How big is a casket?

The standard sizes, what changes for a tall or broad person, and the three measurements that decide whether a casket fits the person, the vault and the doorway.

Standard casket dimensions

A standard adult casket is about 84 inches long, 28 inches wide and 23 inches tall. That is roughly seven feet by two feet four inches. The inside is a few inches smaller in every direction, because the walls, the lid and any lining take up room.

Those figures are what most funeral homes and casket companies mean by standard. They are a starting point, not a rule. A casket built by hand can be made to any size the person needs.

Oversize caskets

When the standard width is not enough, the sizes up are commonly 29, 33, 36, 40 and 44 inches wide. At least one maker now builds wood caskets with 28 inches of room inside that still fit a standard vault, without making the outside wider.

The width that matters is the widest point of the person, usually the shoulders or the hips, with room to spare. If you are unsure, measure and give the maker the numbers rather than a size.

Casket or coffin

A casket is a rectangle. A coffin is the older tapered shape, widest at the shoulders and narrowing to the feet. A coffin of the same length uses less wood and takes less room, and it is still the traditional shape in some places. Both are measured the same way: length, widest point and height.

The three measurements that matter

The person

Height, shoulder width and weight. A tall person needs length; a broad person needs width; a heavy person needs a casket built and carried with that in mind.

The cemetery

Many cemeteries require an outer burial container, usually called a vault, and the casket has to fit inside it. A standard vault takes a standard casket. Wider caskets often need an oversize vault, and sometimes a wider plot. Natural burial grounds work the other way: most do not allow a vault, and they ask for a casket that will break down, such as a plain pine box.

The route

A casket has to get through doors, around corners and down steps, and usually six people carry it. Before anything is built, think about the narrowest doorway and the tightest turn between the car and the grave or the chapel.

Buying a casket from a maker

A funeral home has to accept a casket you bought somewhere else and cannot charge you to use it. What a funeral home must accept. Buying from a maker also means the size is whatever the person needs, and the wood can come from a tree the family knew. How a piece from your own tree works.