Casket price list

What it means

The casket price list is distinct from the general price list. It exists so that a family can see prices before being taken into a room full of caskets.

It must be offered before any casket is shown, and it must cover what is actually available, not only what is on display.

A provider must accept a casket bought elsewhere and may not charge a handling fee for it.

Why it matters

The showroom is designed to make price a matter of taste and love. A printed list beforehand is the counterweight, and it is a right rather than a request.

Buying a casket elsewhere is legal, sometimes much cheaper, and often not mentioned.

When you are likely to meet it

• Before being shown caskets at a funeral home.
• When comparing providers.
• When considering buying a casket from a third-party seller.

Related terms

• Cash advance itemAnything the funeral home bought from somebody else on your behalf — the flowers, the clergy honorarium, the death certificates — which must be itemized separately.
• Direct cremationCremation without a viewing or ceremony beforehand. It is one of the least expensive options a funeral provider must offer.
• The Funeral RuleA federal consumer protection rule that gives you the right to prices in writing and the right to buy only what you want.
• General price listThe itemized list of prices a funeral provider must hand you to keep, as soon as arrangements are discussed in person.
• Outer burial containerA vault or liner placed around a casket in the grave. Cemeteries often require one; state law usually does not.

Official sources

The authority this page describes, at the agency that publishes it. Sahvelo does not restate a rule from a secondary source.

• 16 CFR Part 453 — the Funeral Rule, as published (opens in a new tab)The rule itself. The FTC's consumer guidance summarizes it.

Sahvelo guidance that uses this

• Funeral price rights