The Cremation Process Explained

Cremation has been around for thousands of years. While the beginnings of cremation involved somewhat primitive methods for achieving the end result, modern times and technology have given rise to a more standardized version of the process.

Preparation of the Body

Before a deceased person is cremated, a funeral director must first obtain authorization to cremate the deceased from the closest surviving family member(s). This is usually in the form of a document provided by the funeral home and signed by the family.

Next, the funeral director must remove any items not wished to be cremated along with the body such as jewelry. If the deceased had a pacemaker or other type of medical device, it too will need to be removed to prevent an explosion from occurring during the cremation process. It is not necessary to embalm a body before the cremation unless the family wishes to have a public viewing of the body during a memorial service.

The body is then placed in a cremation casket of the families choice.

The funeral director or crematorium operator will place an identification tag in the cremation container with the body to properly identify the cremated remains once returned to the funeral home.

The Cremation

The casket is then placed in the cremation chamber (sometimes referred to as the retort), which is lined with fire resistant bricks on the walls and ceiling. The floor is made from a special masonry compound formulated specifically to withstand extremely high temperatures. Once the body is in, the chamber door, which is about a half a foot thick, is closed.

The crematorium operator then starts the machine which normally goes through a warm up cycle before the main burning begins. After the machine is warmed up, the main burner ignites starting the process of incinerating the body. Temperatures within the chamber often reach the 1000°C - 1100°C (1800°F - 2000°F) range. The burners within a cremator are fueled by either natural gas or propane.

It generally takes about 1-1/2 to 2 hours for a body to be completely reduced to just the bone fragments by cremation. Some cremation furnaces, especially the older ones, may require a little more time.

Processing the Ashes

After the entire incinerating process is complete, a cool down period of 30 minutes to an hour is required before the bone fragments can be handled for further processing. When the time arrives, the cremated remains or bone fragments are removed from the cremation chamber and placed on a table work area. It is here that the crematorium operator removes all metal debris such as screws, nails, surgical pins or titanium limbs/joints with a magnet and by hand.

The remaining bone fragments are then placed in a special processor which consists of a cylindrical container with motorized blades at the bottom of the unit. This processor pulverizes the bone fragments to a fine powder called cremains or more commonly referred to as the ashes.

The ashes are then placed in a plastic bag within a temporary cremation container or an urn. The ashes are then returned to the family.

If you would like more information on our affordable cremation services call us at 780-539-2383 or e-mail: info@essentialcremations.com