By Irina Jordan
We want to share this brief help guide with you that explains kinds and sizes of cremation urns for ashes to make your selection process easier.
Simple rule to calculate the right size of an urn: every pound of the person's total weight equals one cubic inch of space but even very large people usually fit in a 200 cubic inch urn. So if a person weighed 150 lbs. you will need an urn that is 150 cubic inches or larger.
Companion Cremation Urn can accommodate the cremated remains of two people (e.g. husband and wife). Their size varies from 300 to 500 cubic inches.
Individual Size Cremation Urn is sized to hold the ashes of one person. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) has created an industry standard of 200 cubic inches, which equals about 6.8 pints. Individual urns vary from 110 to 300 cubic inches.
Sharing Cremation Urn is a smaller sized urn. Sometimes several members of a family wish to retain a portion of the ashes and the ashes are split up into several smaller sized urns. Sharing urns come in a variety of sizes: small (up to 30 cubic inches), medium (up to 50 cubic inches), large (up to 70 cubic inches) and extra-large (up to 100 cubic inches). This urn can be used as a child urn.
Pet Urn comes in a variety of sizes: small (up to 30 cubic inches), medium (up to 50 cubic inches), large (up to 70 cubic inches) and extra-large (up to 100 cubic inches).
Keepsake Cremation Urn is sized to hold only a small portion of cremation ashes up to 15 cubic inches (about one cup of dry weight). When an individual sized urn is used to place the ashes in their final location, keepsake urns are often used to keep a portion of the ashes close to home or given out for scattering. This urn can be used as an infant size urn.
Cremation Jewelry Urn is the smallest size of urns. These urns are really just specially designed jewelry that have an inner chamber to hold a tiny portion of cremation ashes. They are a great alternative to traditional cremation urns.