Choosing an urn

When an urn is needed

An urn is always needed when the deceased is cremated. For a coffin burial no urn is needed. After cremation the crematorium places the ashes in the urn, and the urn can be collected after a few days. In our practice cremation usually takes place one to two weeks after collection. The urn is often chosen together with the coffin, but there is no hurry: the urn is needed only at the cremation, and we deliver it to the crematorium for you. If the blessing is held at the coffin before cremation, the urn appears only at the urn lowering. If the blessing is held after cremation, the urn is the centre of the ceremony in the chapel or at the grave, and then its appearance matters more. The crematorium releases the ashes only for burial or another permanent placement, and the recipient states the place in writing before release; we handle the statement with you.

Materials: wood, ceramic, metal and biodegradable

Urns come in four main materials. Wooden urns are turned or glued, light or dark, and also come in biodegradable versions. Ceramic urns are glazed or unglazed and often freer in form; they suit a columbarium. Metal urns, for example aluminium, are durable and do not decompose, so they are meant for a columbarium or urn vault. Biodegradable urns are made of materials that break down in the ground; they are chosen for an urn grave, a family grave and a memorial grove. The material affects neither the cremation nor the parish fees. Start from the placement and only then from the appearance. Our office has urns in every material on show, and many models are designed to match our coffin range.

• Wood: turned or glued, light or dark, also available biodegradable
• Ceramic: glazed or unglazed, suits a columbarium
• Metal: durable, non-biodegradable, for a columbarium or urn vault
• Biodegradable: for an urn grave, family grave and memorial grove

The placement decides the material

The urn material is chosen according to where the ashes will be placed. In an urn grave, family grave and memorial grove the urn is lowered into the ground, so a biodegradable urn is chosen. In a columbarium, for example the one at Hietaniemi cemetery, the urn is placed in a niche for 25 years, and the parish union requires a non-biodegradable urn. In the urn vault of Kallio church the niche is for members of Helsinki parishes, and the 250 euro price includes transport of the urn from the parish union crematorium and engraving of the name. At the scattering area the verger scatters the ashes without the family present, so the urn serves only as a transport vessel; the same applies to scattering outside a cemetery with the landowner's permission. If you have not yet decided the placement, choose a biodegradable urn: it serves most options, and we tell you if the chosen place requires something else. The options and their prices are described in the guide Cremation in Finland.

Urn prices

Our urns cost from 95 euros, VAT included. The Classic urn costs 95 euros and the Design urn 240 euros. The Hillitty package at 1,290 euros and the Klassinen package at 1,790 euros include the Classic urn; the Harmonia package at 2,590 euros includes the Design urn. The package urn can be swapped for another model, and the price then changes only by the difference between the urns. The urn is a small part of the total cost of cremation: cremation of a Helsinki resident at a parish union crematorium costs 260 euros, and placing the ashes costs, for example, 90 euros in a memorial grove, or 180 euros for an urn grave plus 150 euros for the urn burial. These parish fees are invoiced unchanged and do not vary with the choice of urn. The total cost of cremation without a ceremony is about 1,000 euros in the Helsinki region.

• Classic urn 95 euros
• Design urn 240 euros
• The Hillitty and Klassinen packages include the Classic urn, Harmonia the Design urn
• Swapping to another model costs only the price difference

Matching the coffin and engraving

Many of our urn models are designed on the same basis as our coffins, so urn and coffin can be chosen in the same tone and material: a light wooden coffin with a light wooden urn, or dark oak with a dark turned urn. Matching is a possibility, not a requirement; if the blessing is held at the coffin and the urn is seen only at the lowering, the choice can rest on the placement alone. An engraving or another personal detail, such as the name and years, can be ordered for the urn. In the urn vault of Kallio church the name engraving is included in the niche price. At the planning visit we tell you which models can be engraved and how long it takes, so the urn is ready by the cremation. The engraving price depends on the model, and we state it before ordering.

Storing the urn before placement

The ashes need not be placed at once. At the Helsinki parish union crematoria in Malmi and Honkanummi the urn is stored free for six months, after which storage costs 30 euros per started month. At the Krematoriosäätiö crematorium in Hietaniemi storage is free for three months, and a full year costs 80 euros. At the Espoo crematorium the urn is kept free for the whole year. The urn can also be taken home temporarily, for example until relatives living far away can come to the lowering; under the law, however, the ashes must be placed permanently in one place within a year of cremation, so keeping the urn at home is always temporary. We can arrange collection of the urn from the crematorium and keep it for you until the lowering time is agreed with the parish burial services.

The one-year rule, release and no dividing

The Burial Act sets three conditions on the urn that are worth knowing before choosing. First, the crematorium releases the ashes only for burial or another permanent placement, and the recipient states the place in writing before release. Second, the ashes must be buried or otherwise permanently placed in one place within a year of cremation; if this does not happen despite a reminder, the parish places the ashes at the estate's cost in the cemetery the deceased was entitled to. Third, the ashes cannot be divided between several places, and they cannot be kept at home permanently. Placing ashes outside a cemetery requires the consent of the owner or holder of the land or water area, and no memorial may be erected at the spot. The City of Helsinki has designated sea areas west of Harmaja and north-west of Rysäkivi for scattering. These rules affect whether a biodegradable or non-biodegradable urn is the right choice.

Placement options in Helsinki in brief

For a Helsinki resident's ashes there are five usual placements in Helsinki, and a certain urn suits each. Prices follow the Helsinki parish union price list for Helsinki residents; non-residents pay more. The time of the urn lowering is agreed with the burial services, and the closest family usually take part, guided by the verger. For burial in a family grave the grave right is checked with the burial services, and the lease must have 25 years left at the time of burial.

• Urn grave: plot for 25 years 180 euros and urn burial 150 euros; biodegradable urn
• Family grave: urn burial 150 euros in an existing grave; biodegradable urn
• Memorial grove: 90 euros, name plaque on the common memorial 170 euros; biodegradable urn
• Scattering area: 90 euros, the verger scatters without the family; urn only for transport
• Hietaniemi columbarium: 300 euros for 25 years; non-biodegradable urn
• Kallio church urn vault: 250 euros for 25 years, only for members of Helsinki parishes

What you can leave to us

You choose the urn and the placement; we handle everything else. We deliver the urn to the crematorium before cremation, make the written statement of the placement with you, collect the urn from the crematorium and store it if needed, agree the lowering time with the parish burial services and check the grave right of a family grave. If the placement is still open, we help you compare the options and their prices. All choices, prices and the schedule are visible in the family's shared online space, so relatives living far away see the same information. We serve you in Finnish, Swedish and English. Call 09 6129 890 or book a planning visit at Annankatu 12; the visit is free. The office is open weekdays 9-16, and we answer the phone around the clock. There is free courtyard parking with entry from Uudenmaankatu 17.

Frequently asked questions