Outer Burial Containers

Burial vaults, grave boxes, grave liners

Outer burial containers include:

Outer burial container

Any container that is designed for placement in the grave around the casket.

True

True or false: there is no state or federal law that requires outer burial containers.

Grave liner

An outer enclosure which offers protection from the earth load but without protection from the elements.

Grave box

An outer enclosure consisting of a body and a one or two-piece lid.

Concrete sectional

A grave liner consisting of six or eight slabs of unfinished concrete placed around the casket.

Burial vault

An outer enclosure which supports earth load and offers limited protection from most outside elements.

Concrete. Polymer, fiberglass, wood

Grave liners are usually made of what material? What else can they be made of?

Concrete, metal, fiberglass, polymer

What can burial vaults be made of?

Concrete burial vault

Usually a two-piece apparatus consisting of a base and a cap. May or may not be internally reinforced with smooth steel bar or rebar. The vault’s interior is usually lined with a material designed to strengthen the structure.

Top seal

A method of closure that utilizes an epoxy compound in conjunction with tongue-ingroove construction at the top edge and the lid of the vault.

Steel, stainless steel, copper

Metal burial vaults include:

12-7 gauge, 9 gauge

What is the common thickness range of metal burial vaults? What is the standard?

Air seal

A method of closure that utilizes the air pressure created by placing the dome of the vault onto the base of the vault, often called the diving bell principle.

Double seal

A method of closure that utilizes the principle of the air seal in conjunction with an epoxy material at the junction of the dome and the base of a metal burial vault.

6 handles, identification envelope, orientation label

What are the container requirements for air trays?

Zeigler tray

A single-unit container made of 20-gauge steel construction with a channel gasket lid that is hermetically sealed. Allows the unit to be accepted alone for transportation without the need for an additional internal “casket.”

Combination unit

Required when remains are being tendered without a standard casket.

Asphalt coating

On inside of vault, plugs up pores in concrete and prevents moisture from seeping through.

According to inside dimensions, typically 86×30 inches

What are the measurements of air seal vaults?

Dome

The top of an air seal burial vault that entraps air as it is put in position. It also supports the weight of the earth above.

Plain concrete box

What is the minimum outer burial container required by most cemeteries?

Urn vault

Metal or concrete vault for urns.

Wood box

A transfer container made entirely of wood.

Alternative container

A non-metal receptacle or enclosure, without ornamentation or a fixed interior lining, designed for the encasement of human remains and who go is made of cardboard, pressed-wood, composition material, or pouches of canvas or other material.

Combination case

A transfer container consisting of a particle board box with a cardboard tray and cover to satisfy air-shipping regulations.

Unfinished wood box

An unornamented casket made of wood which does not have a fixed interior lining.