?

There is no standard pattern, so these are practical craft guidelines rather than rules. A common design is a single large rectangle of cloth that wraps around the body, with cloth strips tied around it.

1. Measure the person. Note height and the widest point of the shoulders or hips. Cut the cloth longer than the person at both ends and wide enough to wrap fully with a generous overlap.
2. Cut and hem. Fold and sew the edges so they do not fray, using natural thread.
3. Add ties. Sew or cut three to five cloth strips, for example at the shoulders, hips and knees, to hold the wrap closed.
4. Plan for carrying. Sew cotton webbing into handles, or plan for a separate board or tray. Test the handles before the day.
5. Personalize it. Families often add natural dye patterns, embroidery, handwritten messages in fabric ink or pressed leaves.
6. Store it with care. Keep it clean and dry, somewhere the family knows to look.

Do you need a board or tray?

Usually it helps. A rigid board or carrying tray under the shroud keeps the body level and gives pallbearers a firm way to lift and lower. Some natural burial grounds provide one, and some require it. Ask the cemetery what it supplies and what it wants you to bring. Wood should be untreated.

How do you prepare the body for a shroud burial?

A shroud burial goes with unembalmed care of the body, so timing matters. The FTC says no state law requires routine embalming for every death, and the Green Burial Council says no law requires embalming for viewing. Some states require embalming or refrigeration in specific circumstances, so check your state's rules. Washing and cooling the body are the usual alternatives.

The Home Funeral Alliance lists cooling options such as dry ice, polymer cooling packs and gel packs, and says that for less than 24 hours at home, air conditioning or cold air from open windows may be enough. It also cautions against soaking the body when bathing, since that can wrinkle the skin. Our cooling the body at home guide goes through the steps.

Many families use a funeral director who offers natural burial and will handle the cooling, paperwork and transport. You can also ask whether a home funeral is allowed in your state.

Can you be cremated in a shroud?

Cremation has its own container rules. The Cremation Association of North America says a cremation container must be completely enclosed, rigid, leak resistant and combustible. A cloth shroud alone does not meet that, so the crematory will usually want the shrouded body placed in a rigid container such as a cardboard or untreated wood one. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, an alternative container is an unfinished wood box or other non-metal container, and no state or local law requires a casket for cremation.

Phone the crematory before you finish the shroud and ask exactly what it accepts.

How much does a shroud burial cost?

A homemade shroud can cost very little in materials. The larger costs are the cemetery and any funeral home help. The Funeral Consumers Alliance says green burial costs can be less, the same or more than conventional burial, depending on the goods and services you pick, and that a grave for a body can run from $1,000 to $4,000. It also notes funeral home charges for green burial are often about $2,000 but can exceed $5,000. Ask for the General Price List, which the FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give you.

Shroud burial can save money by skipping a casket, vault and embalming. It does not automatically cost less overall, so get quotes.

Shroud or mushroom suit?

A shroud is plain cloth. A mushroom burial suit is a commercial garment seeded with fungi. If you want to read about it, see our mushroom burial suits guide. For a green burial, the main test is the same in both cases: check that the cemetery accepts the material and that it is fully biodegradable.

What to do next

1. Choose the burial place first, and ask what it accepts.
2. If cremation is possible, ask the crematory about container rules.
3. Buy natural fabric and thread, then make or order the shroud.
4. Write down your wishes and tell the people who will make arrangements. Our green burial guide can help you plan.