What to Do With Ashes: Options for Cremated Remains

You have many choices for cremated remains, and generally no deadline to make them. You can keep the ashes at home, bury them, place them in a cemetery niche, scatter them, divide them among family, or turn a portion into a keepsake. You also do not need to buy an urn, because the crematory's plain container is enough.

Cremation is now the more common choice in the US. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) projects a 63.4% cremation rate for 2025, against 31.6% for burial. That leaves many families facing this decision, often with no one telling them there is time.

What do cremated remains look like?

Despite the name, ashes are not soft like fireplace ash. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) says they are mostly calcium phosphates, white to gray, ground to less than 1/8 inch. Adult remains average four to six pounds. They look and feel like coarse sand, and our guide to what happens during cremation shows how they get that way.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) notes that urns are not required, and that the plain container from the crematory is enough for burial or storage.

Is there a deadline to decide?

Generally no. Many families wait months or years for the right date, season or place, or for relatives to be ready. The practical limit is the crematory or funeral home, which sets its own policy on how long it holds ashes you have not collected. Ask about theirs, and see our guide to uncollected ashes if the ashes are already waiting.

You can start with the crematory's container or a simple urn at home and decide later.

What are your main options?

What are the rules for scattering?

Scattering is allowed in most places, but the rules depend on who controls the spot. The FCA says dispersal is permitted in most jurisdictions when done discreetly, but there is no single federal law for land.

• Private land: the owner's permission.
• National Park Service areas: 36 CFR 2.62 says scattering human ashes is prohibited except under a permit or in designated areas.
• At sea: the EPA requires you to be at least three nautical miles from land and to report within 30 days, with no fee. Containers must not contain plastic, float or add to marine debris.
• Other public land, lakes, rivers and beaches: ask the managing agency or the state.

Our ash scattering rules checker, scattering ashes guide and guide to scattering anywhere go further, and scattering ashes at sea and by airplane cover those methods. If you cannot travel, a professional scattering service can do it for you.

Ashes can change soil chemistry. The Woodland Trust in the UK says they can damage fragile ecosystems, which is why it does not allow scattering in ancient woodland. Spread ashes thinly, and choose a place that can handle them.

What can you make from ashes?

A small portion of ashes can go into a keepsake. The usual options are cremation jewelry, glass pieces, memorial diamonds, vinyl records and memorial reefs. Each has its own process, cost and provider, so read about it before you pay.

• Types of cremation jewelry and what it costs
• Turning ashes into glass
• Turning ashes into diamonds
• Pressing ashes into vinyl records
• Memorial reefs

The EPA's burial-at-sea permit does not cover cremated remains incorporated into artificial reefs or monuments, so ask any reef provider how it is permitted.

Are there options if the person was a veteran?

Yes. VA says cremated remains of eligible veterans are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains. The gravesite, opening and closing, perpetual care and a government headstone or marker are provided at no cost to the family. The FCA also says veterans may receive free Navy or Coast Guard scattering at sea, without family on board. See veteran cremation benefits.

Can you travel with ashes?

Yes. The TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on and checked bags, but the container must give a clear X-ray image, and TSA recommends a lighter material such as wood or plastic. Officers will not open the container. Some airlines do not allow cremated remains in checked bags, so ask first. See flying with ashes.

USPS allows mailing cremated remains only by Priority Mail Express, in its cremated remains box, with a sift-proof inner container. See shipping cremated remains.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Deciding alone. Siblings and a spouse can have strong, different wishes. Agree the plan first. If you disagree about who decides, a lawyer can explain the rules for your state.
• Buying an urn first. Check the cemetery's size and container rules, and the niche measurements, before you buy. Our urn prices and options guide helps.
• Mixing ashes you cannot separate later. Mixing is permanent. Read mixing ashes of two people first.
• Assuming you can scatter anywhere. Ask the owner or agency, and keep any permission in writing.
• Leaving no record. Write down where the ashes are, and tell someone, so a future generation can find them.

What to do next

1. Take your time. You do not need to decide this week.
2. Talk with close family about what the person would have wanted, and agree who decides.
3. Ask the crematory or funeral home to divide the ashes if you want more than one option.
4. Check the rules for the place you have in mind, then arrange it.