Funeral Merchandising Lesson 2: Casket Materials

What are the two main types of caskets offered by funeral directors according to the transcript?

Burial caskets and cremation caskets

What is the intended purpose of burial caskets?

For interring in ground or entombing human remains

What are cremation caskets typically made of?

Easily combustible materials

How do cremation caskets differ from burial caskets regarding metal content?

Cremation caskets typically contain less metal components

What is the primary benefit of a cremation casket for a family?

It allows for a viewing or service with the body present before the cremation takes place

How does a ceremonial or rental casket differ from a cremation casket in usage?

A cremation casket is used once and cremated, while a ceremonial casket is intended to be used multiple times

What is the purpose of a rental insert in a ceremonial casket?

It holds the deceased and is removed at the end of the service to serve as the cremation container

What material is a rental insert typically made of?

Corrugated cardboard

How is the rental insert loaded into or removed from the ceremonial casket?

The foot end of the casket shell swings down to allow the insert to slide in and out

What is the standard interior width of most rental caskets?

$$28\,\text{inches}$$

What is the main emphasis of green, natural, or eco-friendly caskets?

Environmental sustainability and simplicity

Which company produces the chemical FreedomArt, which is cleared by the Green Burial Council?

Dodge Embalming Company

Why is FreedomArt considered eco-friendly for green burials?

It is a preservative chemical that is formaldehyde free

What materials are green burial caskets typically made of?

Biodegradable materials that will not add toxins to the earth

What is the definition of a solid wood casket?

A wooden casket produced completely of natural wood without wood byproducts or composite wood derivatives

How are hardwoods defined in the context of casket materials?

Tough, heavy timber that is compact and loses leaves every year

What characterizes softwoods used in casket construction?

Coniferous, cone-bearing trees or shrubs with needles instead of leaves

What is the specific technique of lamination in casket manufacturing?

Manufacturing a material in multiple layers to improve strength, stability, and appearance

What is wood veneer?

A thin layer of superior wood glued to a lower quality wood

What is artificial laminate?

A thin layer of man-made synthetic material glued to an inferior wood or material

How is plywood constructed?

Thin sheets of wood are glued together with grains at right angles, always using an odd number of sheets

What is composition board?

Particles of wood like flake board or particle board bonded together with waterproof glue

For what types of funeral equipment is fiberboard or cardboard typically used?

Basic cremation containers, rental inserts, and shipping containers

What is a combo unit used for in funeral service?

To ship remains when there is no casket present; it is a combination air tray and casket

Why is cardboard typically brown in color?

Because the wood fibers used in the manufacturing process remain unbleached

In what year was the Fisk metal coffin patented?

$$1848$$

What are the two key features of the Fisk metal coffin that led to its success?

Its form-fitting shape and its reduced weight

What distinguishes ferrous metals from non-ferrous metals?

Ferrous metals contain iron, while non-ferrous metals do not contain iron in significant amounts

What metal alloy is created when carbon is added to iron?

Steel (also called carbon steel)

Why is low carbon steel used in casket manufacturing?

To keep the metal soft and malleable for easier shaping

What two elements are added to iron to create stainless steel?

Chromium and sometimes nickel

What is the primary benefit of stainless steel compared to carbon steel?

It is resistant to rust and corrosion

In the US standard gauge system for steel caskets, what does the 'gauge' represent?

How many sheets of steel it takes to make approximately $1\,\text{inch}$ of thickness

In the steel gauge system, which is thicker: an 18 gauge casket or a 20 gauge casket?

An 18 gauge casket ($18$ layers per inch is thicker than $20$ layers per inch)

Which series of stainless steel contains $12\%$ chromium and no notable nickel?

$400$ series

What are the composition percentages for the 300 series stainless steel?

$18\%$ chromium and $8\%$ nickel

Which type of caskets are generally non-magnetic and less likely to rust?

Non-ferrous caskets

What measurement system is used for the thickness of non-ferrous caskets?

The Brown and Sharp gauge

How is the thickness of non-ferrous caskets expressed?

By the weight of the metal in ounces per square foot (e.g., $32\,\text{oz}$ or $48\,\text{oz}$)

A $48\,\text{oz}$ non-ferrous casket is approximately equal to which gauge in steel?

$$16\,\text{gauge}$$

What is wrought copper?

Copper processed by rolling, hammering, and forging into a specific shape

What is the electrolytic process used to create high-end copper caskets called?

Copper deposit

How is brass formed?

By combining copper with zinc

How is bronze formed?

By combining copper with tin

How is cast bronze manufactured for caskets?

The metal is poured into a mold and allowed to cool

Which famous casket model was used for James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Aretha Franklin?

The Promethean bronze casket

Who manufactures the Promethean bronze casket?

Batesville Casket Company

What are the material specifications of the Promethean bronze casket?

$48\,\text{ounce}$ solid bronze with a hand-polished mirror finish and velvet interior

In casket hardware, what material is often used to look like metal on less expensive models?

Plastic

What is the 'Loved and Cherished' product offered by Wilbert?

An infant casket vault combination unit that serves as both a casket and an outer burial container

Burial Casket

A casket for interring or entombing human remains in cemeteries, though others are cremated or burned to ash based on religious and personal preferences.

Cremation Casket

A casket manufactured with easily combustible materials for the cremation of human remains following funeral service events.

