CASKETS
Whether you are preplanning for yourself or choosing for a loved one, a casket selection is a very personal decision and an expression of your feelings. A casket that reflects the personality and taste of your loved one can be your final tribute to their life. We understand these needs and offer a wide variety of caskets to help you make your decision.
Unlike many firms in our area, we still display actual caskets in our selection room(s). We believe the consumer should see what they are purchasing. With many units in our display area we make sure that we always have something within the budget of all the families we serve. Also, our display area offers each family the privacy needed to make their selections of choice.
Many times the casket or urn used at the funeral can be personalized to reflect the hobbies, lifestyles and other interest of your loved one. Caskets can be customized with special embroidery on the interior fabrics. Some caskets feature unique corner hardware designs that reflect individual interest (like golfing, gardening or fishing), relationships (like Mom or Dad), or spirituality. Urns can be engraved with names, dates of birth and death, and other special text.
Selecting a Casket
Caskets have a long history, dating from early Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. Casket making in this country developed out of the cabinet and carriage industries. The casket "industry" developed during the U.S. Civil War, when many caskets were needed to transport war dead back to their families. The predominate material the casket is produced from generally dictates the price range of the casket. Where it generally takes four to seven days to manufacture the main body of a wood casket and another two weeks to complete some of the fine furniture finishes, metal caskets can be completed on average in four hours. Within each grade are different styles of shells or main body of the casket.
The amount of craftsmanship required to complete the shell has bearing on cost. Some craftsmen have over 25 years of experience with designing and woodworking and still do much of the work by hand. Metal caskets generally mimic the shell designs of wood. However, there are inherent limitations to metal such as carvings and other intricate handwork that appears on wood caskets, which cannot be reproduced on metal at a reasonable cost.
Wood and metal caskets can be divided into three groups or quality levels, I - Premium, II - Fine, III- Basic
I - Premium
Wood
Premium furniture woods are top grade and consist of two species, American Black Walnut and Mahogany. The raw lumber is very expensive due to the scarcity of the wood, either by difficulty harvesting and importing (mahogany) or the extreme length of time it takes for the trees to become harvestable (black walnut), which may be as long as 100 years! These woods are also difficult to work due to their physical characteristics.
Metal
Bronze, a copper alloy, is the most expensive material from which metal caskets are manufactured. It is stronger ounce for ounce than copper and is also slightly less malleable than copper, making manufacturing more expensive.
II - Fine
Wood
The next grade for wood includes fine furniture woods such as Oak, Maple, and Cherry. Raw lumber for these species cost more than for the basic grade due to competition from furniture companies. The casket companies need the highest grade lumber for manufacturing due to the large unblemished boards used.
Metal
Stainless Steel and Copper make up this range of metal caskets. Both are corrosion resistant. The cost of both is more than steel due to manufacturing costs (stainless steel), and scarcity of the ore (copper). Stainless steel is much harder to work than copper. For that reason, you will rarely find rounded corners on stainless steel caskets.
III – Basic
Wood
The basic grade of wood includes Poplar, Birch, Ash, Pine and Elm as the predominant species. These are generally the least expensive types of wood caskets. The cost of raw lumber is relatively low, the time it takes for the trees to become harvestable are low and the wood is easy to work with.
Metal
The basic level of metal is the steel casket. The thickness of the steel used to manufacture the casket is described as the "gauge" of the steel. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the metal. For example, 20 gauge steel is thinner than 18 gauge steel. The lower cost of these caskets is due to steel being quite pliable and easier to work. The cost of the raw materials is also relatively low.
Whether you are interested in a traditional or a cremation service, Marshall’s Funeral Homes offer a full complement of caskets and other merchandise to meet your specific needs.
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