Where to Buy an Urn: Funeral Homes vs Online Retailers

You can buy a cremation urn from a funeral home, a cemetery, an online specialty retailer, a general marketplace or an individual craftsperson. You can also skip the purchase and use the plain container the ashes come in. The FTC says a funeral provider cannot refuse to handle an urn you bought elsewhere or charge you a fee to do it.

Price is the biggest difference. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) says decorative urns sold through funeral homes or cemeteries range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. One online retailer's catalog, checked in September 2026, listed adult urns from about $24.

Do you have to buy an urn from the funeral home?

No. The FTC's Funeral Rule page lists among your rights that you can give the funeral home a casket or urn you bought elsewhere. It says the provider cannot refuse to handle one you bought online, at a local store or elsewhere, or charge you a fee to do it.

The Rule's own definitions are written around caskets, and the FTC's business guidance speaks of caskets rather than urns. If a funeral home pushes back, ask it to state its urn policy in writing, say you are relying on the FTC's consumer guidance and, if needed, contact the FTC or your state's funeral board.

You also don't need an urn to start. The FCA says some funeral homes urge a decorative urn, but you may use the plain cardboard or plastic container the ashes come back in, which it calls adequate for burial, shipping, storing or a columbarium. A cemetery may still have its own container rules.

Where can you buy an urn? Retailer types compared

This guide compares kinds of sellers rather than ranking brands, since stock and prices change often.

The online prices above come from a single retailer's catalog, not a market average, and they change. Treat them as a sign that low prices exist, not a promise for every design. See our guides on online vs funeral home urns, urn prices and options and buying caskets and urns on Amazon.

How do you choose the right size?

Check capacity in cubic inches, not just the listed height. Two urns of the same height can hold different amounts.

• Adult sizing: a common rule is one cubic inch per pound of the person's healthy weight. One retailer applies that rule and describes standard adult urns as holding about 200 cubic inches, with most between 180 and 220.
• Average remains: CANA says adult cremated remains average four to six pounds, so the rule leaves room to spare. If you want extra space, round up to the next size.
• Keepsake urns: these are very small and hold only a portion, so they are for sharing or a keepsake. See keepsake urns.
• Companion urns: these are made for two people. See companion urns.
• Children and infants: sizes differ, so ask the seller to state the capacity.

Our cremation urn sizes guide goes into the detail.

Which urn suits where it will go?

Decide the destination first, because it limits the size and material.

• At home: choose by look and durability. Wood, ceramic, metal and stone are all common.
• In a columbarium niche: get the niche's interior height, width and depth from the cemetery and compare them with the urn's outside dimensions. See columbarium niches.
• Buried in a cemetery: ask about container and vault rules before you buy. See urn vaults for burial and burial urn requirements.
• For scattering: a scatter tube or biodegradable urn may suit better. See urns for scattering.
• For travel: TSA recommends wood or plastic containers and will turn away a container that blocks the X-ray. Officers will not open it.

Questions to ask before you order

• What is the capacity in cubic inches, and what are the exact outside measurements?
• What is it made of, and is it meant for display, burial, scattering or travel?
• Does the lid close securely, and how do I transfer the ashes in? The funeral home or crematory can do it for you.
• How long will it take, including engraving, and when will it arrive?
• Can I return it, and who pays return shipping?
• Is engraving included? See urn engraving for spelling and fonts.
• What will the total cost be with shipping and any fees?

What to do next

1. Decide where the urn will go, and get any cemetery or niche rules and sizes.
2. Choose a size from your capacity calculation, rounding up if unsure.
3. Compare two or three sellers on the total price, delivery time and return terms.
4. Tell the funeral home or crematory what you ordered and when it will arrive.