What Happens During Cremation: Step by Step

Cremation uses heat to reduce a body to bone fragments, which are then ground into the white-to-gray remains returned to the family. In flame cremation, the chamber usually runs between 1,400 and 1,600°F, the burn takes from about 30 minutes (for a stillborn child) to a little over two hours for an adult, depending on body size, and an identification disc stays with the remains from start to finish. This guide walks through each step, from the paperwork to the urn.

What is cremation?

The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) defines cremation as the mechanical, thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments. Two methods are used in the US. Flame-based cremation, the one most people mean, uses heat in a unit called a cremator or retort. Alkaline hydrolysis, often called water cremation, uses water and alkaline chemicals (covered near the end of this guide).

Cremation is now the most common choice in the US. CANA's statistics page reports a national cremation rate of 62.8% in 2025 and projects 69.1% by 2030.

What happens before cremation?

Before anything happens in the crematory, three things need to be in place: the person's body is cared for, the paperwork is done, and the right person has given permission.

• Transport and storage. CANA lists four main elements of a cremation: transport from the place of death to the crematory, secure cold storage, the cremation itself, and return of the remains to the authorized agent. Cold storage means the body is refrigerated while it waits.
• Written authorization. The person with legal authority to decide, often the next of kin or a person named in advance, has to authorize the cremation in writing. In Florida, for example, state law requires written authorization from a legally authorized person, and the same section sets a 48-hour window for the cremation once a time has been agreed in writing.
• State rules. Some states add a waiting period after death, and some require a medical examiner or coroner to sign off in certain cases. The rules differ from state to state, so ask the funeral home or crematory what applies where the death occurred.
• Embalming is not needed. The FTC says no state law requires routine embalming, and direct cremation does not require any form of preservation. Embalming only comes up if you choose an open-casket viewing first.

Step by step: what happens inside the crematory

CANA describes the process in eight steps. Providers vary in small details, but the order is the same.

1. The body is placed in a container. It goes into a combustible container, such as cardboard, wood or a casket. CANA says no metal containers.
2. Identity is confirmed and a number is assigned. Staff confirm who the person is and assign a cremation number, which is stamped on a stainless steel disc.
3. Identity is checked again. The container is taken out of storage and verified before it goes into the cremator.
4. The container goes into the chamber. It is placed in the primary chamber along with the identification disc.
5. The cremation runs. The door is closed and the process is monitored. CANA puts the temperature at 1,400 to 1,600°F, with combustion happening in two stages: the primary chamber, then a secondary chamber that treats the gases.
6. The remains are cooled. When the cycle ends, the remains are swept into a cooling tray and identity is checked again.
7. Metal is separated and the bone fragments are processed. A machine with blades pulverizes the fragments until they are less than 1/8 inch. Metal from implants, fillings, casket hardware or jewelry is separated first and, per CANA, recycled.
8. The remains are packaged. They go into a plastic bag, then into an urn or temporary container with the disc and labeling.

How long does it take?

The burn itself takes anywhere from about 30 minutes, as in the case of a stillborn child, to a little over two hours for an adult, according to CANA. It depends on body size and the heat already stored in the chamber. The Funeral Consumers Alliance describes the whole process as usually taking two to four hours. Cooling and processing add time, and your provider's schedule decides the day you can collect the remains. Ask for an estimated date when you arrange it.

How do you know you get the right remains back?

CANA describes identification being verified at eight checkpoints: removal from the place of death, transport, placement in storage, placement in the cremator, removal from the cremator, pulverizer processing, urn placement and return to the authorized agent. The stainless steel disc stays with the remains through the entire time at the facility. You can ask any provider to explain how they track a person from pickup to return.

Ask the provider to confirm that each person is cremated individually. If you want to see for yourself, ask about a witnessed cremation.

Do you need a casket or a special container?

No. The FTC says no state or local law requires a casket for cremation. A funeral home that offers cremation must tell you alternative containers are available and must make them available. CANA's minimum is a container that is completely enclosed, rigid, leak resistant and combustible. A plain cardboard or wood alternative container is a common choice and is usually priced well below a casket, so check the General Price List.

If you want a viewing or service first, you can still have one. See what a viewing involves before deciding on embalming or a casket rental.

Pacemakers, implants, jewelry and clothing

Tell the provider about any medical device. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are the main concern. A 2025 experimental study in the Journal of Arrhythmia found that every tested device exploded during cremation, though without major damage to the crematorium. The paper reports no visible structural damage to the crematorium, and notes that the UK and Brazil require removal before cremation, while the US and Europe generally recommend it without requiring it by law. In practice, providers commonly ask that these devices be removed first, so raise it early. Our guide to pacemakers during cremation covers who does this and when.

Other items:

• Orthopedic implants. Metal from implants such as hip replacements is separated from the remains after cremation, per CANA.
• Jewelry. Metal that is left on can end up mixed into the remains. Remove and keep anything you want to keep, including rings and watches.
• Clothing. Ask what the crematory accepts. Policies differ, and most families choose simple, comfortable clothes.
• Tattoos. Families often ask about ink. See tattoos during cremation.

Can you watch the cremation?

Some providers offer a witnessed cremation, which CANA says allows a chosen few of the closest people to be with the body as it enters the cremator. It can include final goodbyes, adding keepsakes and, for some, peace of mind. It must be requested and scheduled with the funeral director or crematory in advance, and not every facility offers it. Our guide to being present at a cremation explains what to expect.

What do the remains look like, and what happens next?

Cremated remains are not soft ash. CANA says they consist of calcium phosphates with some minor minerals and are white to gray. The processor grinds them to less than 1/8 inch, so they are coarse and granular rather than fine ash. The average adult weighs between 4 and 6 pounds.

What you do next is up to you and sometimes up to your faith. Options include keeping the urn, burying it, placing it in a niche, or scattering. Start with what to do with cremated remains and whether you can scatter ashes anywhere. If you plan to scatter at sea, the EPA's general permit requires burial at least three nautical miles from land and requires you to notify the EPA within 30 days afterward. If remains are never collected, see what happens to uncollected ashes.

Some religious traditions set rules for cremation and ashes. The Catholic Church, for example, asks that ashes be kept together in a sacred place. See the Catholic view on cremation.

What about water cremation?

Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat and sometimes pressure and agitation to speed natural decomposition. CANA says temperatures run from 199 to 302°F, it may take three to sixteen hours, and it produces about 32% more remains than flame cremation. As of March 2026, CANA lists 26 states where it is legal: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. CANA also notes that pacemakers and other implants that cannot be exposed to flame do not need to be removed for this method, except where state law requires it. Compare the two in aquamation vs traditional cremation.

What does cremation cost, and what are your rights?

Prices vary widely by provider and region, so compare before you commit. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you a General Price List you can keep, must give price information over the phone if you ask, and cannot require you to buy a casket for cremation. See the General Price List guide and the cremation cost calculator guide.

What to do next

1. Ask two or three providers for their General Price List and what their cremation fee includes.
2. Ask how they track identity, whether you can witness, and what they do with recovered metal.
3. Tell them about any pacemaker or implant, and decide what clothing and jewelry you want to keep.
4. Decide where the remains will go, and who will collect them.