Cremation Urn Prices: Typical Costs by Type and Material

A cremation urn can cost anything from a few dollars to several thousand. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) says decorative urns from funeral homes and cemeteries range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, while online catalogs list adult urns from about $24. You also don't have to buy one: the plain container the ashes come in is allowed.

No government or industry body publishes an official urn price survey. The figures here come from the FCA and from online retailers' own published guides and catalogs, checked in September 2026, so use them as a guide and confirm current prices before you buy.

How much does an urn cost by type?

One online retailer's guide gives these typical ranges.

Another guide from the same retailer puts scattering tubes, made for releasing ashes, at about $15 to $40. For what each type holds, see urn sizes, keepsake urns and companion urns for two.

How much does an urn cost by material?

Material is the quickest way to estimate. The same retailer's guide shows typical adult-size ranges, and its catalog shows the lowest listed price in each group.

"Lowest listed price" is the cheapest item in the group, not a typical one. A separate "discount urns" group in the same catalog starts at $23.95. Our guide to urn materials explains which suit home, a niche or a cemetery.

Why are funeral home urns often more expensive?

The FCA says decorative urns sold through funeral homes or cemeteries cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Online sellers list a much larger catalog, so you can compare more options. The FTC guidance does not set urn prices.

You can shop around. The FTC says a funeral provider cannot refuse to handle a casket or urn you bought online, at a local store or elsewhere, or charge you a fee to do it. The FTC's business guidance and the rule's text focus on caskets, and mention urns only as an optional item on the price list, so tell the funeral home early and ask for its urn policy in writing. See online vs funeral home urns and where to buy an urn.

What else adds to the cost?

The urn's price is rarely the whole bill.

• Engraving: One retailer's guide lists basic name-and-date engraving at $15 to $50, and longer text at $30 to $75. Basic engraving is sometimes included. See urn engraving options.
• Shipping: Another online store, checked in September 2026, listed free ground shipping on orders over $100, and flat rates of $34.99 for two-day and $49.99 for next-day delivery.
• Photo or custom work: Photo urns and custom designs start at $76.95 in one catalog, and hand-painted artwork runs $100 to $300 or more in a retailer's guide.
• Burial costs: A cemetery may require a vault for an in-ground urn and charge to open the grave. The FTC says no state law requires outer burial containers, but many cemeteries do. See urn vaults for burial.
• A second urn: If you split the ashes, keepsake urns or cremation jewelry add to the total.

How can you spend less?

1. Use the plain container. The FCA says you may use the plain cardboard or plastic container the ashes come back in, and calls it adequate for burial, shipping, storing or a columbarium. You can keep it while you decide.
2. Choose a simple material and size. A discount, metal or basic wood urn costs far less than bronze or marble, as the tables above show.
3. Buy only the capacity you need. A common rule is about one cubic inch per pound of body weight. See buying a cremation urn.
4. Compare totals. Include shipping, engraving, returns and any delivery to the funeral home.
5. Skip extras you don't need, such as a vault if the cemetery doesn't require one.

See our guide to direct cremation costs for the larger bill the urn sits inside, and the funeral cost calculator to estimate the whole budget.

What to do next

1. Decide where the urn will go, and ask that place about size and material rules.
2. Ask the funeral home or crematory what it charges, and what it will do with an urn you bring.
3. Compare two or three urns of the same capacity, with the full price including shipping.
4. If cost is tight, keep the plain container for now. You can choose an urn later.