Cremation Process

All cremations are performed individually or one at a time. They are never done in groups. Exceptions are only made when prior written permission is given by the authorizing agent only in the case of close relatives.

The cremation process begins with the container or funeral casket being placed in the cremation chamber where it will be subjected to intense heat reaching temperatures of 1400-1800 degrees fahrenheit. At this heat temperature, the body is reduced to ashes with the exception of bone fragments from calcium compounds and any other jewelry or metal materials not removed prior to cremation.

During the cremation process, it may be necessary to open the chamber and reposition the deceased in order to ensure a thorough process. The A time of cremation varies depending on the size and weight of the deceased. Typically it will range from 1.5 - 3 hours.

When the heating process has completed, there is a cooling period when the cremains are raked or swept from the chamber floor. Every effort is made to sweep all the remains however, there may be a thin residue that remains which may result in co-mingling with other remains.

After the remains have been removed, all the fragments and other metal items that were not removed prior to cremation will be separated and filtered from the human ashes. They will be discarded and cannot be recovered.

The bone fragments may be further processed to reduce the sizing and make them more uniform in size with the remaining ashes. Cremains usually weigh between 4-8 lbs. depending on the size of the bone fragments. The ashes are white in appearance but this may also vary depending on other factors and temperature variation.

The crematory will place your loved one’s cremains in a container appropriate to hold human remains if you do not provide an urn or similar type of container for them.