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Thread: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

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    Senior Member A Midnight Dreary's Avatar
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    Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death



    Coffin-makers are super-sizing caskets to meet demand as obesity increases in New Zealand.

    Manufacturers report that orders for oversized coffins are increasing, while standard coffin widths have expanded to cater for bigger Kiwi bodies.

    Christchurch coffin manufacturer Mark Pattinson, of Baldwin Furniture, said industry-standard widths had increased from 49.5 centimetres to 58.5cm in the past 30 years.

    The company stocked four oversized coffins, ranging from 63.5cm wide to 89cm.

    Auckland's Western Caskets managing director Ed Campbell said coffin sizes had been "creeping up". The company's oversized range started from 53cm wide, and the largest coffin, at 76cm wide by 48cm deep, could fit "most people".

    "We've had to make a few larger ones than that," he said.

    "We're virtually to the stage where we're looking at putting a larger casket into stock."

    One the largest coffins used in the United States was a 2.1-metre-wide casket built for a 408-kilogram man who died in Alaska.

    Campbell said the largest coffin the company had made – measuring 1.8m wide by 1m deep – was an "extreme" example.

    "We certainly questioned [the sizing] because we couldn't believe it could be that."

    About three "special" coffins were custom-made each year, he said.

    Cremation Society of Canterbury general manager Barbara Terry said larger coffin sizes could become problematic for Christchurch facilities.

    "Maybe, in time, we will have to look at our technology to see if we need to install a larger cremator," she said. The chamber would need to be larger to accommodate bigger caskets.

    A "matter of centimetres" increase in coffin size would make cremation difficult in Christchurch, Terry said.

    Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand president Tony Garing, general manager of Christchurch's John Rhind Funeral Directors, said there was not much demand for over-sized coffins in Canterbury.

    "We're a big company, and about 80 per cent of our caskets would be in what we call the standard-adult range, bearing in mind that adults can be 15 or 16 stone [95kg or 102kg] without being obese," he said.

    There was no extra charge for larger burial plots, Garing said.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3938543/People-super-sizing-even-in-death

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    Senior Member irishkat's Avatar
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    Re: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

    I wouldn't want to spend the extra money.  If I'm that fat when I die (and maybe I will be), then shut the lid and jump on it, kinda like you do to shut a suitcase.  :lol:

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    Southern Undertaker Key West Digger's Avatar
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    Re: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

    It's a big (pardon the pun) business in the US. The major casket manufacturer in the US, Batesville, started a new line of oversize caskets - Dimensions. They include burial caskets as well as cremation caskets and alternative cremation units. The smaller of the oversize burial caskets are made to fit in standard vaults and crypts, while most oversize cremation caskets/units will fit in the cremation retort chamber. Usually this will accommodate most oversize burial without any added cost to the family. The company that I'm employed with, both their crematories have the older retorts that most oversized units will fit without any added costs of seeking specialized crematories.

    Now if the casket needs to be 3X or larger for burial, the family is forced into buying a larger burial vault and larger grave space or a double crypt.

    Side note: In my 35 years in the funeral profession, I have had three very oversized cases where the body was removed from the hospital on the bed they died on. For the two (both over 900 pounds) that were embalmed for burial , we utilized 1) (rented) box trucks with wedge loading docks ramps to remove from the place of death 2) two embalming tables-side by side together for the embalming process and the dressing, 3)two small backhoes (rented) were used to place the body in the casket, 4) the same back hoes to place the casket on a rented "stage platform" from the Miami Beach Convention Center for the visitation, 5) flat bed tow trucks where employed to take the caskets to the cemetery, and last, but not least, 6) a heavy duty backhoe (at the cemetery) to place the casket in the grave. The Funeral Home absorbed the added costs, both at the funeral home & at the cemetery, as to not burden the family with any more grief.


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    Senior Member deeply shaded's Avatar
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    Re: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

    [quote author=Key West Digger link=topic=26155.msg1676185#msg1676185 date=1279665265]
    It's a big (pardon the pun) business in the US. The major casket manufacturer in the US, Batesville, started a new line of oversize caskets - Dimensions. They include burial caskets as well as cremation caskets and alternative cremation units. The smaller of the oversize burial caskets are made to fit in standard vaults and crypts, while most oversize cremation caskets/units will fit in the cremation retort chamber. Usually this will accommodate most oversize burial without any added cost to the family. The company that I'm employed with, both their crematories have the older retorts that most oversized units will fit without any added costs of seeking specialized crematories.

