FAQ's

How can you sell these urns at such a discount over funeral home prices?

The markups on funeral home products, in general, are quite high, in part to help to cover the labor and facilities costs that traditional funeral homes incur. Urns by Hewiston specialize in selling Aluminium urns direct to the public. We pass the savings on to our customers. The quality and craftsmanship are excellent. You will not see our unique designs anywhere else as they are designed in house.

If I provide my own urn, will a funeral home use it?

Yes. Generally, funeral homes are used to providing this function as part of their services. The Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule ensures that every American has a right to provide their own urn for use by a funeral home.

Specifically, the rule states that The funeral provider cannot refuse to handle an urn you bought elsewhere.

Product Questions:

How large of an urn do I need to buy?

Most people need a standard adult urn which generally is sized to hold the ashes of a person who weighed 200 lbs. or less prior to cremation. Cremation urns do come in extra-large, urns for two, medium/small (a portion of ashes), and keepsake sizes.

A good starting point is to find out what your loved one weighed prior to cremation. Each pound of weight will equal one cubic inch of ashes after cremation occurs. Thus, if the person weighed 150 pounds prior to his/her death, then you will need an urn that has the capacity to hold 150 cubic inches or more of ashes. The majority of our urns hold 200-220 cubic inches of ashes.

Keepsake urns, or mini urns, are popular to hold a small amount of ashes in remembrance. Keepsake urns and medium urns also are used when family members want to divide ashes among several people.

How do I fill a cremation urn?

Urns are easy to fill. Typically our customers are given a temporary container by the cremation provider, which contains the cremated remains of the deceased.

The temporary container usually contains a bag holding the cremated remains, and this bag is easy to transfer to the urn. Even when the ashes are not in a bag, it is not difficult to pour from the temporary container into the urn. Urns by Hewiston come packaged with a paper funnel to help transfer the ashes as well as a velvet black bag to help transport the Urn.

The process of transferring ashes can be an emotional experience, however, and it is worth adding that this can be a good time to call on a close friend to assist you with the task. In our experience, friends are often more than happy

What is a keepsake urn?

A keepsake urn is a small version of a full-sized urn designed to hold just a small amount of ashes. They are often purchased in sets and given to family members. Keepsake urns also are used when the majority of a loved one’s ashes are buried or scattered, but there is a desire to keep a small amount in remembrance.

Travel Question:

What is TSA going to do if I try to bring an urn through airport security?

Here is what the TSA says on this topic, directly from the TSA website:

We understand how painful losing a loved one is, and we treat crematory remains with respect. Some airlines do not allow cremated remains as checked baggage, so please check with your airline to learn more about possible restrictions.

Under no circumstances will a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) open a crematory container. To facilitate screening, we suggest that you purchase a temporary or permanent crematory container made of a lighter-weight material, such as wood or plastic. If the container is made of a material that generates an opaque image, the TSO will not be able to clearly determine what is inside the container and the container will not be permitted.

Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane.

With that in mind, generally speaking, wooden urns and biodegradable urns are the easiest to pass through the TSA airport security system. The most difficult urns are metal urns, which do not go through screening without generating an opaque image. For more information it is best to contact the airline directly.