Direct cremation
The simplest paid cremation service most families compare first.
Direct cremation usually means a licensed funeral home or crematory brings the person into their care, files required paperwork, cremates, and returns the cremated remains. There is no embalming for a public viewing and no funeral ceremony at the funeral home beforehand.
You can still hold a gathering later at a home, place of worship, or park. That gathering is separate from the cremation fee.
What is usually on the bill
Packages differ. A “direct cremation” line often covers some mix of:
- Removal / transfer into the firm’s care
- The non-declinable basic services fee (or a reduced direct-cremation package)
- An alternative container (unfinished wood, fiberboard, or cardboard — not a metal casket)
- The cremation fee
- Return of the cremated remains in a basic container
Extra charges that often sit outside the headline number: extra mileage, after-hours removal, extra death certificates, a nicer urn, shipping, or a witness cremation. Ask the licensed provider for an itemized General Price List before you buy. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, you have a right to that list.
Typical U.S. midpoint (not a quote)
The National Funeral Directors Association’s 2023 member General Price List study reported a national median of $2,750 for direct cremation when the funeral home provides the container (survey dated 2023-12). That is a national midpoint for education. Your ZIP calculator shows a local low / mid / high band built from that study. It is not a price from a firm near you.
The dollar ranges on this site are typical local estimates for education. They are not a quote from a specific firm and not a contract.
You do not have to buy a casket
No state requires a casket for cremation. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home that offers cremation must make an alternative container available. You may also bring an urn or casket you bought elsewhere; they cannot refuse it or charge a handling fee for that.
Cremation by ZIP is not a funeral home, crematory, or cemetery. We do not cremate, bury, or arrange services.