What can you put in a coffin?

Are you thinking of putting something in your loved one’s coffin before they’re buried or cremated? If so, it’s good to have an idea of what you can put in and what you can’t.

Putting items in a coffin is by no means new. And nowadays, many coffins and caskets even have compartments, panels or drawers, specially designed for holding personal items.  

But there are rules in place to make sure that the coffin can be buried or cremated safely, without causing harm to others or damaging the environment. So, what can you put in a coffin? Read on for more guidance specific to the type of funeral you’re arranging. 

What can you put in a coffin for a burial? 

There aren’t many rules around what you can put in a coffin for a burial. As long as the item is legal, and not hazardous, there’s a good chance it can go in. Some popular options include: 

• Photos - this could be a photo of your loved one, the people they loved, their pets, places they visited, or any other happy memories. 
• Letters or notes - you could write a letter or note to place in the coffin, or you could put old letters and notes in. Anything that your loved one cherished. 
• Teddies and stuffed animals -  did your loved one have a favourite childhood teddy or stuffed animal? You might want to place this in their coffin with them. 
• Blankets - some people have comfort blankets from childhood, or just a specific blanket they liked from adulthood. You can place this in the coffin with them. 
• Jewellery - some people are buried with their jewellery. This could include wedding rings. Put some thought into whether you want to bury a person’s jewellery with them though. Some families prefer to keep jewellery and pass it on down the generations. 
• Flowers - you might want to put a flower in the coffin with them. This could be a single flower, or more flowers placed around them. 
• Religious items - if your loved one was religious, you might want to bury them with some of their religious items, such as a religious text or items like rosary beads.

What can you put in a coffin for a green burial? 

Green burials focus on burying someone in the most environmentally friendly way possible. So most green burial grounds have strict rules around what you can put in the coffin. You’ll usually find that you can only put biodegradable items in. This includes the clothes that you choose to bury them in. Man-made fibres and plastic items are usually not allowed. For more specific info, contact your chosen natural burial ground. They’ll be able to guide you and answer questions about the exact items you’re considering. 

What can you put in a coffin for a cremation?

You can place most of the items we’ve already listed for burial in a coffin that’s being cremated. There are, of course, rules around what you can’t put in a coffin that’s going to be cremated. These tend to revolve around safety. You’ll need to avoid: 

• Anything combustible – this includes medical devices like pacemakers and personal items like bottles of spirits. If your loved one has a pacemaker, your funeral director can arrange for it to be removed before cremation. 
• Materials that release harmful emissions when burnt – this includes treated leather, latex and vinyl. 
• Jars or bottles made from plastic or glass – these can melt or shatter. 
• Anything containing a battery – such as mobile phones or e-cigarettes. These can explode when exposed to high temperatures. 

If you want to put a certain item in the coffin, but you’re unsure whether it’s okay, you can always ask your chosen funeral director. They’ll be able to answer questions that are specific to you and can also find ways to help you plan things the way you’d like. For example, if you’d like your loved one to be dressed in clothes that can’t be cremated during the funeral, they can be dressed in these for the service and then changed back out of them before the coffin is placed in the cremator. 

Remember, coffins are all checked for items that could combust or harm the environment before they’re cremated. So if you do put something in that isn’t permitted, or that crematorium staff think might not be safe, it will be removed before the cremation takes place. 

Placing items in a coffin 

There are 2 different ways you can place items in a coffin before it’s buried or cremated. These are: 

• Placing the items yourself - you can usually do this when visiting the person who’s died in the chapel of rest. If the coffin is open, you can place the items inside. If you’re unsure where to place them, a member of staff can help show you if there are compartments. You can also place items in pockets of the clothing the person is wearing. 
• Asking the funeral director - if you don’t want to visit the chapel of rest, you can still place items in the coffin. Just ask the funeral director to do this for you. 

Items celebrities have been buried with
 

Jack Daniels and cigarettes – Frank Sinatra 

When Frank Sinatra passed away in 1998, at the age of 82, his loved ones put some of his favourite things in his coffin. These included a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey and a packet of Camel cigarettes. 

A whale’s tooth – President John F. Kennedy 

You might not have known this before, but President John F. Kennedy loved to collect nautical antiques and artifacts. This included scrimshaw, which is art or ornaments made from a whale’s teeth or bones. When he died, his wife, Jackie Kennedy, made sure that he was buried with a piece of scrimshaw that she’d given him as a Christmas gift in 1965. 

Pencils and chocolate – Roald Dahl 

Author Roald Dahl is best known for his children’s books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox and James and the Giant Peach. Throughout his career, he was well-known for writing using HB pencils. So he was buried with plenty of them. His loved ones also placed some of his other favourite things in his coffin with him, including chocolates, red wine, snooker cues and a power saw. 

Count Dracula’s cape – Bela Lugosi

Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, better known as “Bela Lugosi”, was most famous for playing Count Dracula in the classic 1931 horror film. When he passed away his family buried him wearing his full Dracula costume, including his cape and Dracula ring. 

A whistle – Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart was a film star, best known for his performances in black and white films like “Casablanca” and “The Maltese Falcon”. He fell in love with his co-star, Lauren Bacall, when they played lovers in the 1944 film “To Have and Have Not”. The couple were married for 12 years before Humphrey passed away. When he was buried, Lauren slipped a tiny whistle into his urn before it was buried. This was from a charm bracelet that he’d given to her when they were dating.