How to Transfer Ashes Between Two Urns

Transferring ashes from one urn to another may seem like a bizarre thought to some, but it is actually quite common and comes with good reasoning. For some families, there may be multiple members who want some of the ashes in a keepsake urn. Another reason is that you may have received your loved one's remains in a temporary urn from the funeral home and you'd now like to transfer the ashes into a more durable, permanent, possibly customized urn for your home.

Is It Possible to Transfer Ashes to Another Urn?

The answer is YES! This is not an impossible task and simply requires you to know what the final outcome is for the ashes. There are 3 options for transferring ashes into another urn:

1. Ask the funeral home or crematorium to transfer the ashes for you into your chosen urn.
2. Once you have received the ashes from the crematorium, you could place them directly into your urn without emptying them from the bag.
3. Pour the ashes yourself (carefully) from the bag and into your urn.

What You'll Need to Transfer Ashes and How to Do It

When transferring ashes to an urn, what you need depends on the method you've chosen.

Many funeral homes will transfer the remains for you if you have chosen an urn prior to the cremation.

If you are choosing to transfer the remains yourself, you'll be happy to know that it's quite a simple process. Before you begin, make sure that you are working on a flat surface in a well-lit room that is sheltered from the wind. You will receive the cremains in a thick bag; you can either take this bag and place it into your chosen urn, or you can use a funnel to gently pour the ashes out and into the urn and make sure to secure the lid.

If your loved one has passed in a different state and you need to transport their remains, there are also many options for this.