Ceremonial (Rental) Casket

A casket structured so that an inner cremation container is held as an 'insert' within the casket, which can be easily slid out after the ceremony.

Green (Natural) Burial

A practice emphasizing simplicity and environmental sustainability where the body is neither cremated nor prepared with chemicals, but placed in a biodegradable coffin or shroud.

Green Caskets

Caskets made from sustainably produced materials from renewable sources that are easily biodegradable and do not add toxins as they decompose.

Solid Wood

Raw material used to manufacture products entirely from natural wood pieces that contain no wood by-products or composite wood derivatives.

Engineered Wood Products

Products that are less expensive than solid wood and often constructed in an automated manufacturing process.

Hardwood (Angiosperms)

Any tough, heavy timber with a compact texture from deciduous trees that lose their leaves and foliage every year.

Deciduous

Trees that lose their leaves every year and are generally dormant during the winter, such as Birch, Cherry, Mahogany, Oak, and Walnut.

Softwoods (Gymnosperms)

Coniferous (cone-bearing) trees and shrubs, often with needles, that are primarily evergreen, such as Pine, Spruce, Redwood, and Cedar.

Coniferous

Cone-bearing trees and shrubs, often with needles, categorized as softwoods.

Lamination

A technique to manufacture a material in multiple layers so the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, or appearance.

Laminate

The process of bonding superimposed layers of different materials.

Wood Veneer

Created by gluing a thin layer of wood of superior value or excellent grain to an inferior wood.

Artificial Laminate

Created by gluing a thin layer of man-made or synthetic material to an inferior wood or other material.

Plywood

Thin sheets of wood glued together with grains at right angles to one another, typically with an odd number of sheets.

Composition Board

Also known as pressed board, particle board, or flake board; it consists of particles of wood bonded together with waterproof glue.

Corrugated Containers

Fiberboard or cardboard containers with an interior sheet shaped into alternate ridges and grooves with flat exterior linerboards.

Fisk Metallic Coffin

Patented in $1848$, this form-fitting metal coffin reduced weight and led the industry toward standardized mass production.

Ferrous Metals

Metals that contain iron in casket construction and manufacturing.

Non-Ferrous Metals

Metals that do not contain any significant amount of iron and are generally not magnetic.

Metal Alloy

A metal created when two or more metals are combined together.

Steel

Also called carbon steel, it is the most common iron-based alloy created by adding carbon.

Stainless Steel

An iron-based metal alloy created by adding chromium at a percentage >10\text{ %} and sometimes nickel, making it rust-resistant.

Carbon Steel Content

Made by alloying Iron with an amount of Carbon between 0.5-2.0\text{ %}.

Mild Steel

One of the two main groups of carbon steel, known for being soft and malleable in casket construction.

High Carbon Steel

One of the two main groups of carbon steel noted for being harder and having high tensile strength.

U.S. Standard Gauge

Established by the federal government in $1893$ for the purpose of levying taxes and duties, based on specific steel density.

Gauge

In casket description, it is an approximation of metal thickness representing the number of sheets needed to equal $1\text{ inch}$ of thickness.

10-gauge Steel

A piece of steel where it would take $10$ sheets to have a piece $1\text{ inch}$ in thickness; it is thicker than a $20$-gauge piece.

20-gauge Steel

A piece of steel where it would take $20$ sheets to have a piece $1\text{ inch}$ in thickness.

400 Series Stainless Steel

Stainless steel containing 12\text{ %} chromium with no notable percentage of nickel, representing the lower end of the spectrum in quality.

300 Series Stainless Steel

High-end stainless steel containing 18\text{ %} chromium and 8\text{ %} nickel.

Brown and Sharpe Gauge

The gauge used to measure and identify the thickness of copper and bronze used in manufacturing caskets.

32-ounce Thickness

A measurement for copper and bronze caskets approximately equal to a ferrous metal gauge of $19$.

48-ounce Thickness

A measurement for copper and bronze caskets equal to a $16$ gauge, where thicker metal is indicated by higher ounces per square foot.

Copper

A naturally occurring pure metal that is malleable, ductile, and reddish-brown, noted for superior resistance to corrosion.

Malleable

A property of metal, such as copper, that allows it to be shaped or extended by hammering or rolling.

Ductile

A property of metal that describes its ability to be drawn into a thin wire.

Wrought Copper

Copper processed by rolling, hammering, or forging it into specified shapes such as sheets, bars, and tubing.

Copper Deposit Caskets

Expensive caskets made from copper metal to which copper ions are combined by an electrolytic process.

Solid Copper

Contemporary descriptions of copper caskets made from wrought copper sheets, second only to bronze in cost and value.

Brass

A metallic compound or alloy of copper combined with zinc.

Bronze

A copper alloy consisting of approximately 90\text{ %} copper with the other 10\text{ %} being tin and sometimes zinc.

Wrought Bronze

Bronze metal that has been rolled into sheets for casket construction.

Cast Bronze

Bronze that is poured into a mold and allowed to cool.

Z94 Promethean Bronze Casket

A custom made $48\text{-ounce}$ solid bronze casket by Batesville Casket Company with $24\text{-karat}$ gold plated hardware.

Polymer

A compound with a high molecular weight similar in appearance to plastic, creating an extremely durable substance.

Plastic

A synthetic or natural organic material commonly used in hardware and seldom used for casket shells.

Fiberglass

Material consisting of fine filaments of glass embedded in resins, used to make lightweight and strong caskets.