Alternative cremation containers are the plain, combustible boxes — typically corrugated cardboard, fiberboard, pressed wood, or unfinished wood — that hold the body during a direct cremation in place of a traditional casket. Federal law requires any funeral provider that offers direct cremation to make one available, and you cannot be forced to buy a casket instead.1eCFR. 16 CFR 453.4 – Required Purchase of Funeral Goods or Funeral Services They exist because a cremation doesn’t need ornamental merchandise, and families choosing cremation shouldn’t have to pay for any.
What Qualifies as an Alternative Container
The FTC defines an alternative container as an unfinished wood box or other non-metal enclosure, without ornamentation or a fixed interior lining, made of fiberboard, pressed wood, composition materials, or similar combustible materials.2eCFR. 16 CFR 453.1 – Definitions The key word is non-metal. A metal casket is not an alternative container, and the regulation draws a clear line between an ornate casket and a utilitarian cremation vessel.
In practice, heavy-duty corrugated cardboard and fiberboard are the most common materials. Both incinerate completely and leave minimal residue. Pressed wood and plywood turn up in sturdier builds. The exterior is plain and unfinished, because the container’s purpose is functional rather than ceremonial.
Beyond the federal definition, crematories and state regulators generally expect any container entering the chamber to meet a few practical standards:
- Combustible throughout, so every component burns completely at cremation temperatures without producing toxic fumes or damaging equipment.
- Rigid enough to support the full weight of the body during transport, lifting, and placement on the chamber’s roller system.
- Leak-resistant on the bottom and sides.
- Fully closeable, with a lid or covering that encloses the body completely.
Containers built with plastic liners, metal screws, or synthetic adhesives can cause problems during cremation. If you’re buying from a third party or building your own, confirm with the crematory that every component is approved for their specific equipment.
Your Rights Under the FTC Funeral Rule
The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, codified at 16 C.F.R. Part 453, is the federal regulation that governs how funeral providers sell goods and services. A provider or crematory that offers direct cremation cannot require you to purchase a casket, and must make an alternative container available.1eCFR. 16 CFR 453.4 – Required Purchase of Funeral Goods or Funeral Services
The provider also has to disclose all of this in writing on the General Price List, the itemized pricing document every funeral home must give you when you ask about services in person.3eCFR. 16 CFR Part 453 – Funeral Industry Practices The direct cremation section must show three things: a price for direct cremation when you supply your own container, a separate price for each direct cremation option the provider offers with an alternative container, and a description of what each price includes. Printed next to those prices, a disclosure must tell you that you can use an alternative container for direct cremation and that these containers can be made of fiberboard or similar materials.
Violations carry federal civil penalties enforced by the FTC, adjusted annually for inflation.4Federal Trade Commission. FTC Publishes Inflation-Adjusted Civil Penalty Amounts for 2025 State funeral licensing boards separately enforce their own disclosure and pricing rules, with fines and possible license suspensions. If a funeral home pressures you into buying a casket for a direct cremation or refuses to show you pricing, you can file a complaint with the FTC.
Bringing Your Own Container
You don’t have to buy a container from the funeral home at all. The Funeral Rule lets you purchase a casket or alternative container from any seller — an online retailer, a warehouse club, a woodworker — and bring it to the funeral home for use. The provider cannot charge you a handling fee, a surcharge, or any other added cost for accepting a container you bought elsewhere. The FTC treats that kind of fee as a hidden penalty meant to discourage shopping around.5Federal Trade Commission. Complying with the Funeral Rule
A funeral home also can’t condition its other services on your buying its container. It cannot refuse to perform the cremation or withhold its basic services fee because you showed up with your own cardboard box. What you do need to confirm is that the container fits the crematory’s operational requirements.
Sizing and Fit
Before choosing a container, you need the deceased’s height and weight. Standard cardboard cremation containers typically support around 200 pounds. Oversized models with reinforced construction, double-wall cardboard, and internal wood-strip flooring handle heavier individuals. If a reinforced container is needed, ask the funeral home or crematory what they stock, or check online retailers for oversized options.
You also need to confirm the container will physically fit through the cremation chamber opening. Chamber door widths vary by manufacturer and facility, so there is no universal measurement. A common commercial model has a 38-inch opening, but older or smaller units may be narrower. Call the crematory and ask for the maximum container width and length their retort accepts, then cross-reference those measurements against whatever container you’re considering. This matters most when you’re buying from a third party rather than using a container the crematory already knows fits.
What You’ll Pay
Alternative container prices depend on the material and the funeral home’s markup. Cardboard, fiberboard, and pressed-wood models generally run somewhere between $50 and $400. Traditional caskets routinely cost $2,000 or more. If the General Price List doesn’t break out alternative container options separately, or if a funeral director steers you toward a casket without mentioning containers, that’s a red flag worth acting on.
Sales tax on funeral merchandise, including alternative containers, varies by state. Some states exempt all funeral goods from sales tax; others tax them like any retail purchase. Ask about tax when reviewing the price list so the final cost doesn’t surprise you.
Medical Implants Have to Be Removed First
Certain medical devices must come out of the body before it enters any cremation container. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators contain batteries that can explode at cremation temperatures, which reach roughly 1,400 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. An exploding pacemaker can damage the chamber and injure operators.6National Library of Medicine. Pacemaker Explosions in Crematoria: Problems and Possible Solutions
Devices that need removal before cremation include:
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, which carry lithium batteries with the same explosion risk as pacemakers.
- Ventricular assist devices, the battery-powered heart pumps that pose identical hazards.
- Neurostimulators and drug pumps, meaning any battery-powered implant that delivers electrical stimulation or medication.
- Radioactive implants, such as brachytherapy seeds used in cancer treatment, which must be declared and removed.
A mortician or pathologist typically handles removal. Passive metal implants like hip replacements, knee joints, and surgical screws don’t need to come out first; they survive the cremation and are separated from the remains afterward. Let the funeral director know about any implants the deceased had so the crematory can plan accordingly.
Identification and Authorization
Cremation is irreversible, so crematories and funeral homes follow strict identification procedures before a body enters the chamber. The standard practice calls for positive identification before the body leaves the funeral home and again when it arrives at the crematory. Visual identification by a family member or authorized representative is the most reliable method, though photograph identification is accepted in many jurisdictions.
You’ll sign a cremation authorization form before the process moves forward. It typically records the deceased’s name and identifying information, the date and time of death, whether a viewing will take place beforehand, whether the deceased had implanted medical devices, and your authorization for the crematory to proceed. The form also designates who receives the cremated remains and how they should be handled. Read it carefully. Once signed, it authorizes an irreversible process.
The crematory reserves the right to open the container and inspect its contents before proceeding, both to confirm identity and to verify that nothing prohibited — batteries, radioactive material, pressurized containers — is inside.