Discussion
A strange request I know, but the collective PH knowledge has never failed me before, so here goes.
Do coffins in the UK have to be made to a "British Standard"? What about the urns or whatever that cremation ashes are put in?
No doubt a grown up will provide me with the results from Google or the like, but as usual, I've tried, and come up with nothing.
Do coffins in the UK have to be made to a "British Standard"? What about the urns or whatever that cremation ashes are put in?
No doubt a grown up will provide me with the results from Google or the like, but as usual, I've tried, and come up with nothing.
A Crematorium website says
10.3. The coffin must be made of wood, a wood by product or a similarly approved material which, when placed in a cremator and subjected to the accepted cremation processes, is easily combustible and which does not emit smoke, give off toxic gas or leave any retardant smears or drips after final combustion.
No metal furniture or fittings whatever shall be used on a coffin for cremation. No metal of any kind shall be used in the manufacture of the coffin except as necessary for its safe construction and then only metal of a high ferrous content to be used. In no circumstances must lead or zinc be used.
Cross pieces must not be attached to the bottom of a coffin. If it is desired to strengthen the bottom of a coffin, wooden strips may be placed lengthwise for that purpose. The coffin must not be painted or varnished but may be covered with a suitable cloth. Products manufactured in polyvinylchloride (pvc) or melamine must not be used in the construction of a coffin or its furnishings. The use of polystyrene must be restricted to the coffin nameplate only and if used must not exceed 90 grams in weight. The use of sawdust and/or cotton wool must be avoided. If circumstances require, suitable sealing material may be used, but no metal, rubber or pvc will be permitted. On no account must pitch or similar substances be used.
10.4. No body will be accepted for cremation unless it is in a coffin complying with Regulation 10.3 and bearing a name plate which states the identity of the body it contains. If the materials of the coffin are in any way unsuitable or the identity of the body not established, the Superintendent may decline to cremate.
Any material which is likely to give rise to the emission of smoke, odours, toxic gases or other harmful pollutants during the cremation process must not be placed in a coffin. Packaging for still birth, neonatal and foetal remains shall not include chlorinated plastics.
10.5. Pacemakers can cause an explosion if left in a body which is cremated. Radio-active implants are a health hazard. Cremations will be refused if such devices are not removed.
10.6. The external dimensions of a coffin to be used for cremation must not exceed 30" (762 mm) in width, 84" (2134 mm) in length and 23" (584 mm) in depth as these are the maximum dimensions the cremators will cater for.
10.7. If offensive odours or liquids issue from any coffin brought for cremation, the Superintendent may refuse the coffin being taken into chapel. The use of a chapel for a service of a person having died from a notifiable disease will be at the discretion of the Superintendent.
10.8. No coffin shall be opened in a Crematorium Chapel for any purpose whatsoever.
10.9. No coffin or part of a coffin shall be removed from the Crematorium.
10.10. No body shall be removed from the Crematorium for any purpose whatsoever except on the order of a Coroner, Court of Summary Jurisdiction a Chief Constable, Director of Environmental Services or Assistant Director or Service Manager (Bereavement Services).
10.3. The coffin must be made of wood, a wood by product or a similarly approved material which, when placed in a cremator and subjected to the accepted cremation processes, is easily combustible and which does not emit smoke, give off toxic gas or leave any retardant smears or drips after final combustion.
No metal furniture or fittings whatever shall be used on a coffin for cremation. No metal of any kind shall be used in the manufacture of the coffin except as necessary for its safe construction and then only metal of a high ferrous content to be used. In no circumstances must lead or zinc be used.
Cross pieces must not be attached to the bottom of a coffin. If it is desired to strengthen the bottom of a coffin, wooden strips may be placed lengthwise for that purpose. The coffin must not be painted or varnished but may be covered with a suitable cloth. Products manufactured in polyvinylchloride (pvc) or melamine must not be used in the construction of a coffin or its furnishings. The use of polystyrene must be restricted to the coffin nameplate only and if used must not exceed 90 grams in weight. The use of sawdust and/or cotton wool must be avoided. If circumstances require, suitable sealing material may be used, but no metal, rubber or pvc will be permitted. On no account must pitch or similar substances be used.
