There's no rulebook for this. Choosing a cremation urn is one of the most personal purchases a person can make, and most people find themselves doing it quickly, under pressure, with very little time to think it through.
At Fauna this is something we think about every day. Our conclusion is always the same. The most important thing isn't the material, the size, or even the price. It's whether the urn feels right to you.
That said, there are a few things worth knowing before you buy. Here's what we'd tell a friend who asked.
The urn market is more limited than it looks
Search for cremation urns online and you'll find hundreds of options. Scroll through them and something strange happens — they all start to look the same. That's not a coincidence.
The vast majority of urns sold today come from a small number of factories, regardless of brand or price point. The same shapes, the same finishes, the same silhouettes that have existed for decades. Different logos. Same urn.
If you want something that genuinely reflects the person it honours, you have to look a little harder. They're out there — but they take some finding.
Traditional doesn't mean better. An urn that feels personal and meaningful will always be more fitting than one that simply looks like what an urn is supposed to look like.
Material matters less than you think
Brass. Ceramic. Wood. Marble. Biodegradable. Most buying guides spend a lot of time on this. We'll keep it brief.
Material affects three things: how the urn looks, how heavy it is, and how durable it is over time. Unless you have a specific plan — burial, scattering at sea, a columbarium niche — it's mostly an aesthetic decision.
Think about the space it will live in, not just the object itself. A heavy marble urn on a mantelpiece can be beautiful. The same urn in a small minimalist flat might feel completely wrong.
A few practical things worth knowing. Not all urns are built for all environments. Some materials handle outdoor conditions — rain, humidity, temperature swings — better than others. Fauna urns are designed for indoor display or columbarium placement. They can be used for ground burial inside a vault, but they aren't suited for permanent outdoor exposure.
Heat is also worth considering. Keep urns away from prolonged direct heat — near a fireplace, radiator, or in extended direct sunlight isn't ideal for most materials, including ours.
If you're planning a ground burial, check with the cemetery first — most require an outer vault regardless of what the urn is made of.
How to choose the right size
This is where people get most anxious. It's actually the most straightforward part.
The rule is simple: one pound of body weight before cremation equals one cubic inch of urn capacity. If your loved one weighed 150 lbs, you need an urn with at least 150 cubic inches. When in doubt, size up. There's no downside to a little extra room.
Size also depends on what you're planning to do with the ashes. Keeping everything together? You'll want a full-sized vessel. Splitting between family members, or keeping a portion after scattering? A smaller urn makes more sense. There's no single right answer — just what works for your situation.
All Fauna urns are available in six sizes, from 25 lbs capacity up to 250 lbs.
Not sure which size you need? Visit our Sizing Guide or message us directly — we're happy to help personally.
Think about where it will live
Most people don't consider this until the urn arrives. Where will it go? A bedroom shelf, a mantelpiece, a dedicated corner somewhere. Or somewhere more private.
Not everyone keeps an urn at home. Some families choose a columbarium niche — a dedicated space within a memorial wall or chapel. Others scatter ashes and keep a smaller urn as a keepsake. It's worth thinking through your intentions before you buy. It affects both the size and the style you'll want.
If you're planning columbarium placement, check the niche dimensions with the cemetery before buying — exterior urn size matters as much as capacity, and niche sizes vary widely between facilities.
For urns that will live at home, the setting matters more than most people expect. An urn in a shared living space becomes part of the room. It needs to work with its surroundings. An urn kept somewhere more private can be more personal — it doesn't need to complement anything.
There's also the question of whether you want guests to immediately know what it is. Some families are completely open about it. Others prefer something that reads as a beautiful object first. Neither approach is wrong. It's just worth deciding before you buy.
The most important question
After all of it — the material, the size, the style, the price — there's really only one question that matters.
Does it feel right?
Not objectively right. Right for this person. Right for how you want to remember them. Right for the space it will occupy in your home and in your life.
Choosing a cremation urn isn't like choosing a piece of furniture. It's an act of remembrance. And remembrance is personal. There's no correct answer — only yours.
Fauna urns are modern cremation urns designed and made to order in Vancouver, Canada. Available in six sizes and eight colours, with free shipping and free returns.
Browse all urns