    Now if the casket needs to be 3X or larger for burial, the family is forced into buying a larger burial vault and larger grave space or a double crypt.

    Side note: In my 35 years in the funeral profession, I have had three very oversized cases where the body was removed from the hospital on the bed they died on. For the two (both over 900 pounds) that were embalmed for burial , we utilized 1) (rented) box trucks with wedge loading docks ramps to remove from the place of death 2) two embalming tables-side by side together for the embalming process and the dressing, 3)two small backhoes (rented) were used to place the body in the casket, 4) the same back hoes to place the casket on a rented "stage platform" from the Miami Beach Convention Center for the visitation, 5) flat bed tow trucks where employed to take the caskets to the cemetery, and last, but not least, 6) a heavy duty backhoe (at the cemetery) to place the casket in the grave. The Funeral Home absorbed the added costs, both at the funeral home & at the cemetery, as to not burden the family with any more grief.


    [/quote]

    Wow, it sounds like there was a lot of added cost for them to absorb. That's pretty nice of them.

    You don't have to have a casket to be cremated, do you?
    Quote Originally Posted by beli View Post
    kim kardashian - made famous for having a sex tape, should die in a fire
    Quote Originally Posted by McMama View Post
    Have you ever walked into a mall, sat on God's lap, and had your picture taken?

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    Southern Undertaker Key West Digger's Avatar
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    Re: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

    No, you don't need a casket for cremation. All that is needed is an Alternative Container, i.e. cardboard, plywood etc.. The precentages of oversize caskets/cremation caskets/alternative cremation units sold is slightly higher that 1/5 of total casket sales in the US.

    On a sad note, both families scored us below 200 on my JD Powers Survey and both families issued complaints to the state board. Both families had videos (thank God) of the services which showed we did more than what a "normal" would be and we did the right thing.

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    Senior Member deeply shaded's Avatar
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    Re: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

    [quote author=Key West Digger link=topic=26155.msg1676228#msg1676228 date=1279667949]
    Yes we do, as I stated in the aforementioned post. The precentages of oversize caskets/cremation caskets/alternative cremation units sold is slightly higher that 1/5 of total casket sales in the US.

    On a sad note, both families scored us below 200 on my JD Powers Survey and both families issued complaints to the state board. Both families had videos (thank God) of the services which showed we did more than what a "normal" would be and we did the right thing.
    [/quote]

    Oh brother. Did they know you paid for all the extra?

    So I'm confused by your answer. You're saying you do have to be cremated in a casket? Is that true everywhere? Is there a reason for that other than the funeral home raking in the extra cash?
    Quote Originally Posted by beli View Post
    kim kardashian - made famous for having a sex tape, should die in a fire
    Quote Originally Posted by McMama View Post
    Have you ever walked into a mall, sat on God's lap, and had your picture taken?

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    Southern Undertaker Key West Digger's Avatar
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    Re: Coffin-makers: People are super-sizing even in death

    [quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=26155.msg1676234#msg1676234 date=1279668107]
    Oh brother. Did they know you paid for all the extra?

    So I'm confused by your answer. You're saying you do have to be cremated in a casket? Is that true everywhere? Is there a reason for that other than the funeral home raking in the extra cash?
    [/quote]To answer your questions in order. No, the family did not know of the expenses incurred other than the expense of the oversized caskets. One of the families stated that their loved one was not that big, that we did something to enhance the size. Thank God for the hospital records and Security signing out the bed!

    No, A casket is not needed for cremation.  That why I mentioned Alternative Containers. Under OSHA Laws, Rules and Regulations, crematory operators and their employees are NOT morticians. The body needs to be delivered in an appropriate container that they (crematory employees) do not touch the body other than checking the identifacation of the deceased. That container does not need to be a casket. That container must meet the OSHA requirements that any body leakage/minimal odors is contained within the receptacle and must able to be consumed in the cremation process.

    Our company has a strict identification process. We allow the family to see the deceased at the time of arrangements or the next day if we do not have the body. And we allow the family to be present at the time of cremation. CYA

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