10.4. No body will be accepted for cremation unless it is in a coffin complying with Regulation 10.3 and bearing a name plate which states the identity of the body it contains. If the materials of the coffin are in any way unsuitable or the identity of the body not established, the Superintendent may decline to cremate.
Any material which is likely to give rise to the emission of smoke, odours, toxic gases or other harmful pollutants during the cremation process must not be placed in a coffin. Packaging for still birth, neonatal and foetal remains shall not include chlorinated plastics.
10.5. Pacemakers can cause an explosion if left in a body which is cremated. Radio-active implants are a health hazard. Cremations will be refused if such devices are not removed.
10.6. The external dimensions of a coffin to be used for cremation must not exceed 30" (762 mm) in width, 84" (2134 mm) in length and 23" (584 mm) in depth as these are the maximum dimensions the cremators will cater for.
10.7. If offensive odours or liquids issue from any coffin brought for cremation, the Superintendent may refuse the coffin being taken into chapel. The use of a chapel for a service of a person having died from a notifiable disease will be at the discretion of the Superintendent.
10.8. No coffin shall be opened in a Crematorium Chapel for any purpose whatsoever.
10.9. No coffin or part of a coffin shall be removed from the Crematorium.
10.10. No body shall be removed from the Crematorium for any purpose whatsoever except on the order of a Coroner, Court of Summary Jurisdiction a Chief Constable, Director of Environmental Services or Assistant Director or Service Manager (Bereavement Services).
Fer said:
The future's bright, the future's an orange box.
But only once they have minced you up or you just won't fit
Vodacoffin - How Dead are You?
3Mobile - Welcome to our Coffin
T un-Mobile - 50% of ground rent for the first 3 months.
See our offers for boltons and 50 extra handles.
Actually
How about Coffin Modding 
Like case moddin for PC's only for coffins rooster said:
dunno but in cambridge we have cardboard ones! Thats recycling for you!
have a look at these:
www.ecopod.co.uk/index.php?pageid=Home
Remember them well. I've humped a few stiffs in my time, I can tell you.
There was one guy, ex-household cavalry, built like a brick sh!thouse. Family decided to blow a grand on a solid oak coffin... and then had him cremated. The crem staff were spitting blood: committal has to be completed on day of service and oak is a bugger to burn. Not only that, but the guy weighed 20 stone plus the box, and the church service beforehand was at a tiny village church with about a 300 yard carry over a cobbled path. We did a 4-man carry and I thought my back was breaking.
At the crem a load of his retired regimental buddies had turned out: they did a 6-man carry and I thought we'd be taking a few more customers away
Most coffins are known as chipboard overcoats or dressing-gowns. They are mass-produced with a variety of veneers from Fablon to real teak. As mentioned earlier, fittings are chromed (or fake brass-effect) plastic, even for burials unless the family offer to pay more. You can't actually carry most coffins by the handles.
The 'shroud' is actually a one-piece lining for the box that is stapled into place, tucked round the corpse's neck and hides everything (hospital tubes etc.), giving the impression of a garment being worn. Vary rarely are bods actually properly dressed. If they are, the usual technique is to button up the clothes then slit them down the back so you can tuck them into place. The deceased aren't too co-operative when it comes to dressing them.
There's usually a pillow for the head made from slag wool or similar: where I used to work they used shredded confidential waste from the local hospital (it was going to be burned anyway!).
Coffins come in a range of standard sizes stated as length x width across shoulders (Eg five-eight by 18 inches). Short people usually end up in boxes too long for them, which isn't a problem unless you have to take them home the night before the funeral (some people still do this).
