For thousands of years, it has been a common practice to bury the dead in different ways. The Egyptians used to mummify the dead, while the Romans burned the deceased. However, burial has become the traditional practice in later years. Regardless of the method followed in the funeral service, what is common is that at this time, friends and family come together to pay last respect to one who had touched the lives of his/ her loved ones in some way or the other. When a death occurs in the family, all the surviving members of the bereaved family usually pick a coffin or a casket from the funeral home for the deceased to be buried in. A coffin is the funerary box that is used in the containment and display of the deceased for burial.

Practices of using coffins in funerals

Coffins are also known as caskets. However, in North America, there is a distinction between ‘coffins’ and ‘caskets’. By a coffin, they refer to a tapered octagonal or hexagonal box, used for the burial, while casket refers to a burial box that is rectangular in shape and has a split lid for viewing the deceased. The coffin can be buried directly in the ground, placed inside a burial vault, or cremated.

Types of coffins used in funeral services

There are mainly two types of coffins that are offered to customers – those made of wood and those made of metal.

* The kind of wood that is used in coffins might be pecan, pine, oak, maple, mahogany, cherry, mahogany, ash, and walnut. There are coffins that also come in various finishes that imparts a beautiful look to the coffin.
* Coffins that are made of metal are generally produced from four materials, which are steel, copper, stainless steel, and bronze. Often such metal coffins have come with a protective or non-protective finish against water and air. In case of steel coffins, one of the distinguishing features is that they usually have a memorial tube or an identifying kit which makes it convenient to identify the body if there is any need of it being exhumed or even transferred somewhere else.

It should be mentioned that the price of the coffin depends very much on the kind of material that it is being used. As well as this, one may also choose the type of lining to be used inside the coffin.

Coffins are an integral part of the funeral service. One may choose from a wide range of coffins that are available according to the budget and requirements.