C is for COFFIN, CASKET and ... CAPSULE?
We’ve talked about coffins and caskets before, even shroud bearers. But what is a cremation capsule?
A cremation capsule is a simple, dignified container, usually made from cardboard or a similar material, used when a person is being cremated without a funeral service where the body is present.
It may look much like a very basic coffin or casket, but its purpose is different. A cremation capsule is designed primarily to provide a suitable, respectful container for the person during the cremation process. It isn’t intended to be a piece of furniture, a decorative item, or something that needs to be carried around by a group of people.
For that reason, cremation capsules are generally very simple. They typically don’t have fitted handles, elaborate finishes or other features associated with traditional coffins and caskets. They are designed to do one job properly, without adding unnecessary cost or complexity.
The term cremation capsule can sound a little clinical at first, but it is really just a more respectful and descriptive term for what is essentially a plain, functional box.
And there’s an important point here: simple doesn’t mean undignified.
If a person has chosen an unattended cremation, there may be no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a coffin designed to be displayed, carried into a chapel, decorated or used during a funeral service. A simple cremation capsule can provide everything that is actually required.
What about the cardboard casket people decorate? How are they different?
Without getting too “Oils ain’t oils…”, the decorated cardboard caskets you may have seen on our website are called a Daisybox.
They’re made in Australia by Daisybox Pty Ltd, and while they are also made primarily from cardboard, they are a very different product from a basic cremation capsule.
The Daisybox has been specifically designed to be strong enough to be used for a funeral where the body is present. Its multi-layer construction and fitted natural rope handles give it a load-bearing capacity of up to 240 kg.
That means it can be carried safely by family members, friends or funeral staff and used for things such as a chapel service, viewing or graveside ceremony.
It can also be decorated. Families can paint it, write on it, attach photographs, draw pictures or otherwise make it personal. In that sense, the Daisybox becomes part of the funeral itself rather than simply being a container used for cremation.
So, while both a cremation capsule and a Daisybox can ultimately go into a cremator, they serve different purposes.
A cremation capsule is primarily about providing a simple, suitable container for an unattended cremation.
A Daisybox is a casket designed to be part of a funeral.
Neither is inherently more dignified than the other. The right choice really depends on what you want the funeral to be.
If there is no funeral service and nobody needs to carry or farewell the person in the casket, a simple cremation capsule may be all that is necessary.
If you want to gather people together, spend time with the person, decorate the casket and perhaps carry it yourselves before saying goodbye at a graveside, then a Daisybox provides a much more suitable option.
That’s one of the reasons we offer different choices. There shouldn’t be a requirement to buy a more expensive coffin simply because that’s what the funeral industry has traditionally offered.
The container should suit the farewell — not the other way around.