The first step in the cremation process is to place the body into a suitable container. This container can be a wooden casket, or a corrugated cardboard box.

In the UK, all bodies to be cremated are cremated in the coffin, and so all coffins are for cremation must be constructed from combustible materials.

Under the Code of Cremation Practice, the coffin cannot be opened once it has arrived at the crematorium, and that the body must me cremated within 72 hours of the funeral service. As a result, bodies are cremated in the same container that that they are placed into at the undertakers.

Reusable or cardboard coffins are becoming increasingly popular, with many manufacturers now supplying them

Burning and Ashes Collection

The container with the body is placed into the retort.

During the incineration, the retort operates at temperatures of 760 – 1150 C (1400 – 2100 F). At these temperatures, a large part of the body, the soft tissues and organs, vaporize and the gasses are discharged via the exhaust system.

The total time required for a cremation is

The body burns in the retort leaving bone fragments, consisting of calcium phosphates and minor minerals.

The remaining fragments represent about 3.5% of the original body mass. After incineration, the fragments are swept out of the retort. Using a pulveriser called a cremulator to process the fragments into a consistent powder.