About Urn Sizes

Adult - Most common

Adult Urns, sometimes referred to as Standard Urns or Large Urns, are the most common urn size for adult remains. Anyone weighing less than 220 lbs or shorter than 6ft before cremation will fit in a standard adult urn. 

Extra Large Urns are best for adults over 6ft tall or with a large frame.

Small and Medium Urns are best when dividing one person’s ashes among two or more people as well as for young children. Note: Small and Medium urns are not recommended as a single vessel for adult remains—regardless of height or weight before cremation.

Keepsake urns, or mini urns, are best for holding a small amount of ashes in remembrance. Keepsake urns are a popular option when dividing ashes amongst children, grandchildren, or friends.

Urns for Two, sometimes referred to as Companion Urns, Double Urns or Double Internment, are used when combining two people’s ashes into a single urn. 

Aquamation

When choosing aquamation over traditional cremation, plan for about about 20–30% more ashes. For example, we recommend an extra large instead of an adult-sized urn for most individuals. 

Frequently asked questions about urn sizing:

• What is the standard size of an urn? 
• What size should an urn be? 
• What is the average volume of a cremated body? 
• How many cubic inches is an urn supposed to hold? 
• How big is an urn for ashes? 

While these questions are common, the cremation industry unfortunately doesn’t provide exact standards. A helpful rule of thumb is to find out what your loved one weighed before cremation. Each pound of weight will equal approximately one cubic inch of ashes after cremation. For example, if a person weighed 180 pounds before their death, then you will need an urn that can hold 180 cubic inches or more of ashes. The majority of our adult urns hold 200-220 cubic inches of ashes.

If you still have questions, please give us a call at (888) 872-0228. Our caring support team has helped thousands of people select the right urn.