Cremation Urn FAQ 3: What size urn do I need?

The amount of cremated remains that an urn will hold is measured in cubic inches. Most standard adult urns hold 200 cubic inches of remains - some a little more, some a little less.

To find out the capacity you need, figure that one pound of body weight will yield one about 1 cubic inch of remains. So a person who weighed 165 pounds will have about 165 cubic inches of ashes after the cremation.

This simple equation will usually overestimate the amount of remains, so it is a good rule of thumb 99% of the time.

If you already have the remains, you can figure the capacity you need by simply multiplying the width, depth, and height of the temporary urn the ashes are in.