In small terraced houses there isn't room to get the coffin straight through the front door and into the lounge, so what you do is go up the stairs, close the front door and stand the coffin on end. Swing it round and lower into lounge.
As you stand the coffin up, there's a thud as shortarse hits the end. If it's an open-coffin job, you have to quietly escort the family out while you open the box and reposition their loved one...
There was one guy, ex-household cavalry, built like a brick sh!thouse. Family decided to blow a grand on a solid oak coffin... and then had him cremated. The crem staff were spitting blood: committal has to be completed on day of service and oak is a bugger to burn. Not only that, but the guy weighed 20 stone plus the box, and the church service beforehand was at a tiny village church with about a 300 yard carry over a cobbled path. We did a 4-man carry and I thought my back was breaking.
At the crem a load of his retired regimental buddies had turned out: they did a 6-man carry and I thought we'd be taking a few more customers away
Most coffins are known as chipboard overcoats or dressing-gowns. They are mass-produced with a variety of veneers from Fablon to real teak. As mentioned earlier, fittings are chromed (or fake brass-effect) plastic, even for burials unless the family offer to pay more. You can't actually carry most coffins by the handles.
The 'shroud' is actually a one-piece lining for the box that is stapled into place, tucked round the corpse's neck and hides everything (hospital tubes etc.), giving the impression of a garment being worn. Vary rarely are bods actually properly dressed. If they are, the usual technique is to button up the clothes then slit them down the back so you can tuck them into place. The deceased aren't too co-operative when it comes to dressing them.
There's usually a pillow for the head made from slag wool or similar: where I used to work they used shredded confidential waste from the local hospital (it was going to be burned anyway!).
Coffins come in a range of standard sizes stated as length x width across shoulders (Eg five-eight by 18 inches). Short people usually end up in boxes too long for them, which isn't a problem unless you have to take them home the night before the funeral (some people still do this).
In small terraced houses there isn't room to get the coffin straight through the front door and into the lounge, so what you do is go up the stairs, close the front door and stand the coffin on end. Swing it round and lower into lounge.
As you stand the coffin up, there's a thud as shortarse hits the end. If it's an open-coffin job, you have to quietly escort the family out while you open the box and reposition their loved one...
Remember Dave Allen and some of his near-knuckle funeral sketches? Some of them are only half as funny as the real ones.
Like the gravedigger who slipped and fell in... or the time we got the coffin stuck on the shoring timbers in a particularly wet and muddy cemetary... the funeral director in full regalia who rugby-tackled a twoccer -DURING a funeral... the mourner who'd left their car outside the church on a hill, only to come out and find it 100 yards into a field after the handbrake failed... the numerous occasions when the grave wasn't big enough.... the multiple pile-up that left five of the mourners in Darlington Memorial Hospital...
Like the gravedigger who slipped and fell in... or the time we got the coffin stuck on the shoring timbers in a particularly wet and muddy cemetary... the funeral director in full regalia who rugby-tackled a twoccer -DURING a funeral... the mourner who'd left their car outside the church on a hill, only to come out and find it 100 yards into a field after the handbrake failed... the numerous occasions when the grave wasn't big enough.... the multiple pile-up that left five of the mourners in Darlington Memorial Hospital...
YarisSi said:
I hava book at home that will tell me but not at home for few weeks. As far as can remember you can be buried in pretty much anything. Wool wrap, wicker coffin. Even the deapth dosen't legally have to be 6 feet varies on buriel ground and ground type/quality etc.
IIRC recommended minimum is 2 feet of infill above top coffin (if a multiple burial). Quite often in rocky ground it's not possible to get the standard 6 feet deep...
jessica said:
if they are real brass these are removed before cremation.
Just an old wives' tale. they're not removed.
Some cremators now have powered trolleys that will push the coffin along the rollers into the furnace. The rest have to be pushed along manually and you need the handles on to do that.
Any metals that remains after cremation is separated from the human remains, collected and sent for scrap (cos that's all it is after being cremated).
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