While both serve as a respectful and attractive way to transport the deceased before the burial or cremation, you might not have known that a casket and a coffin are actually quite different. But if you have to choose between a casket and a coffin for a funeral, you will want to know the difference. It is mainly the variation in shape.

Coffins

The term coffin has been used since the early 16th century to describe the traditional funerary vessel.

The shape of a coffin is typically tapered to the human form. It is wider at shoulder level and narrower further down, and has six or eight sides. The hexagonal or octagonal shape is considered to save wood for construction and can be less costly than a casket.

But what, then, is a Casket?

Caskets

A casket is a four-sided, rectangular, box-shaped burial vessel specially designed to contain a deceased person’s body. It is typically used during a funeral service for viewing the body, visitation, or wake. The casket is lowered into the ground during the burial ceremony.