Caskets are one of the biggest markups in a funeral. You don't have to buy one from the funeral home, and for cremation you don't need one at all.
Your rights under the federal Funeral Rule: a funeral home must accept a casket or urn you bought somewhere else, can't charge you a fee for using it, and can't require you to be there when it's delivered. No law requires a casket for cremation; a cardboard or plain wood container is fine. No state requires routine embalming. FTC: the Funeral Rule
Buying a casket online
- Costco sells caskets made by Prime Casket. Recent prices have run from about $1,150 to $1,600 with shipping included. Delivery takes about three business days, only to a funeral home or cemetery, and you have to call Prime at 800-294-8548 before ordering or the order won't go through. Michigan is on their delivery list. Price survey (2025)
- Walmart.com sells Titan caskets from about $995; a steel Titan casket was listed at $1,599 in November 2026. Urns run from about $5 to $150. Walmart urns
- Amazon also carries Titan caskets from about $1,000, some with fast delivery.
For comparison, Muehlig Funeral Chapel in Ann Arbor charges $1,100 just to rent a casket for a viewing, and $195 to $795 for a simple cremation container. Their price list
Order early. Delivery takes a few days, and the funeral home needs the casket before the service.
Simple and handmade
- Hickory Nut Farmstead, near Dexter: Michael Marie Schofield weaves willow caskets, urns and burial trays from willow she grows, and makes plant-dyed shrouds. Families can weave with her. Delivers within Michigan. 734-358-1142, hickorynutfarmstead.com
- C W Peterson Builders, Kingsley: handmade wood caskets from $750 (pine) to $3,500 (walnut), with free delivery to the Lower Peninsula, usually within a day. (231) 590-8990, website
- Trappist Caskets, made by monks in Iowa: pine from $1,700. They give child caskets free to grieving families. trappistcaskets.com
- Build your own. A plain pine box is a real option. Check the cemetery's size and vault rules and the crematory's rules on hardware first.
Shrouds
A shroud is simply a cloth wrap, often used for green burial. Hickory Nut Farmstead makes them locally; national makers sell them for roughly $450 to $680. Many families use a favorite quilt or blanket. Ask the cemetery what it allows.
Spending less overall
- Direct cremation. Cremation soon after death, with no service at the funeral home, costs $895 to $3,765 in Washtenaw County. You can hold the celebration weeks later, anywhere. Compare prices
- Whole-body donation. Wayne State University's program covers Washtenaw County and usually pays for transport, cremation and burial. The University of Michigan charges no program fee, though the family pays a funeral home for transport. Programs can decline a donation at the time of death, so have a backup plan. Wayne State · University of Michigan
- Veterans. Burial at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly includes the grave, opening and closing, liner, headstone and perpetual care at no cost. Some families also qualify for a burial allowance. VA burial benefits
- Social Security pays $255 to a surviving spouse or eligible child. Apply within two years. SSA
- State Emergency Relief helps pay for burial or cremation for people with limited means, with payments made straight to the funeral home. Apply through MDHHS within 10 business days after the burial or cremation. MDHHS burial assistance
Scattering ashes
Michigan has no state law on where you can scatter ashes. You need the landowner's permission. National parks like Sleeping Bear Dunes require a permit; for state parks, call the park first.
Not available in Michigan yet
Human composting isn't legal in Michigan as of 2026, though advocates are working on it. Water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis) has no clear legal path here and no Michigan provider for people.
Checked November 2026. Prices and programs change; confirm before you rely on them. Spot an error? Email kate@graveandseed.com.